An abbreviated version of those events from theĢżĢżfollows. ā€œOn June 19, 1865, Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans that the Civil War was over and that they were freed by Lincolnā€™s Emancipation Proclamation, signed two years earlier.ā€ Those are the facts, however, a more meaningful telling of the significance of the day by a woman whose family lived the events can be found in this 2020Ģż.

Many consider Juneteenth as our countryā€™s second Independence Day. It is a day to celebrate the joy of freedom, while also acknowledging the many wrongs of slavery and the ongoing need to address racial disparities in the United States. Lynett Roy, a member of the Bangor Advising team, DEI Council Member, and UMA graduate, shares her reflections on Juneteenth.

Lynett Roy, Staff Associate for Academic Advising

ā€œJuneteenth is a day of remembrance for the dreams that were lost, stolen, and snuffed. It is a day to remember I am my ancestors’ dreams! I carry the name of my enslaved grandmother. Passing on her dreams and hopes to my children. It is because of her fortitude, prayers, and dreams that we can live our best lives today. I will never forget her sacrifices and others that came before me!ā€

– Lynett Roy
Staff Associate for Academic Advising andĢż UMA DEI Council Member

The ā€œProgress Prideā€ flag, designed by Daniel Quaser

We celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June to honor theĢżĢżand to recognize the impact LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history. Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ culture, to support and advocate for queer rights, and a time to remember those who lost their lives to hate crimes and/or HIV/AIDS. For those not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Month is a time to learn what it means to be an ally and show your support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Student leaders share their Pride Month reflections

“Pride month is a significant way to raise awareness and acceptance for a community of people that should be accepted and celebrated every second of the day, every day of the year. Pride month is important because it offers an opportunity to educate those that may not understand or be aware of their own biases. As a White, Cis-gender woman, I have spent a lot of time educating myself, standing up and being an advocate and an ally for the LGBTQ+ community. I have taken it upon myself, as everyone should, to research terms I did not understand and find safe places to ask questions.

I am still learning what role I can play as an ally and I look forward to continuing my journey. I know I will make mistakes, learn from them, and keep moving forward. For me, Pride month represents a positive and much needed change in our culture. As I drove through a town today on my way to a conference, the city streets were blanketed with Pride flags and the local movie theater screen flashed, ‘Pride Festival June 13th’. It felt good to see the community support displayed so freely, as it should be every day.ā€

-Amanda Brown, Member Presidentā€™s DEI Council
Co-President and Founder of Ā鶹APP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Action Club

ā€œTo me, the legacy of pride is so much more than a celebration, a festival, or even a month. It is a legacy of fearlessness, bold and unapologetic self-expression. It’s a time to claim your place in the world. It takes tremendous courage to show up, masks off, and speak up to live your true self. I know it did for me. The vulnerability required is crippling at times, but today, I do not live in the shadow of stigma. I am worth so much more than that, we all are.ā€

– Heidi Toner
Bangor SGA President

ā€œThough elevating and amplifying the voices of fellow students, friends, community members, and family is a year round commitment, taking time in the month of June to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community while reflecting on what has been lost, taken away, and sacrificed just to get to this point with so much further to go for our society is of the utmost importance. This is time we can all set aside and focus on an issue so we can all learn and grow together. This is community. This is LOVE and everyone deserves to feel it.”

-Joseph Spiller
President, UMA SGA Augusta Campus
Chair, UMA SGA General Assembly
Executive Secretary & Co-Founder, DEI Student Action Club

The ā€œProgress Prideā€ flag, designed by Daniel Quaser

In honor of Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR), WICCD and Rainbows Across UMA has presented the Bangor and Augusta campuses with Pride flags to be flown annually for one week. We stand against violence inflicted upon transgender people and offer support and solidarity to BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities commemorating their losses.

We chose the ā€œProgress Prideā€ flag, designed by Daniel Quaser, to honor the history of the original Pride rainbow flag, and also update it to emphasize the needs and experiences of brown, black, and transgender queer people who are often disproportionately impacted by violence in this struggle.

Thank you to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council at UMA for their full endorsement of this event. With these flags, we hope to increase the visibility of queer issues at UMA, and we charge our colleagues to take action as diversity agents in higher education. We also invite you to visit the for more information, collaboration, and support.

Learn more about TDOR from and . For more information about ways to support local Maine initiatives to support transgender Mainers, please visit .

Discover Your World: An Interactive Workshop for Caregivers, Educators & Librarians and anyone who works with children will be held on Wednesday, June 26th from 5-7 pm in the community room at Lithgow Library at 45 Winthrop Street, Augusta.

Author and former teacherĢżĢżwill introduce her nonfiction illustrated books exploring global cultures through the lens of human commonalities: walls, immigrant stories, traditions for welcoming babies, and the daily life of children.

This workshop is free and open to the public, butĢżspace is limited and pre-registration is required by June 21.ĢżParticipants will receive free, autographed books and dinner will be provided.

Please contact the Lithgow Library at (207) 626-2415 to save your space.ĢżFor questions on the workshop, contact Pat Clark at (207) 685-4101. This event is sponsored by theĢżĀ鶹APP Diversity Committee.