Kudos for reworked Brunswick mural
Artists Jen Greta Cart and Chris Cart as well as Steve and Susan Weems of Brunswick Public Art have done admirable work revising the mural on the Fort Andross Mill. They have addressed some of the criticisms about stereotypes. And, Ms. Cart, the faces are truly marvelous. Their good work is also troublingly incomplete. I’ll explain with a metaphor. If someone were to paint a mural of me without consulting me, I would be alarmed. Don’t I have a say over how I am represented? If, in response to the question, the artists adjusted the color of my favorite shirt, I would appreciate the improvement, but I would remain frustrated. What about the basic conversation about who I am and why I am in the mural?
To be clear, I do not have this problem. No one will ever paint me in a mural. Wabanakis, however, do have a problem because they often have no say in how others represent them. When he spoke in opposition to the mural last September, James Francis, the Director of the Penobscot Department of Cultural and Historic Preservation, explained, “Nothing about us without us.” What have the Weemses and the Carts done with Wabanakis? Here I don’t mean asking one or two people if they like the canoe in the background. Community portraits require community engagement, especially when representing people who have for so long been silenced.
I realize that community-engaged work is difficult and slow. It is part of the work that I have done with the Pejepscot Portage Mapping Project, and it shapes my own scholarship about Wabanaki history. I have made many mistakes. I keep trying because the alternative is to continue silencing Wabanakis. They been silenced and misrepresented long enough. I urge the Carts and the Weemses to find ways to communicate with Wabanaki communities.
If they don’t, they will still have a beautiful mural. It will, however, be missing some of the community that should be at its heart. If they think I can help doing this work, I am happy to offer suggestions.
Joe Hall,
Auburn
Greenleaf, Beattie for SAD 75 School Board
It is time for our School Board to come together. Important policy and budgetary issues require its consensus to move our school district forward. On March 11, Harpswell voters will have the opportunity to elect two new school board members, Gregory Greenleaf and Bart Beattie. They both have the character and commitment to contribute to a more collaborative and productive Board. These attributes are especially important now given the recent abrupt resignation of yet another superintendent, the need to hire and retain good teachers and other school related staff, and the critical academic and socio-emotional needs of our students after two-plus years of COVID.Gregory is a high school teacher in Cumberland, and father of two children currently in SAD 75 schools and one that is a recent Mt. Ararat graduate. He is an active parent and community member who will bring his commitment to public education and teaching experience to the school board.Bart Beattie, a trained clinical social worker and administrator, will bring his skills and insights at a time when so many of our students are dealing with mental health challenges. Bart and his family have been committed to our schools over many years. His four children have attended SAD 75 schools, as will his grandchild in the near future. Bart is a write-in candidate who came forward when Greta Warren withdrew her candidacy. Greta has thrown her support behind Bart.Gregory’s and Bart’s experiences and skills are only part of the reason I am excited about their candidacies. I am voting for them because they will bring the comity needed by the Board to effectively do its job.Please join me on March 11 (or before if voting early) to vote for Gregory Greenleaf (on the ballot) and Bart Beattie (as a write-in candidate).
Karen Tcheyan,
Orr’s Island
Vote for your local school board
I’m an older Harpswell resident with no kids in our schools. Why should I bother to vote in the SAD 75 school board election coming on March 11?Here’s what I think: A community is only as strong, effective, and vibrant as the people living in it. Harpswell is the oldest town in Maine. This means supporting our kids and younger families is even more important. They give our town the energy of youth, a vivid diversity of opinions, new ideas, and a focus on the future. We need that.That’s why we need to give our kids great schools — for the best chances of growing up into healthy citizens with good jobs who are informed, thoughtful, and caring.How do we do that? By electing talented school board members who bring real knowledge, proven expertise, and commitment to the job. They need to be good listeners and critical thinkers. They need to question, counsel, and support — not micromanage.That’s why I’m voting for school board candidates Gregory Greenleaf and writing in Bart Beattie. I hope you will, too. They’re long-time Harpswell residents. They have strong, relevant professional experience. They’re parents with kids in our schools. They’re what our town and our district needs. See you at Town Meeting!
LeAnne Grillo,
Harpswell
Far to go in disabled housing crisis
I fear that when Governor Mills spoke about the proposed money to be invested in disability services during her State of the State address, most people came away thinking we were well on our way to solving the housing crisis facing the disability community. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth is over 2,000 disabled Maine citizens have been placed on a waitlist for years to receive the housing and support services they are legally bound to receive in a timely and efficient manner under the Section 21 Medicaid Waiver program. The only money in the proposed budget for Section 21 is for those individuals with disabilities who are priority one — actively being abused, neglected, or exploited. There is no money for priority two — those individuals with disabilities at risk for abuse, neglect, or exploitation. This is not who we are as a state.
For many Maine people with disabilities, the last three years have seen the closing of over 70 group homes that provided a safe and stable environment that helped them become valued members of communities. The only choice these individuals had was to move back to family homes with aging parents who can no longer provide 24-hour-a-day care, or move to any open bed, often hours away from family support.
Please join me in asking your legislators to eliminate the Section 21 waitlist, as well as pay a marketable wage to the Direct Support Professionals who care for our most vulnerable citizens.
Kathy Rickards,
Brunswick
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