Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Segment 1: A rally in Skowhegan Monday kicked off efforts here in Maine to follow the lead of cities like Seattle and Minneapolis, and replace “Columbus Day” with a holiday called “Indigenous People’s Day”. Former Penobscot Chief Barry Dana organized the event:
Segment 2: Students in Bangor are raising money to help provide access to clean drinking water in the West African country of Burkina Faso. We spoke with 2 of the organizers of this year’s annual
benefit race, which will be taking place on the Bangor waterfront this weekend:
Segment 3: A few other events happening this weekend: Saturday evening at 7 at the UU Church in Bangor, Sister Cities coordinator Cori Ring-Martinez, and Edith Portillo of the Association for the Development of El Salvador will be speaking on the topic of “Crossing Borders: Organizing in El Salvador and the U.S.: How US policy created the immigration humanitarian crisis, how the Salvadoran government and social movements are responding, and what international solidarity can do to help”. Also on Saturday, from 2-8pm, there will be a concert and fundraiser to benefit the Penobscot Nation’s defense of their ancestral River. There will be an opportunity to learn more about the Penobscot’s battle with the State of Maine in Penobscot Nation v. Mills, and hear about threats to the watershed. That will be held at the Sockalexis Arena on Indian Island. More information is available at the Justice for the River! facebook page.
Segment 4: While all these events are happening, there is also a group of people walking across the state to draw attention to what they say is Maine’s “growing dependence on military production”. One of the organizers is Bruce Gagnon, of Maine Veterans for Peace and the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space: