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Welcome to the Maine Initiatives Blog

November 19, 2020

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$400,000 Awarded to Grassroots Racial Justice Work

Dear Friends: Change happens in community. And that is why it is our honor to announce the 20 grassroots organizations selected for the 2020 Grants for Change program. These grantees are transforming our state by tirelessly organizing and advocating for justice. They are dismantling systems and structures built on racism and racialized oppression. And they are centering […]

November 10, 2020

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A deep breath today. But tomorrow…

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dear Friend: Democracy is messy, complicated, and imperfect. This election has made that clear. Yet despite all of its complexity, democracy remains central to our vision of justice. If, as Dr. King asserted, the arc of […]

October 29, 2020

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Systemic racism in Maine is real.

Dear friends, I am flabbergasted. Sen. Collins took the debate stage last night and claimed that systemic racism is not a problem in Maine. Either Sen. Collins is ignorant of the rampant racial disparities in our state across many measures; or she thinks those disparities reflect fair and just outcomes of our systems, structures and […]

October 29, 2020

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NEW: $1 Million to Support Racial Justice Organizing and Activism in Maine

We are in a moment of reckoning. The Pandemic. The Election. The Movement for Black Lives. In this tumult, we have an opportunity to act on our values. To reject a status quo of racial injustice, inequity, and oppression. And to push forward with confidence towards a future of racial justice and liberation. We have said […]

October 27, 2020

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COVID-19 Issue Spotlight: Get Out The Vote!

 We are exactly one week away from Election Day. The stakes are high, and that’s why our grantees are in overdrive working to “Get Out the Vote” (GOTV) across Maine. These organizations are targeting communities who have historically been disenfranchised: People of Color, Immigrants, Indigenous folks, Women, Incarcerated and Homeless citizens. Below you’ll find resources and opportunities to […]

October 26, 2020

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Support Get Out The Vote Efforts

If you would like to support organizations working on get out the vote efforts, consider the following organizations: Democracy Maine Maine Citizens for Clean Elections and the League of Women Voters of Maine, together as Democracy Maine, use their collective power to work for racial equity in our democracy in a uniquely nonpartisan and sustainable joint […]

October 22, 2020

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October 2020 eNews

Dear Friend, Do you need a dose of joy this morning? One of our Board Members shared this sweet video with us and we can’t get it out of our heads! So, in addition to these updates below we share this delightful song with you that reminds us all to keep going on. In community, The […]

October 12, 2020

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This is not a day off.

Dear Friends, Last year was the first time Maine recognized Indigenous People’s Day as an official state holiday in replacement of Columbus Day. This was an important shift, but not enough to ensure that Indigenous communities are recognized and respected as sovereign nations. It is our responsibility not to think of this as a day […]