LOCATING "ARENAS OF STRUGGLE"
Every year, UNE celebrates the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. within the month of his eponymous holiday. The UNE Office of Intercultural Student Engagement has been diligent in bringing exceptional speakers to spark thoughtful discourse and challenge preconceived ideas of race, power and privilege. Indeed, this year was no exception. Angela Davis, PhD, activist, writer, and educator delivered her talk, “Freedom is a Constant Struggle,” on the UNE Biddeford Campus in January 2019.
UNE President, James Herbert, PhD, was first to address the crowd. It was in Decary Hall (the former gymnasium) where Martin Luther King, Jr. visited in May 1964, the same year he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his profound influence on the Civil Rights Movement. If those walls could talk, they would reverberate the power and sentiment of King’s cry for civil disobedience to end racial segregation. President Herbert reminded the crowd that Dr. King spoke of equity and justice, and that “[UNE’s] devotion to inclusion… has not waivered.” To illustrate, he revealed how UNE’s Portland Campus, once Westbrook College, admitted Franco-Americans when current practices were otherwise; St. Francis College, once UNE’s Biddeford Campus, admitted women when other colleges barred their doors shut. UNE’s Strategic Plan continues to reflect that ongoing devotion to diversity and inclusion. With a background in clinical psychology, President Herbert has been an ardent proponent for free speech and ideological discourse. In a 2015 Op-Ed, he states that colleges and universities “can achieve their full potential only if they foster ideological diversity and robust dialogue.”1
If you never heard of Angela Davis, here is a taste of the breadth and scope of her impact and
A Legend COMes
to UNE
Angela Davis, PhD addresses UNE