UMaine Professor Set for NAACP Martin Luther King Birthday Keynote

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

December 12, 2007 Archives

Contact: Perry (NAACP) at 548-2081; Joe Carr (UMaine) at 581-3571

ORONO — A keynote address by University of Maine philosophy professor Douglas Allen will highlight a joint Greater Bangor Area NAACP/University of

Maine Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast celebration on Monday, January 21, 2008. The 8:30-10:30 a.m. event is scheduled for UMaine’s Buchanan Alumni House, 160 College Avenue.

Allen is a long-time civil rights activist who describes King as having been “a major influence in (his) life.” Allen was involved in the civil rights movement in the South, and he has taught and conducted extensive research related to King’s life.

“I plan to speak about the lasting legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy and activism for our contemporary world,” Allen says. “I’ll focus on what King can teach us when it comes to violence and nonviolence, peace and war, racism and injustice, and the need to become involved and to work for real, shared, interpersonal integration that is necessary for meaningful living and for human survival.”

Local NAACP officials say that the January event will present an important opportunity to promote King’s message of peace and civil discourse,

particularly in light of recent threats of violence against the branch and its members. The Bangor NAACP recently canceled its Kwanzaa celebration because of those threats.

“I’m very happy and excited to work in conjunction with the University of Maine to hold our annual breakfast,” says Joe Perry, president of the

Greater Bangor NAACP. “The UMaine breakfast celebrations have long been the primary local event honoring Dr. King on his birthday, and we are already hard at work jointly planning the Buchanan Alumni House breakfast program.”

“Martin Luther King stood for all the things that provide the foundation for university community life,” says Angel Loredo, UMaine’s associate dean

of students. “We are looking forward to the Jan. 21 event, which will provide a worthy celebration of his remarkable life.”

Those who wish to purchase tickets should call Joe Perry at 548-2081 or Josephine Bright at 947-4625.