We Stand in Solidarity with Black, Brown, and Indigenous People

by | Jun 3, 2020 | News

Illustration by Sacrée Frangine

Our nation is in upheaval.  People and communities are hurting. Racism is ravaging communities from Maine to Minnesota and from NYC to Detroit to Lewiston-Auburn.  COVID has impacted Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in disproportionate numbers, and the economic fall-out is acutely impacting these same communities.  As a nation, we are paying attention to racism, police brutality, and injustice at this moment in history, but this didn’t start with the death of George Floyd. Maine, along with the rest of our nation, is built on a history of genocide of Indigenous people, racism, slavery, police repression, and economic exploitation. 

Wabanaki Tribes have had their lands and rivers stolen and faced violence and genocide.  People of color and Immigrants in Lewiston, Portland and other parts of Maine, have faced racist attacks from politicians and White people, including last year’s racist harassment of Lewiston City Councillor Safiya Khalid.  In 2018, two Biddeford men violently assaulted a Black man on the basis of his race and in 2019, Isahak Muse, a young Black man in Portland, was killed by his girlfriends’ brother who had expressed racist and anti-Muslim views. People of color make up a disproportionate number of Maine’s prison population (Black Mainers represent 1.6% of Maine’s population, and yet 12% of individuals who are incarcerated are Black) and COVID-19 cases (over 20% are Black Mainers).   

At the Cooperative Maine Business Alliance, we stand in solidarity with Black, Brown, and Indigenous people and communities who are struggling to end this injustice and are fighting, organizing, and working towards a just future. Our hearts go out to the families and communities that are directly impacted and grieving the deaths of their loved ones.  

As Maine co-ops, we can’t sit on the sidelines and say that this doesn’t impact us or that these are problems that don’t exist in Maine.   As Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”   Injustice and racism are in our communities and it is time for us as co-ops to step up our “Concern for Community” to take actions that dismantle racism and police violence.  

What can you do as a co-op in Maine?  We developed this list from suggestions and ideas from others.  

  1. Donate to groups that are working to dismantle racism and police brutality.
  2. Educate yourself and co-op members about racism and how to be allies. (White folks: Read and share resources on white privilege.)
  3. Show your support for Black Lives Matter publicly at your co-op or through your newsletter or social media.
  4. Support and collaborate with organizations and co-ops that are led by Black, indigenous, and other people of color. Buy from Black-owned businesses. 
  5. Reach out to Black, Indigenous, and people of color colleagues, workers, friends, or family members to see what support they need.
  6. Provide food or water for protests, or you or your members can join a protest.
  7. Listen to and amplify the voices of people of color and the organizations and movements that are working against racism and for collective liberation. 

Reach out to and support the following Maine and National organizations (and others) that are doing critical work at this time to address racism in our country.  Listen, empathize, support, and take action for Black Lives.  Now is a time for action and solidarity. #blacklivesmatter

Maine Organizations

National Organizations