The University of Maine Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) held a ceremony Thursday commemorating the start of Black History Month by raising a “Black Lives Matter” flag outside of the university’s bookstore.
“[T]he UMaine Community celebrated the start of Black History Month with the annual raising of the Black Lives Matter flag in the Memorial Union,” the taxpayer-funded university posted on Facebook. “Thank you to the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion for organizing this event!”
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The flag was raised during a noon ceremony Thursday in the atrium of the Memorial Union, a hub of student activities on campus dedicated in 1953 to the University of Maine students who gave their lives serving in World War II.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag was created in 2020 amid nationwide outrage over the death of George Floyd while in police custody that spring.
The flag became of a symbol of the BLM movement, as well as the looting and riots that raged the following summer under the pretense of social justice activism. Those riots caused an estimated $1-2 billion in insured losses — the costliest riots in the county’s history.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network (BLMGN), the largest and most well-funded BLM organization, supports defunding the police, and has been widely criticized for alleged mismanagement of donated funds.
Some Facebook commenters expressed concern over affiliating with a movement that has run afoul of the law for using funds donated for social justice on personal expenses instead.
“Considering the imprisonment of several of the founders of the BLM foundation for their siphoning of funds,” wrote Elizabeth Ann, “there are much better ways to uplift and support the Black community for Black history month.
The UMaine ODI runs three resource centers in the Memorial Union, which are aimed at “Supporting University of Maine students from historically underrepresented identities.”
Those identities include, but are not limited to, “sexuality, race, gender identity, spirituality, ethnicity, ability, religion, nationality, socio-economic status, and others,” according to the office’s website.
The ODI’s “Rainbow Resource Center” is geared towards “promoting equality and inclusiveness” at UMaine for “LGBTQ” people.
The second center run by the UMaine ODI is called the “Intersectional Feminist Resource Center.”
“The [Intersectional Feminist Resource Center] is dedicated to creating a more inclusive future through programming and events grounded at the intersections of feminism and social justice while breaking binaries, dismantling systems of oppression, and forging connections on an individual and campus-wide level,” the ODI’s description reads.
The third, the “Multicultural Student Center,” according to the ODI, is for students to explore “critical issues on campus about race, class, ethnicity, nationality, culture, gender, and how to best support the success of students from marginalized communities and cultures.”
In addition to their three resource centers, the ODI runs four different “training programs” focused on the ideas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI):
- “Intro to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”: 2 hour course exploring “the basic definitions of [DEI],” and “diverse identities and what they mean to us.”
- “Transforming Self for Racial Equity”: 2.5 hour course with guided discussions to “analyze race in America,” exploring “implicit bias” and “microaggressions.”
- “Safe Zone Training”: 1.5 hour course to “help understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities,” including “to learn definitions, understand pronouns, and find ways to be effective and supportive allies.”
- “Response Language as a Professional Competency”: 1.5 hour course on how to mitigate and prevent “microaggressions and biases” against “folx.”
George Floyd committed a crime. He was being lawfully investigated and detained. His system was rampant with fentanyl. He had a orior heart condition.
Only one to blame for his untimely death is George Floyd.
On a positive note, George has been drug free coming up on 4 years now.
Disgusting that our state university would support a terroristic organization
Someone should conduct a poll on the dumbest sector of Americans. The winner would have to be liberal arts college students. Here’s probably more than you’ll ever need to know about the Marxist front group BLM:
https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/black-lives-matter-blm/
Don’t underestimate your enemy. When was the last time a Gadsden Flag was flown at any school or Government building?
Remember a few years ago the University told students that they couldn’t use the Latin translation of “God wills it.” Or that every Dec. they try to curtail Christmas calibrations in one form or another? But, flying the flag of an organization that Burned, looted, cities and terrorized people for an entire summer acrost our country is A-OKAY.
Got ya, somebody needs an @$$ kicking.
BLM racist grifters show solidarity with U Maine racist DEI grifters. No surprises here.
Maine State government support of a terrorist organization is a reminder that a vote for any DemocRat is a vote against peace, prosperity, and our rights to life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!
How do I stop paying taxes that support these communist institutions? When is the WLM flag going up? BLM = Big League Marxists!
BLM is a racist terrorist organization that exists to enrich the organizations leadership. George Floyd was a career criminal, any honest Remembrance of him will speak about this fact.
This is not the first time the BLM flag has been raised on campus. It had been raised outside in the mall in years past. BUT… both the BLM and the Rainbow Flag have been hanging from the ceiling in the main entrance to Memorial Union!!!!! Why aren’t all students, faculty, employees and guests greeted by the unifying American flag and State of Maine flag? This is MAINE! This is the USA! The Penobscot Nation Flag was recently added to that flag duo.
The Black Leaders in Boston have pitched out their Black kids to make room for illegals brough in by white Democrates like Joe .
Pure Marxist indocrination. Why aren’t the parents pulling their kids out of that Hell Hole?
Here’s an example of an All ‘Round Hater, Lowest IQ Sloucher, Proud Marxist = the person(s) “Edward Hates Black People” who left an inane comment here, blaming the intelligent author of this article. What a joke! People of this ilk always reveal themselves as impotent, ignorant, illiterate, miserable, godless bores 😩, low lives that don’t matter… Fly THAT flag where the sun don’t shine, you jealous fool!!
To the real Edward, thanks for a great example of an articulately intelligent, truthful piece of investigative reporting. Keep up the good work! Maine Wire’s excellence, now, draws readership across the Country and that’s something to hang your hat on!
At times like these I am almost ashamed to tell people that I am a University of Maine grad. It has become a filthy leftist hole in many departments. And I have wished for years they could do something about the nice taxpayer funded office we give to Amy Fried, Prof in Political science, so she can sit in comfort writing her communist screeds that the commie outfit, the Bangor Daily News runs on a regular basis.
The highlight of my Univ career was either in ’69 or ’70 when the SDS and other campus rats organized a protest march against the Viet Nam war. Lots of the frat boys had bought all the eggs in Orono. I was standing by the Bear in front of the field house when those leftist goons came marching by and the frat boys put the eggs to them. It was just wonderful to watch. Egging commies, and other nice things we could do to them should become a national sport.
The Fall of Minneapolis tells the untold stories about George Floyd and exposes the corruption behind the entire situation. Chauvin should be a free man.
The Fall of Minneapolis
https://www.thefallofminneapolis.com/
Save your money. Send your child to a trade school. The university is indoctrinating these young minds in an evil way.
Please show me all the cell phone videos of cops abusing and sh00ting white people.
Will they raise enuf for more mansions this year.
I hear ocean front mansions in resort areas is very in this year.