MAINE, USA — While Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and resilience, it is also a day to acknowledge the ongoing struggle for equality and justice within the Black community.

That’s why people in Maine are working to create opportunities for the younger generation of Black Mainers following in their footsteps.

“Every time I look at this, it reminds me that I made the right choice,” Dr. Victor Brown said as looked over to his academic accomplishments.

The accolades speak for themselves, but for Dr. Victor Brown, they’re a reminder of why he transitioned from his research to serve as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Husson University.

“To create pathways for students for all students of all races and all ethnic backgrounds,” Dr. Brown said. 

Originally from Jamaica, Dr. Brown has found community in Maine and is working to help students find their community, too.

“We want diverse students to come here and say, ‘hey, Maine is home,'” Dr. Brown said. 

Other leaders in education, like Dr. Jason Smith, do too.  

“One of my main goals is to ensure that students feel like they belong,” Dr. Smith, the assistant vice president for student life at the University of Maine, said. 

Dr. Smith hopes that his presence as someone who comes from a multicultural background exposes students to a world of opportunity.

“I think it’s definitely important for students to see representation that looks like them,” Dr. Smith said.

Leaders in other sectors, like the tourism industry, are working to create representation, too. 

“All of us professionals that are here in Maine right now are paving a way for the next generation to come in and do even better than what we did,” Lisa Jones, the owner and founder of Black Travel Maine, said. 

It’s a business that brings people together to showcase Maine’s Black history, present, and future.

“That’s what Juneteenth means to me,” Jones said.  “It’s just a reminder that we still need to be present out here, doing the work and growing and changing our community.” 

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, honors the last slaves in Texas learning of their freedom in 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 

However, for leaders here in the state, there’s still a lot of work to be done.  

“We should be moving the county and the world forward,” Dr. Brown said.

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