April Newsletter
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Dear Neighbors,
Maine has always been shaped by people who kept knowledge and traditions alive across generations, through deep connections to the land and water, in story, and in struggle. Part of the Permanent Commission's work is to examine how our connection to the past shapes our present and how what we do today will shape our shared future.
This month, we've published a new brief on the history of America's prison system: how it was built, who it was built to control, and how it has been used by some to gain profit and power. We hope it's useful for anyone trying to understand not just what the system looks like now, but why.
We're also proud to announce the first cohort of our Intergenerational Community Building Grant. Six organizations are now funded to bring elders and young people together, to preserve skills and language, share recipes, and hold the histories that communities have always been the best keepers of.
And we are sharing upcoming events to mark on your calendar, including a screening of Aanikoobijigan, a Sundance award-winner about Indigenous repatriation, and a new literary gathering centered this year on Black history and storytelling.
In Solidarity,
The Permanent Commission
History of the American Prison System
America's prison system didn't happen by accident. It was built by policy decisions, private profit, and a long history of using incarceration as a tool of racial control. Our new brief traces that history from the earliest days of the United States as a nation through today, following the reasons that have driven the system's growth at every stage.
Intergenerational Community Building Grant
The Permanent Commission is thrilled to announce the first cohort of our Intergenerational Community Building Grant! Twenty-seven organizations applied, and six are now funded to bring elders and young people together across culture, language, and story. Congratulations to:
- Nibezun: Bringing Wabanaki Elders, adults, and youth together to share traditional experiences and languages.
- Niweskok: Engaging Wabanaki youth, elders, and community members in harvesting materials and building a traditional birch bark canoe.
- Somali Bantu Community Association: Connecting Kashekee youth and Somali Bantu elders through cultural identity, wellness, traditional arts, and community gatherings.
- Passamaquoddy Indian Township: Collaborating with First Light to bring youth and elders back to Kuwesuwi Monihq (Pine Island) through canoe and boat trips, overnight retreats, and education about the island's history and significance.
- Office of Economic Opportunity: Pairing older adults from Maine Council on Aging's BIPOC Elder Group with Portland High School youth for recorded intergenerational conversations about the civil rights movement and current events.
- Food for All Services: Connecting immigrant elders and youth through storytelling, music, language practice, and cultural exchange.
Upcoming Events
Aanikoobijigan Screening
May 13 · 6:00 PM
Olin Arts Center Room 104, 75 Russell St., Lewiston
Hosted by Bates Film Festival
Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] (2026 Sundance World Premiere, NEXT Audience Award) Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place.
Stone Coast Writer's Retreat
June 19–22, 2026
Portland, Maine
Hosted by University of Southern Maine, Bookclubs.com, and Black Travel Maine
A literary conference and retreat bringing together regional and national voices. This year's theme centers Black history and storytelling, with themes evolving annually.
