Maine Reckoning: Our first podcast explores Black lives in Maine a year after the murder of George Floyd

November 21, 2021

Episode one features Dustin Ward, a racial justice and reconciliation advocate who also serves on the New Gloucester town select board.

The Maine Reckoning podcast from The Maine Monitor reflects on the lives of Black Mainers since the George Floyd murder, asking a key question: Has anything changed? Graphic by Olivia Martin.

Has life changed for Black citizens in Maine since George Floyd’s murder? If so, in what ways?

Those questions are at the heart of interviewer Tori Lyn’s podcast with Dustin Ward, a former minister who sought municipal office this year after a racial controversy — and won.

The Maine Monitor will produce more episodes of Maine Reckoning throughout 2022. We thank the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation for supporting this project.

You can listen below to the episode or you can find it on some of your favorite podcast hosting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Deezer, Castro, Listen Notes, Podfriend, Player FM and Podcast Index.

Tori Lyn

Tori Lyn is a podcast host for The Maine Monitor. Tori works in racial equity and economic development for a local government agency, and is a community advocate for her neighborhood of Portland. She also works as a community facilitator with Integrative Inquiry, helping organizations navigate discussions of equity and inclusion within the workplace. Tori was recently elected to the Portland City Council.

Carly Peruccio

Carly Peruccio is an audio producer for The Maine Monitor. She is the Teaching Assistant for the Radio and Podcasting track at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at MECA, where she edits students’ stories. She also works at the Portland Public Library in Teen Services. Carly is a graduate of Bates College and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.