The Maine’s Black Future podcast boldly visits stories of historic Black Mainers and the legacies they carved into the state. Then we connect this longstanding history to Black changemakers weaving Maine’s Black future today!
We define terminology, keep it real, and invite you to connect deeply with Black Mainers creating the future that we want to live in.
We showcase Black excellence occurring all over Maine and feature original music production from the GEM CITY Maine collective, throughout.
Host Genius Black opens the fourth episode of the Maine’s Black Future Podcast with a story of Sherman Kentucky Ferguson, a Lewiston resident and boxer who in 1931 was denied a marriage license to his white fiancée, outside of legal parameters.
Sherman’s denial was noted by Black owned publications across the country, displaying the municipal level segregation some interracial Maine couples faced.
Later in the episode, Genius sits down with Portland resident David Patrick, a consultant, activist and educator raised in the Orrington, Maine area.
The conversation spans topics from David’s childhood, recent accolades, and how he balances fatherhood and his mental health.
David is a board member for Maine Initiatives and co-founder of Racial Equity and Justice. (Note: Maine’s Black Future Podcast has received a competitive, multi-generational “2023 Grants For Change” award from Maine Initiatives.)
You can listen below to the episode or you can find it on some of your favorite podcast hosting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Deezer, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podcast Index, Goodpods and Pocket Casts.
Past Episodes
Episode 1: The history of London Atus and an interview with Alfine Nathalie.
Episode 2: The history of Pedro Tovookan Parris and an interview with Junes Thete
Episode 3: The history of John Brown Russwurm and an interview with Adilah Muhammad
Podcast Series Notes
Maine’s Black Future Podcast is supported by Maine Initiative’s Grants for Change program and receives editing and multimedia support from The Maine Monitor, which also serves as the fiscal sponsor for Maine’s Black Future.
Genius Black, or Jerry Edwards, was recently named the 2024 Media Arts Fellow for the Maine Arts Commission. This podcast is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Theme music produced by Genius Black, composed by Genius along with Bill Giordano on bass and Ben Noyes on acoustic piano.
Podcast recorded, and produced by Genius Black at Portland Media Center, for The Maine Monitor.
Episode References & Links
French Girl Becomes of Age Before Mixed Wedding Case Gets to Court: Afro American (1893-1988); Mar 28, 1931; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Baltimore Afro-American pg. 20
County Attorney Halts Interracial Marriage: The Chicago Defender (National edition) (1921-1967); Mar 28, 1931; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Defender pg. 3
