Standish and Maine Stand Down Racism and Violence

November 18, 2008

State Senator Bill Diamond introduces resolve to reject hate speech and threats of violence following the election of President-elect Barack Obama

AUGUSTA—State Senator Bill Diamond, D-Windham, today announced that he is submitting a resolve to the legislature, which clearly states that the people of Standish and Maine reject acts of racism and threats of violence.

Representative-elect Mike Shaw, D-Standish, and Representative John Robinson, R-Raymond will also be co-sponsoring the resolve.

Senator Diamond said he is sponsoring the resolve in response to a series of isolated racist incidents and threats towards President-elect Barack Obama in some towns and schools in Maine following his election as our next president.

One of the threats occurred in Standish, a town in Senator Diamond’s senate district, so he decided to do something about it.

“After working in public service for several decades, I know the people of Standish and Maine very well. Whether they are Democrat or Republican, supported McCain or Obama in this last election, they respect the fact that Barack Obama will be our first African-American president and are ready for his leadership,” Senator Diamond said.

When it comes to racism in our country, Senator Diamond said there are some people that say and do inappropriate things, but mean no harm. At the same time there are others who do preach hate and violence. “No matter what the case, whether it is the ignorance of a few or a terribly bad joke—the people of Maine are ready to stand down any act of hate or violence whether it is intentional or unintentional.”

Senator Diamond went on to add that our state has a proud history of standing down racism, violence, and slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin in Maine, which helped energize the anti-slavery movement in the 1850’s. Joshua Chamberlin is said to have sat in on lectures Harriet Beecher Stowe gave about the abolitionist movement as she was writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Many believe these lectures strongly influenced Joshua Chamberlin. Chamberlin is well known for his valiant efforts at Gettysburg during the Civil War and later became Maine’s Governor.