The Inclusive Walking Tour
Sunday, October 27, 2024 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: Mechanics Park, Biddeford
The next event in our WHERE2024 series takes place Sunday, October 27 in Biddeford, where Community Change, Inc. and Biddeford-Saco Area SURJ will host the Inclusive Walking Tour, an intergenerational gathering that invites us to slow down and be present with gratitude and care to the river that flows through here, the land we are on, and stories of the people who have developed a relationship to this place.
We will reach for joy and presence while we walk, sit, listen, and share in an experience that deepens our understanding of what has unfolded here, paying particular attention to stories of colonization, enslavement, and displacement as well as their ongoing legacies.
Witnessing both the beauty and the pain that this place carries, the Inclusive Walking Tour is one way we walk together towards solidarity, remembering, represencing, and healing.
This event will include:
A self-guided walk illuminating historical contexts of the river, the mills, and the surrounding land, with a focus on Black and Wabanaki people and their relationship with the history of this place
Pop-up exhibit presencing the American South, connecting the Pepperell Mill to the cotton industry and enslavement.
Attunement to the Saco River, beneath and beyond the impacts of the industrialization most obviously present.
A printed map of Champlain’s Native Settlement at Camp Ellis.
Live music, celebrating contemporary local musicians as they weave historical threads into the present and future.
Storytelling and reflection, connecting the personal and the collective. Why does this matter? Where do I/we go from here? What is my/our role? What am I feeling and experiencing?
Sharing food and tea and friendship on the banks of the Saco River.
Community Change Inc. promotes racial justice and equity by challenging systemic racism and acting as a catalyst for anti-racist learning and action. We work through education, advocacy, and solidarity to organize for change. Our organization was born out of the Civil Rights Movement and in response to the Kerner Commission report, which named racism not merely as an individual bias but as an institutional problem that White people had a moral obligation to grapple with. CCI shines a spotlight on the roots of racism while specializing in educating and organizing White people for antiracist action. Racism is a deeply rooted problem in our society but change is possible, and it starts with each of us. We can all take steps to reduce racism in our communities and create a better future for everyone.
Biddeford Saco area Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is part of the national SURJ organization. SURJ mobilizes white people for justice across the country
Heart of Biddeford is a Main Street Maine community. Powered by the strength of community involvement, HOB fosters a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable downtown for residents, businesses and visitors.