Maine Voices: Systemic racism has no home in our state
The Hancock County sheriff’s racist reaction has left Mainers without essential public health services. He should resign.
By Nina Boys and Hilary ThibodeauSpecial to the Press Herald
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On June 19, 2020, also known as Juneteenth, a noose was hung from a utility line in Hancock County near a lawn sign that declared “WHITE LIVES MATTER,” as widespread protests against racial injustice and police brutality spread throughout the country. The historic holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, and the noose – a symbol of lynching and hate crimes against Black Americans – caused an awakening for many white citizens from Hancock County like us, who had underestimated the prevalence of racism in our home community.