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.
Episode 6 opens with Genius Black telling the story of John D. Carter, who lived in Augusta during the 19th century.
In the 1830s and 1840s, Carter and his wife Mary lived above his barbershop. Carter was a successful businessman, and a vocal opponent of slavery, which he considered a sin. He proposed anti-slavery resolutions that challenged First Baptist Church of Augusta’s commitment to act against enslavers and the institution of slavery. He was an early activist, paving the way.
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Lisa Jones
Later in the episode, Genius and Lisa Jones connect about founding Black Travel Maine, growing up in the Tri-State area, and lobbying on behalf of small businesses in Washington D.C.
Genius touches on the Black history that drew Jones to the state of Maine, and how much the people of Maine mean to her.
She talks about entering the travel industry, and early impact she created there. Jones recalls some of the reasons for starting Black Travel Maine, and how she connects travelers’ needs to the solutions she offers.
She also highlights the economic impact of increasing tourism, particularly Black tourism to the state.
As Jones shares a list of career honors and reflects on their relevance, we get a peek into Black excellence within the travel industry. The conversation concludes with a discussion about her vision and proclamations for Maine’s Black future.
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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
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Episode 3: The history of John Brown Russwurm and an interview with Adilah Muhammad
Episode 4: A story of Sherman Kentucky Ferguson and an interview with David Patrick
Episode 5: A story of Gerald E. Talbot and an interview with Angela Okafor
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.
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This relationship also means you can now give your tax deductible gift or donation to the Maine’s Black Future Podcast, via The Maine Monitor.
Genius Black, or Jerry Edwards, was awarded 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
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Maine’s Visible Black History, The First Chronicles of its People by H.H. Price and Gerald E. Talbot.
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Blacks in Maine – Part 2
Augusta, Maine Wikipedia
Visit Black Travel Maine
Connect with Genius on Instagram
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Genius Black
Genius Black, also known as Jerry Edwards, is a social innovator, entrepreneur, and musical artist based in South Portland, Maine. Naturally a storyteller and motivator, he focuses on collaboration and audio/video production as a craft. Genius curates a collaborative network and collective of musical talent, GEM CITY, driving the intersection of art, culture, and quality of place unique to Maine’s coast. He holds a degree in Africana Studies and an English minor from Bowdoin College. He is the father of two teenagers, 15 and 19 years old. Genius is a media and communications organizer for TheThirdPlace and a proud board member of Portland Media Center.
After Maine’s first Democratic gubernatorial debate, I commented that the candidates seemed to be vying with each other to be agreeable. Would it last? Back then, I thought I’d be happy with any of them as Maine’s next governor.
Not so now, as I observe the cronyism of Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson and Hannah Pingree, whose plan to rank each other when they vote provides a blueprint for gaming the ranked-choice voting system in the primary. The political insiders are forming an alliance against the outsiders, Nirav Shah and Angus King III.
Shah’s campaign responded that it would stay focused on winning voters’ support, a more principled approach, in my estimation.
I prefer a governor who listens and learns from his constituents over one experienced at alliances and deal-making. I want integrity and leadership, not manipulation and exclusion.
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I no longer believe that Bellows, Jackson or Pingree would make a good governor.
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A Wall Street Journal article reports that Amy Gertner, the wife of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, told campaign aides she found sexually explicit text messages on Platner’s phone after he launched his bid for office last year.
According to the report, Gertner disclosed the messages while aides were conducting opposition research, and she asked a campaign aide to review what Platner had sent—reportedly to several women—to determine whether it could become a liability for his campaign.
The Wall Street Journal reports Gertner believed she was confiding in someone she considered a friend.
The article also states the couple discussed the messages in marriage counseling.
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In a statement from Gertner provided by the Platner campaign, she wrote that they have gone through counseling and that their marriage today “is stronger than ever before.”
Amy Gertner provided a statement through the Platner campaign.
“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call. I trusted this person with the most private chapter of our lives – the early days of our marriage before any campaign was on our mind – and I am deeply hurt by her betrayal and the invasion of our privacy.
“It is no secret that Graham and I have struggled on our fertility journey. We did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren’t easy. And we came through it, not in spite of how much we’ve been through, but because of how much we love each other and the life we’ve built. Our marriage today is stronger than ever before.
“I know who Graham is. I know the man I married and the husband he has been to me on the best and the worst days of my life. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.” – Amy Gertner
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Platner and Gertner married in 2024, according to the report.
