How social safety net programs differ by state

When looking at social safety net programs available to people across the United States, a great degree of variability exists. The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn into stark relief the strengths and weaknesses in state safety net programs. 

The United States has very few social programs, such as Social Security Disability Insurance, that are uniformly available across the country. State governments are responsible for the funding, policies, and governance of many of the safety net programs in their state, such as Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance. Research suggests that the end result is a fragmented, decentralized, andhighly variable range of state safety nets.  

So, what kind of help is available for Washingtonians in need? And, how does Washington’s safety net compare to other states across the nation? To answer these questions, the Wire took a comprehensive look at the variability among safety net programs in the United States. Bringing that context to bear, we offer a look into how Washington stacks up.

How Washington’s safety net fared during the pandemic

According to a recent Oxfam America report, Washington State had the best safety net in the country for workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As far as what that looks in concrete terms, the minimum weekly unemployment in Washington is $240.24 and the maximum is $790. On average, unemployment checks account for 86.40% of cost of living.

Washington State’s TANF benefit in July 2020 was $569 per month, representing a 37% reduction since 1996 when evaluating inflation-adjusted dollars. When evaluated as a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level, TANF benefits range from 9.4% to 60%. Washington’s 2020 TANF benefit is 31.4% of the poverty line, ranking it 16th in the nation. 

Last spring at the start of the pandemic, Washington’s uninsured rate among working age adults jumped from around 8.8% to 18.8% over the course of a few weeks. Unemployment increased from 5.1% in March 2020 to 15.4% by April, and an August update from the Health Care Authority found that the state’s Medicaid program had added over 100,000 new enrollees over the course of four months.

When looking at how Washington’s unemployment insurance program compares to the rest of the country, the state was recently found to have the second highest maximum weekly benefit at $790 per week.  A February comparison of state unemployment benefits shows maximum weekly benefits ranging from $235 in Mississippi to $823 per week in Massachusetts. 

Related to the strength of Washington’s social safety net is its status as one of the strongest states in the country for organized labor. 

The Oxfam report ranks Washington first in the nation for its unemployment policies, 2nd for worker protections, and 10th for health care. Washington could have scored higher were it not for a shortage of childcare options for essential workers during the pandemic, the report found. 

The Wire looked into that report and what it specifically says about Washington, here.

With the context in mind for what Washington’s social safety looks like and how it performed during the pandemic, here is a snapshot of the strengths and weaknesses in a few other states. 

Health coverage gap a defining characteristic of Texas safety net

The minimum weekly unemployment in Texas is currently $150.80 and the maximum is $521. Unemployment checks account for 34.30% of the cost of living.

Texas’ biggest safety net gap is its nation-leading uninsured rate. 5.5 million Texans currently have no health insurance. States that have expanded Medicaid have seen significant reductions in their uninsured rates. Based on 2019 data, an estimated additional 1.2 million Texans would become insured if the state expanded.

Instead of opting for Medicaid expansion, in 2011, Texas applied for an 1115 Medicaid Waiver from CMS to support operation of its managed care programs (STAR and STAR Plus). Based on a Supreme Court’s ruling that state’s weren’t required to expand Medicaid, Texas chose not to and has continued to operate under its waiver.

Around 80% of Texans were eligible for employer sponsored health insurance in 2018, meaning that when millions of Texans lost their jobs due to COVID-19, the majority of them likely lost their employer-sponsored health insurance too. About 659,000 Texans lost health insurance between March and May 2020. Texans without dependents or a disability aren’t eligible for Medicaid, regardless of how low their income is. Parents are only eligible if their income is approximately 17% of the FPL.

Oxfam rates Texas as the 38th best state for health care protections. Failure to expand has led to an increased reliance on the waiver.

Before the pandemic, approximately 12.4% of Texans were unemployed. As of Jan. 2021, around 13.7% were unemployed. This is notable growth attributable to COVID-19, but Texas ranks somewhere in the middle of the country in terms of percentage of population currently unemployed — aligning with the state’s 28th place ranking in Oxfam’s “unemployment” scorecard

Even though it doesn’t fall in the bottom of the country for its unemployment rate, 13.7% of Texans translates to about 4,072,490 people — much more people than the 585,786 unemployed in Oxfam’s highest ranked state for this category (with a 19.75% unemployment rate) Mississippi. 

Nearly 4 million Texans applied for unemployment between March and December 2020. Texas has an unemployment program that covers Texans for up to 29 weeks per year if an individual meets certain criteria. To supplement federal COVID relief, the state implemented a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits in 2020 as a result of high unemployment rates.

The state Constitution has a spending cap on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) at 1% of the state’s budget, which was was approved by voters in 1945.

California safety sees both setbacks and innovations during pandemic

California’s minimum weekly unemployment is $240 and the maximum is $450. Unemployment checks account for 36.20% of cost of living.

A state with a GDP higher than some European nations, California programs designed to keep people out of poverty include CalWORKs, CalFresh and state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs).

Policymakers in California cite income inequality as a major concern for the state. In 2018 according to the California Poverty Measure, 35.2% of California residents were poor or near poor. The largest social safety net programs kept an estimated 7% of Californians out of poverty in 2018. The federal and state EITCs lowered rates the most, by 1.7 points. CalFresh lowered rates by 1.6 points and CalWORKs lowered the rate of poverty by 1.2 points.

A bill passed by the Legislature in 2020 allowed nonprofits to distribute $600 in prepaid grocery cards to each qualified adult.

Most Californians living in poverty are considered part of the working poor. In 2018, 79% of poor Californians lived in a family with at least one working adult. 

Poverty rates are disproportionately higher among Latinos. In 2018, 22.9% of Latinos lived in poverty, compared to 18.2% of African Americans, 15.9% of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and 12.8% of white people. Latinos comprise 51.4% of the poor population in California, but only 39.6% of the population.

In the spring, California took the unprecedented step of providing expanded eligibility for unemployment benefits to undocumented immigrants.

In April 2020, California announced that undocumented immigrants that would not be recieving stimulus payments from the federal government would instead receive them from the state government. To backfill the lack of federal aid for undocumented Californians, a $125 million fund was created. It was made up of $75 million in state donations and $50 million in private donations.

Undocumented Californians are also eligible to receive the state’s EITC in 2021. 

A UCLA study found that the decision by the federal government to exclude undocumented residents from the $1,200 stimulus payments caused a $10 billion loss in potential economic output. The decision also cost 82,000 jobs nationally and 17,000 jobs in California.

While California’s Employment Development Department paid out $122 billion in unemployment benefits since last March, the agency and its private contractors have been mired in controversy

Like Washington, California fell victim to a costly unemployment fraud scheme, which has “cut off benefits to legitimate unemployment claimants, jeopardized taxpayer funds and fueled stark law enforcement warnings about organized crime.”

Inequities persist in a “high-capacity, low-effort state” 

Virginia’s minimum weekly unemployment is $150.80 and the maximum is $378. Unemployment checks account for 11.10% of the cost of living.

Virginia’s safety net is still a work in progress, said Ashley Kenneth, interim president and CEO of The Commonwealth Institute For Fiscal Analysis.

Virginia has traditionally been a high-capacity, low-effort state when it comes to helping families get back on their feet and positioned for success. This is beginning to change, but there are still major holes in the safety net. For example, many immigrant families are still left out of access to health insurance. And many struggling families are receiving no help with the high cost of housing.”

An Old Dominion University report, published in December 2020 laid bare inequities in the state’s economic recovery.

The rapid increases in unemployment were followed by modest gains in employment as a measure of recovery took place in the Commonwealth. Yet, a disproportionate number of Black or African American Virginians have lost their jobs and face increasingly desperate financial straits. Income and wealth inequities have left Black and Hispanic households with fewer resources to cope with the ongoing economic shock. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that, nationally and in the Commonwealth, Blacks and Hispanics comprise a greater proportion of COVID-19 deaths than their share of the overall population.”

While Virginia’s unemployment system struggled to adapt to the influx of people newly eligible to receive benefits under the CARES Act, recent changes to Medicaid allowed for continued access to health care for many who recently lost their jobs. 

In late 2020, the Commonwealth’s “40 Quarters Rule” was eliminated. The rule required legal permanent residents to work for 10 years before being eligible for Medicaid. Though the rule was eliminated last year by the General Assembly, pandemic-induced budget constraints temporarily put the elimination on hold.

Several pieces of legislation passed through the General Assembly this session are aimed at improving the Commonwealth’s safety net, such as Mark Sickle’s reinsurance program. The bill could strengthen the state’s safety net by lowering the cost of health care coverage for unsubsidized Virginians. 

Medicaid expansion was the focus of policy surrounding Michigan’s safety net  

Michigan’s minimum weekly unemployment is $201.47 and the maximum is $362 . Unemployment checks account for 43.70% of cost of living. 

Michigan was among the first states in the country to expand Medicaid as a part of the Affordable Care Act as they passed the “Healthy Michigan Plan” in April 2014. In December, the Healthy Michigan Plan eclipsed the 850,000 mark for the first time. In March, Michigan removed the work requirement to enroll in the Medicaid program in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gilda Jacobs, CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) offered suggestions for how the state might plug current holes in its safety net.

[The MLPP] recommendations include permanently extending state unemployment benefits from 20 weeks back to 26 weeks, restoring the state Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 20% of the federal credit, eliminating the 48-month lifetime limit on cash assistance, increasing the income eligibility for child care subsidies, and undoing the misguided policy that takes cash assistance benefits away from struggling families if their children are truant.”

Whitmer formed a task force on combating poverty in the state at the end of 2019, before the pandemic began. In February, they made 35 policy recommendations (starts on page 9) to strengthen Michigan’s safety net. Proposals include expanding benefit programs, removing some red tape around receiving benefits, expanding treatment for substance abuse and putting programs in place that would increase school attendance.

What this all means

As the public health consequences of the COVID-19 created an intersecting economic downturn, millions across the country turned to safety net programs. As congressional gridlock fomented uncertainty, the variability in the patchwork of safety net programs across the country became clear. 

If you were one of the millions who turned to support from state programs, data indicates that Washington was one of the best places to be.


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Irish-American headteacher accused of making black pupil kneel and apologise ‘the African way’

AN IRISH-AMERICAN headmaster has been accused of making a black pupil kneed and apologise because that is the “African way.” 

Trisha Paul has claimed that her son Trayson, 11, was humiliated and degraded after initially getting into trouble during class at St. Martin de Porres Marianist School, in New York, on February 25th. 

Trayson had apparently started on another piece of work after finishing a reading assignment. His teacher was so upset with his actions he ended up sending the boy to the headmaster’s office. 

It’s there that the alleged incident took place.  

Paul says the school’s headmaster, John Patrick Holian, told her son, who is from Haiti, about a Nigerian father he knew who once made his son kneel and apologise in the “African way”. 

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Holian then allegedly made the young boy do the same. 

Paul told The Daily News: “My son was humiliated, hurt, embarrassed, sad and confused.   

“He reads about things happening because of your skin colour. To experience it – he’s just trying to process it in his 11-year-old brain.” 

Irish-American headteacher accused of making black pupil kneel and apologise ‘the African way’ Image: Facebook

Trayson told the US news outlet he began to suspect “something was not right with the situation” when Holian began talking about an African family. 

“I felt there was no relevance at all. Is he generalising that everyone who is black is African?” 

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Paul confronted Holian about the incident over the phone earlier this month.  

She says he repeated the anecdote. When asked how the story was relevant to her Haitian son, he “did not have a clear response.”  

In a face-to-face meeting held a few days later, Holian told her son was “disrespectful and rude to a teacher in front of other students”.  

“The whole idea is for your son to see he can’t speak to women that way,” he reportedly said. 

Paul argued her son had never faced any previous complaints and noted he was an honour roll student. 

Holian then revisited his encounter with the Nigerian parent, explaining that since then he has sometimes made his children “get on their knees and apologise”.  

“I was speaking to your son as I would my own son,” he said according to information seen by The Daily News. 

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Holian did say he was “sorry” if she was left upset, acknowledging it wasn’t “a thought-out situation”.  

Irish-American headteacher accused of making black pupil kneel and apologise ‘the African way’

The headmaster has now been suspended pending an investigation by the fee-paying school. 

St. Martin de Porres Marianist School issued the following statement on its website: 

“St. Martin’s neither condones nor accepts the actions of our headmaster. The incident does not reflect our long, established values or the established protocols regarding student related issues.” 

Chicago suburb to offer reparations for Black families

… of the damages done by racism, we also know this program … and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans, which would then make recommendations … action, to address the systemic racism that persists today, obviously that … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News

Alliance of Alliances: Itasca Project teams with African American Leadership Forum on 10-year effort to boost Black lives in eight areas

After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, rioters heavily damaged the diverse and mixed-income Lake Street business corridor, inspiring companies like Mortenson Construction to lend a hand.

Rather than just make a donation, Mortenson began a structure-by-structure analysis of rebuilding needs and provided counseling to each business or property owner free of charge. When it came time to do the work, the company then referred businesses to minority-owned contractors, giving a further boost to Black and ethnic organizations in the area.

Members of the African American Leadership Forum say Mortenson’s efforts are a blueprint of sorts for an on-the-ground marriage between corporations, philanthropy and communities of color — specifically, Black enterprises.

“That’s a very different approach than saying, ‘let’s write a check and see what will happen,’” said Marc Belton, a Black executive and former innovation director who spent 32 years at General Mills before launching Wisefellows Consulting.

TEN-YEAR EFFORT

Led by executive director Marcus Owens, the African American Leadership Forum on Wednesday plans to announce a broad, cross-sectional, 10-year effort aimed at lifting Black voices in eight key sectors, ranging from housing and employment to public safety and education.

Since mid-2020, the St. Louis Park-based nonprofit economic development organization has worked closely with Twin Cities business leaders associated with the Itasca Project, the same group that launched St. Paul-based Greater MSP as a regional economic development partnership in 2011.

After 10 months of conversations with corporate leaders and Black community partners like the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, the NAACP and Greater Twin Cities United Way, the African American Leadership Forum believes it can raise $4 million over the next three years to better coordinate existing efforts across the metro aimed at improving disparities between white and Black Minnesotans.

Through the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, which by itself spans 80 organizations, corporate and philanthropic partners have already pledged commitments for more than $3.25 million of those funds. Initial funders include the U.S. Bank Foundation, 3M, Best Buy, General Mills, GHR Foundation, Securian Financial, Target, Thrivent, The Toro Company and Wells Fargo.

THE ALLIANCE OF ALLIANCES

The new effort — which grew out of Omicron Boule, the Twin Cities chapter of the Black professional fraternity Sigma Pi Phi — is dubbed “The Alliance of Alliances.”

Those alliances include the 70 or so chief executive officers and public sector leaders involved in the Itasca Project, which formed 18 years ago but has no staff.

“We can point to many success stories, yet Black Minnesotans remain at or near the bottom in income, graduation rates and other socioeconomic measures when those quality-of-life measures are broken out by race,” said Lynn Casey, chair of the Itasca Project and former CEO of the public relations firm Padilla. “It’s time to add some new thinking. It’s time to invest in Black leadership.”

The next few months will be spent partnering with on-the-ground organizations to get their support and review and coordinate existing efforts. The next few years will then be spent executing a strategy to win ground on racial disparities, which have persisted despite years of research into their origins.

SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

Leaders will be recruited in the areas of public safety, shared responsibility, infrastructure investments, employment, education, healthcare, housing and advocacy.

“The list is not new,” acknowledged Ken Charles, a former diversity officer with American Airlines. “We’re trying to lift up a strategic approach over a 10-year window that hopefully will have some sustainable impact. We know that this work will take time, and we know that this work will take many hands. The Black community is diverse and no one group has all the answers. To do all of these things will require a mindset change. We’re calling on everyone to call for an equitable … community.”

In some areas, leading voices have already identified that problems exist in terms of Black high school graduation rates in the Twin Cities, and the question becomes how to target resources holistically and across sectors, such better connecting education and employment.

“Could we be more successful in how we educate and train our young people for careers if we thought through and addressed the barriers more holistically?” Owens said.

In other areas, such as public safety, even getting leadership to acknowledge racial disconnect between the police and the policed will take time. “Public safety needs to go through another evolution,” Owens said.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE BEYOND PHILANTHROPY

Members of the Leadership Forum have adopted the attitude that most initiatives aimed at lifting Black Minnesotans out of poverty or improving educational outcomes fail because they are not driven by the Black community, and they’re too top-down.

“Many times we get to our individual tables in isolation, and we work in isolation,” Owens said. “What’s different is we’re building a broader coalition of partners.”

Peter Frosch, chief executive officer of Greater MSP, said he foresees “an opportunity to move strongly beyond philanthropy … and for the business community to pull all the levers,” with a regional approach toward everything from housing to hiring.

“The way our region has gone about advancing racial equity has not worked well enough to create the change we want to see,” said Frosch, who advocated for “shifting our region from a focus on managing disparities … to approaching our work in a fundamentally different way, in order to have a different scale … so we get a different result.”

‘THE ENVY OF OTHER METRO AREAS’

Owens said the African American Leadership Forum current employs seven full-time equivalents, but that number could grow to 15 to 20 employees within weeks. Their priorities include aligning data and community experiences around Black disparities, and then bringing in public and private resources, both intellectual and financial, to get things done “that are already in motion.”

Casey said the Twin Cities is already known for corporate philanthropy and charitable giving.

“We are the envy of other metro areas,” Casey said. Still, there are many outreach efforts in the Twin Cities targeted to the Black community, but they’re not coordinated or promoted together.

Change will also have to come from the top down. It’s time, said Casey, for leaders of large organizations to take a hard look at who their vendors are, and study corporate procurement through the eyes of ethnic business suppliers.

Added Charles, “The killing of George Floyd was a call to action.”

Calendar, March 24 – April 7

The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art opens its
2020 MFA Thesis Exhibition on March 24, running through April 30. Titled “Sorry We Missed You,”
the show features works by fifteen artists whose thesis exhibitions were postponed due to the pandemic. ICA at MECA, 522 Congress St., Portland, Wed.-Sun. 12-5 p.m., free and open to the public. Photo: Liz Rhaney, POWER (Magenta), video still, mp4, 2020
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BENEFITS

MARCH 25

“POP 90” | Virtual celebration to benefit Portland Ovations’ 90th year with live broadcast from Merrill Auditorium and after-event dance party | 6:30pm | Free, but donations appreciated, $10 and up | boxoffice.porttix.com/donate/q/portland-ovations-pop90

MARCH 27

“Exhibition A” with Janaesound, New Fame, Veeva Banga, Maya Williams | Hosted by State Theatre to benefit Coded by Young Women of Color | 8pm | Free, with ticketed option for VR concert experience | For more information on CYWOC, the concert, and how to donate, go to statetheatreportland.com/events/cywoc-exhibition-a/

APRIL 1-30

Walk/Run for Autism | “Be a Hero” virtual campaign for Autism Society Maine | For more info on ASM, visit asmonline.org/ | to register for the event: classy.org/event/be-a-hero-walk-run-for-autism/e322249

DANCE

APRIL 1 

The Discussion: Chapter 1 | Kea Tesseyman Dance Company | 7:30pm | Information at bit.ly/2PzRmfb | View on Camden Opera House’s Facebook page: facebook.com/camdenoperahouse

FILM

Local virtual film venues: Portland Museum of Art: portlandmuseum.org/filmscreenings | Frontier, Brunswick: explorefrontier.com/events/virtual-cinema | The Apohadion:
theapohadiontheater.com/

Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2021 | Series of short films celebrating women in adventure | Maine Outdoor Film Festival | $15 | For details and ticket purchase, maineoutdoorfilmfestival.com/

“The Inheritance” | Ephraim Asili’s feature-length debut film of a collective of Black artists and activists | Available to stream through March 26 | The Apohadion x SPACE | $10 | More information at space538.org/event/the-inheritance-3-12-3-26/

MARCH 25

Live discussion with director Laura Gabbert on “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” | 7pm | Visit Maine Jewish Film Festival for details: mjff.org/film/ottolenghi-cakes/

Natasha Mayers: An Un-still Life | Maine Filmmaker Showcase documentary followed by filmmaker talkback  | Suggested donation: $5 MFA members, $10 non-members | mainefilm.org/unstill-life/

MARCH 27

Sophia Coppola | The Lounge Series Director Highlights | 6-9pm | Bar & light concessions | Thompsons Point, Portland | $30 | More information and reservations at bit.ly/3rHmHL5

ONGOING

Maine Coast Harvest | Short documentaries highlighting the stories of Maine’s sea farmers | mainecoastharvest.com/the-films | Free streaming

“The Hermit,” North Pond Hermit documentary | free stream on Vimeo:
vimeo.com/406217619

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

MARCH 25

W.E.B. DuBois Lecture on Race and Diversity with Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste of UMass Amherst | Q&A follows | Presented by Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at USM | 6-7:30pm | Free | bit.ly/3ezm02D

Off to Maine: Early Sportsmen in the Maine Woods | A Talk with Steve Pinkham | Maine Historical Society | 6-7pm | Free and open to the public | Limited to 500 | Register for Zoom link: bit.ly/3ewccqk

MARCH 27

The Silent Bicentennial with Herb Adams | Spirits Alive Winter Lecture Series | 1:30pm | Free, but limited attendance | More info and to register: spiritsalive.org/lectures/

MARCH 30

Offshore Wind Energy and Birds | 4-part weekly series hosted by Maine Audubon | 11am | Free | Info and registration at bit.ly/3tzRGJG

Jewish Responses to the Rise of Hitler with Michael Brenner | Annual Berger Family Holocaust Lecture presented by Center for Small Town Jewish Life and Colby College | 7pm | Register: bit.ly/3cM0k0H

APRIL 1

Birding Basics: Bird Behavior | 7-8:30pm | Maine Audubon | Free for members | $7 public | Info and registration: bit.ly/3eSHZSd

Mortality and Memorialization in Portland at the Time of Statehood | Talk with Ron Romano, local cemetery historian and writer | 6-7pm | Free to the public via Zoom | More info and to register, mainehistory.org/programs_events.shtml

APRIL 6

Songwriting Workshop with Jud Caswell | Thomas Memorial Library via Zoom | Every first Tuesday at 6:30pm | All levels welcome | Registration closes noon on day-of | More info at bit.ly/3r8moIh

ONGOING

Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Portland Chapter | First Saturday of every month | 9-10:30am | Free | email to receive link: portlandme@citizensclimatelobby.org |
To learn more, visit citizensclimatelobbymaine.weebly.com/ | 415-6556

OUT Maine Emerging Leaders | Online LGBTQ+ group for young adults, 18-22 | Free | Every other Monday 2:30-3:30pm | Registration: bit.ly/3hRxlJw

OUT Maine Youth Programs | Online LGBTQ+ groups and programs for ages 11-22 | Free | Info at outmaine.org/programs/youth-programs

HEALTH/SUPPORT

Virtual Rainbow Ball | Out Maine connects queer artists with LGBTQ+ teens | Workshops, shows, exhibits | March 10 thru Mid-May | Free, ages 13-17 | Information and sign-up at outmaine.org/programs/youth-programs/virtual-rb

Fresh Air Yoga in Payson Park | Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm | $7.50-$10 | Masks required | Must pre-register | ashleyflowersyoga.com/schedule/outdoor-yoga/

MARCH 31

Read Your Mind: with Ceylan Scott & Julia Drake | Zoom webinar for Teens discussing anxiety, depression, self-harm and other mental health topics | Portland Public Library partnering with NAMI Maine | 12-1pm | portlandlibrary.com/events/read-your-mind-ceylan-scott-julia-drake/

ONGOING

Trans Youth Support Group | Ages 12-17 | 2nd, 4th Tuesdays | Free | 5-6pm | Sign up at outmaine.org/programs/youth-programs/trans-youth

Cultivating Mindfulness | Meditation and discussion with Anne Gosling | Fridays 3-4pm | Thomas Memorial Library | 799-1720 | Info at thomasmemoriallibrary.org/events/

Remote Support Groups, Mon-Thurs, hosted by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) | For info and schedules visit namimaine.org/remotesupportgroups

Hibernating in Harmony: Deepening your Relationship with Nature during a Pandemic Winter | Corie Washow | Thursdays 3-4pm | Thomas Memorial Library | Register: bit.ly/2MCHakn

Recovery Yoga | SeaChange Yoga | for people in recovery from substance use disorder | Tues/Thurs 1:30-2:20pm | Free | seachangeyoga.org/recovery-yoga

Chair Yoga with Martha Williams | Thomas Memorial Library Zoom | 2nd Wednesday of the month | 11:30am-12:30pm | More info at thomasmemoriallibrary.org/chair-yoga-3/

LITERARY ARTS

MARCH 25

“Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights” | An evening with Gretchen Sorin | Mechanics Hall in Partnership with The Athenaeum of Philadelphia | 6pm | Free and open to all | Reserve at bit.ly/3eDezHA

“Amphibians” | Lara Tupper talks with Joan Silber | Print: A Bookshop | 7-8pm | Free | info and registration at printbookstore.com/event/tupper

MARCH 30

The Telling Room’s Young Writers & Leaders Live Reading | True stories about what it’s been like to be a teenager living through 2020 | 4:30-6pm | Info and Zoom link: tellingroom.org/events

“The Small Book of Hip Checks: On Queer Gender, Race, and Writing” | Erica Rand talks with Cole Rizki | Print: A Bookshop | 7-8pm | Free | info and registration at printbookstore.com/event/rand

MARCH 31

“The Clock Tells the Hour” | A performance after a year of pandemic, co-hosted by Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and Space | 12 writers and artists tell time in their own ways | 7-8pm | Sliding scale, $8 | Details at mainewriters.org/calendar/clock

APRIL 1

“The Yellow Bird Sings” | Book talk with Jennifer Rosner | JCA of Southern Maine | 7pm | Advance registration required by Mar. 31 | Info, registration bit.ly/3eTVUaP

The Telling Room’s Young Writers & Leaders Live Reading | True stories about what it’s been like to be a teenager living through 2020 | 4:30-6pm | Info and Zoom link: tellingroom.org/events

APRIL 2

“Terror to the Wicked” America’s First Trial by Jury That Ended a War and Helped to Form a Nation | Tobey Pearl talks with Matthew Pearl | Print: A Bookshop | 7-8pm | Free | info and registration at printbookstore.com/event/pearl

ONGOING

Be a part of Maine history by contributing your story of life during COVID-19 to the Maine Historical Society’s Maine Memory Network | Details and guidelines for story submission on mainememory.net/mymainestories.

Free Ebooks for Students | Commemorate the end of World War II | Free military history downloads | also African-American and Latino history downloads | ebooksforstudents.org/.

MUSEUMS

Maine Jewish Museum | New exhibitions March 25 – May 7 | “The Past is Present” Gerry Holzman; “Falling into Place” Penelope Jones; “Meeting Hall Maine” Michelle Hauser | 267 Congress St., Portland  | Open 12-4pm, Sun, Mon, Thurs, Fri | mainejewishmuseum.org/

MARCH 25

The History of Hunter Tavern | Historical slideshow by Jym St. Pierre | Pejepscot History Center, Brunswick | 12-1pm | Free | Register to receive Zoom link: bit.ly/3lbi2OY

On March 27 at 8 p.m., the State Theatre and Indigo Arts Alliance host “Exhibition A,” a concert fundraiser for Coded by Young Women of Color, featuring Janaesound, New Fame, Veeva Banga and Maya Williams. More info and live link under “Benefits.” (Photo credit, Benjamin Moore)

MUSIC

VentiCordi | Winds and Strings | Noonday Concert Series Online, the Portland Conservatory of Music | 12pm | Free | Through Mar. 31 | Visit bit.ly/3k2lued

Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Tribute | Portland Symphony Orchestra digital concert | 7:30pm | Pay what you can, from $10 | Through April 2 | More information at portlandsymphony.org/event/satchmo-the-louis-armstrong-tribute/

Spotlight Series: Montgomery – Rhapsody No. 1 | Portland Chamber Music Festival | Past performance video with conversation between Jessie Montgomery and Susie Park | Free | pcmf.org/2021-3-1

Spotlight Series: Luggins-Hull – Homeland | Portland Chamber Music Festival | Past performance video with conversation between Allison Loggins-Hull and Alex Sopp | Free | pcmf.org/2021-3-10

Charles Dimmick plays Mozart | Portland Symphony Orchestra digital concert | 7:30pm | Pay what you can, from $10  | Through April 23 | portlandsymphony.org/event/charles-dimmick-plays-mozart/

Hope and Consolation | ChoralART spring concert | Free | Through April 21 | View at choralart.org/Events/hope-and-consolation/

MARCH 25

Miss Maybell | Out of the Blue Live Stream Series | 7pm | facebook.com/portcityblue

MARCH 26

Sound Check: Denny Breau | Singer/Songwriter and guitarist | Camden Opera House | 7:30pm | Donations to Community Arts Fund appreciated | 7:30pm | Free on Facebook: facebook.com/camdenoperahouse

MeHuman | Unplug and Unwind at The Lounge by Thompson’s Point | 6-9pm | Reservations: thompsonspoint.com/calendar/lounge-series-unwind-unplug-with-mehuman

Unfinished Blues Band | 7pm | Cadenza, 5 Depot St, Freeport | limited seating, masks required | $18 advance / $20 door | also livestreamed on Facebook | cadenzafreeport.com

Samuel James | Out of the Blue Live Stream Series | 7pm | facebook.com/portcityblue

MARCH 27

John Cross | Eclectic | 7pm | Cadenza, 5 Depot St, Freeport | limited seating, masks required | $18 advance / $20 door | also livestreamed on Facebook | info/tickets at
cadenzafreeport.com

March 29

Darlin’ Corey | Out of the Blue Live Stream Series | 7pm | facebook.com/portcityblue

MARCH 30

Savoir Faire | Out of the Blue Live Stream Series | 7pm | facebook.com/portcityblue

MARCH 31

Luna Colt | Out of the Blue Live Stream Series | 7pm | facebook.com/portcityblue

APRIL 1

Lydia Forbes and Chiharu Naruse | Violin and piano | Noonday Concert Series Online, the Portland Conservatory of Music | 12pm | Free | Through April 14 | Visit: bit.ly/3vFILb9

Hippo Campus | State Theatre | Livestream | $15-$25 | 9pm | All ages |
statetheatreportland.com/events/hippo-campus-1/

Titus Abbott | Saxophone, Clarinet | Noonday Concert Series Online, the Portland Conservatory of Music | 12pm | Free | Through April 14 | Visit bit.ly/3cQP4A5

APRIL 2

Sound Check: Jud Caswell | Camden Opera House | 7:30pm | Donations to Community Arts Fund appreciated | 7:30pm | Free on Facebook: facebook.com/camdenoperahouse

Heather Pierson | Multi-genre singer/songwriter | 7pm | Cadenza, 5 Depot St, Freeport | limited seating, masks required | $18 advance / $20 door | also livestreamed on Facebook | cadenzafreeport.com

APRIL 3

The Finestkind Country Band | Country/Blues/Honky-Tonk | 7pm | Cadenza, 5 Depot St, Freeport | limited seating, masks required | $18 advance / $20 door | also livestreamed on Facebook | cadenzafreeport.com

Hippo Campus | State Theatre | Livestream | $15-$25 | 9pm | All ages |
statetheatreportland.com/events/hippo-campus-2

ONGOING

Noonday Concert Series Online from the Portland Conservatory of Music | Free online | for program schedule and viewing, visit bit.ly/3oXE2hM

Irish Night at Blue Virtual Concert Series | Wednesdays 8pm on Facebook | bit.ly/2Ebi60a for info and schedule.

Auburn UU Open Mic and Poetry Slam | 7:30pm, second Friday of the month | The Pleasant Note Coffeehouse | Zoom link at facebook.com/auburnuu

THEATER

“Seasons in the Sun” by Michael J. Tobin | Through March 27 | Fri/Sat 7:30pm | Sat. matinee 2pm | The Footlights Theatre, 190 US Route 1, Falmouth | $20 | Reservations at 207-747-5434 | Masks required | Visit thefootlightstheatre.com

“Who Killed Zolan Mize?” | Through April 3 | Interactive detective mystery with viewer participation and post-show talk | Penobscot Theater | 207-942-3333 | $40/household | for more information, tickets, visit penobscottheatre.org/show/zolan-mize/

“The Impresario” | Enigma Chamber Opera (Boston, Scotland) presents Shakespeare’s light opera reset in the COVID era | Free on Youtube: bit.ly/3cauTOM

APRIL 2

Yarns, Truths & Tales: An evening of storytelling, directed by Kate Mellitz | April 2-4 | May not be suitable for young audiences | Royal River Community Players | Watch for details: royalrivercommunityplayers.com/

APRIL 3

Jesus Christ Superstar Livestream | Miniature theater production with classically-trained opera singer David Worobec | Presented by Mayo Street Arts and Tophat Miniature Stage | 7pm | Free, but donations appreciated | For more information visit bit.ly/3rVJ67v

APRIL 6

Dog Operas: Tosca the Ball | Reimagined tails of love and heartbreak made for and by dogs | Appropriate for all household members, cats welcome | More information and tickets: penobscottheatre.org/show/the-dog-operas/

“East End in Bloom” is a fabric flower installation by Nina Naylor and community volunteers on the fence of the East End Community School, 195 North St., Portland, through May.

VISUAL ARTS

“East End in Bloom” | Fabric flower installation by Nina Naylor and community volunteers | East End Community School fence | 195 North St., Portland | On display through May.

MARCH 24

“Sorry We Missed You” 2020 MFA Thesis Exhibition | Through April 30 | Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA | 522 Congress St. | Wed-Sun 12-5pm | Free | bit.ly/3qZEPi7

APRIL 1

Opening Reception: Patt Franklin – Paintings | 1-4pm | Masks and social distancing required, 15 person max at a time | Mayo Street Arts Pop-Up Gallery | 67 Washington Ave | Wed-Sat 12-5pm | Through April 24 | bit.ly/3bZ5Y0k

ONGOING

“A Walk in the Woods” Annual American Landscapes exhibit | Richard Boyd Art Gallery | 15 Epps St., Portland | Through March 28 | Fri -Sun 10am-3pm | Free | richardboydartgallery.com | 712-1097

Cove St. Arts | 71 Cove St, Portland | M-F 10-5:30, Sat. 10-5 | 808-8911 | Face masks required | “Soulful Stitching” through March 27 | “Abstract Nature” through April 24 | covestreetarts.com

Greenhut Galleries | 146 Middle St, Portland | 772-2693 | M-F 10-5:30, Sat. 10-5 | “Group Hang” | Through March 27 | greenhutgalleries.com

“Missing Maine Landscapes” | Work by 17 UMVA artists | Virtual showing | umvagallery.wixsite.com/exhibits | Union of Maine Visual Artists | 516 Congress St, Portland | info: umvagallery@gmail.com

2020 Vision: Past, Present & Future | Artists’ interpretations of a moment in Maine’s history | On view: creativeportland.com/2020vision | through April 15, 2021.

Maine Museum of Photographic Arts | “MMPA Antidote,” mainemuseumofphotographicarts.org, featuring Maine art and artists | updated regularly with interviews and Q&As.

Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA | 522 Congress St. | Wed-Sun 12-5pm | Free | Register for timed admission at bit.ly/3i5iWuX

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Freak out! It’s Nile Rodgers in your living room, singing and answering questions

Nile Rodgers emerges slowly from the darkness, wearing a white beret, a purple shirt and jeans streaked with orange paint. He strums his “Hitmaker” guitar, estimated to have produced $2bn of music, and sings a burst from one of his countless hits, We Are Family. Then he sits down, clasps his hands and eagerly awaits your questions. You can ask him anything – from the mundane (Do you eat breakfast?) to the profound (What song reminds you of your childhood?).

This personal audience with one of the world’s most successful songwriters, composers and producers, isn’t just Covid-safe. It does not even require you to leave your home, since the figure who has just emerged from the darkness is in fact the world’s first voice-interactive digital portrait. The answers, delivered in real-time, see Rodgers talking about working with everyone from David Bowie and Diana Ross to Madonna and Lady Gaga.

Over two days in a London studio, Rodgers responded to 350 questions that had been sent in by fans. “I was inundated!” says the co-founder of Chic, who is taken aback when I ask if any subject was off limits. “No man, I’m an open book,” he says. “I always laugh when people say to me, ‘Are there things you don’t want to talk about?’ I say, ‘Man, I was such a rip-roaring drunk, how could I hide? Everybody saw it. I compose in solitude but most of my life is spent with people.”

You can get a taster of In the Room With Nile Rodgers – developed in association with the National Portrait Gallery, Universal Music and Abbey Road Studios – for free at hereintheroom.com. An online pass to access the full content costs £20, with 5% going to the NPG. It will also be available as a physical exhibition, viewed using virtual-reality headsets, in London later this year.

The real thing … Rodgers on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2017.
The real thing … Rodgers on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2017. Photograph: REUTERS/Alamy

One early user expressed nerves before entering the experience – which launches properly today – even in the knowledge that Rodgers had recorded his side of the conversation many months previously. Another was taken aback that this music legend was talking so directly to her. “You’ve got to listen to what he’s actually saying, because he’s waiting for you to respond to those words, and people aren’t used to that,” says Sarah Coward, CEO of Forever Holdings, the UK startup behind the project.

The technology was pioneered at the UK’s National Holocaust Centre and Museum, where Coward previously worked, to make survivors’ testimonies interactive and lasting. She was so excited by its promise that she left to launch Forever, which is now branching out into the arts. The next iterations will be in the arenas of music, sport, education and health and, as the museum is a major shareholder, their success will be helping to fund the fight against racism and prejudice in the UK.

Of course, Rodgers does not need an interactive digital portrait to give him a posthumous place in our culture. Speaking by phone from his studio in Westport, Connecticut, he says: “I’m lucky enough to have done records that I believe will outlast me. I’m pretty sure We Are Family is going to outlast me. I am certain Good Times is going to outlast me. I’m pretty sure Le Freak and I Want Your Love and Let’s Dance and Like a Virgin and all that kind of stuff is going to outlast me.”

Rodgers compares the portrait to the crystal-generated holograms Superman uses “to talk to his father who had long since passed, in real time. That’s sort of a cool thing.” His own father, Nile Rodgers Sr, was a highly sought-after percussionist who played with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, despite its resistance to hiring black musicians. For all his talent, no record of his music remains. “It is absolutely heartbreaking,” says Rodgers. “There’s certainly a record of my work.”

Rodgers watching the project come together.
Rodgers watching the project come together. Photograph: Jim Poyner/Bright White

The Q+A did throw up a few surprise for Rodgers, including one question he had not previously considered: “Why did you choose to play in bands rather than as a solo artist?” The answer was that, as he was leaving the hall after doing a solo recital as a classical guitarist, he realised he “couldn’t think of one black classical concert guitarist – in the world. So I decided to become an ensemble player as opposed to a soloist.”

He thinks black artists still face “pretty horrible” barriers and puts a lot of his success down to working with white collaborators. “Through people like David Bowie or Madonna, I was able to experience making records that could drive in more than one lane. So if I’d tried, as Nile Rodgers, to make records that had the same subject matter they would be speaking about, I would be dead in the water. But if I did it with Duran Duran, no problem. It was totally hip.”

Rodgers says he still relies on white artists to open doors for him. Chic tours America as the opening act for Cher. “I don’t know anyone else who could give us an audience of 20,000 people every single night, no matter what venue,” he says. “Even the biggest, most culturally relevant black artist – if we toured with Stevie Wonder, who I think of as the king – I don’t think we would. Only a white artist. Look, that’s just the way the world is.”

Despite the digital portrait, Rodgers insists he does not give much thought to his legacy. “I think about maybe the death part, because now I’m 68 and I can do the maths. I think, ‘Jesus, I can only do so many records and so many projects – will I be able to finish them all?’” He reels off his latest collaborators: Rebecca Ferguson, SG Lewis, Keith Urban, Cedric Gervais and Franklin.

“I never thought I’d make 50. I’m shocked that I’m 68 years old and working with artists like Remi Wolf.” Wolf is 25. “I’m just a worker bee and I work and work and work until one day I can’t do it any more.” And when that day comes, Rodgers will still be answering fans’ questions with a smile.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment