Maine Senate proclaims February 2025 Black History Month, honors Mary McLeod Bethune

The Maine State Senate on Feb. 4, 2025 adopted a joint resolution recognizing February 2025 as Black History Month and separately adopted a joint resolution honoring educator and civil-rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune, senators said on the floor.

Senator Rachel Talbot Ross, sponsor of the Black History Month resolution, told colleagues the commemoration is an opportunity to “take a look back with pride, but also with the determination to move forward with resolve.” She cited the Abyssinian Meeting House on the Portland peninsula as an example of Maine’s Black history and noted researchers have identified “over 2,000 people of color who lived in what is now called the state of Maine prior to the year 1800.”

The joint resolution presented to the Senate traces Maine’s historical ties to the global economy of enslavement, noting shipbuilding, merchant activity and related trades. The text cited specific findings included in the resolution: that at least 70 Maine-built vessels transported enslaved people, the earliest recorded slaving voyage from Maine occurred in 1749, and the last known such voyage on a Maine-built vessel occurred in 1862. The resolution calls on Mainers to learn more about that history and to recognize the contributions of African Americans to the state.

Senator Dusan presented a separate joint resolution honoring Mary McLeod Bethune. The resolution text recounted Bethune’s life and public service: her 1875 birthdate, founding a school for Black girls that evolved into Bethune-Cookman College, leadership roles in national organizations, and service in the Roosevelt administration. On the floor, Senator Dusan said the resolution “takes this occasion to honor the life and memory of Mary McLeod Bethune” and described plans to mark Bethune’s legacy during the month.

Senator McNaught read an excerpt of Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” as part of the Senate’s observance during the floor proceedings.

Both joint resolutions were moved for adoption and ordered sent down for concurrence. No roll-call votes were recorded on the floor for either resolution; the chair treated the matters as adopted by unanimous consent and ordered them sent to the House.

Why it matters: The resolutions formalize the Legislature’s observance of Black History Month and memorialize an influential Black educator whose work is cited in the Senate’s commemorations. The floor remarks highlighted specific historical details from the resolutions and signaled that the Senate intends to include related recognitions during session days in February.

Looking ahead: Both joint resolutions were sent to the House for concurrence.