PLEASE NOTE: This program is Zoom only. Please register for a link.

In partnership with the MDI Racial Equity Working Group and the YWCA, the library welcomes JG Georgette, Jacques Newell Taylor, and Athena Bryce for panel discussion on exploring the multifaceted might of Black Americans and the pernicious tethers that continue to undermine Black Power.

Janine "JG" Georgette has worked as a performing and teaching artist for the past 50 years. During the past several summers an obsession with sailing brought them to the beauty of the Maine coast, where an unexpected connection to Ellsworth was fostered by work with the Juneteenth Downeast planning group.

Jacques H. Newell Taylor is an exercise design specialist keenly interested in elucidating and exploiting the relationships between physical performance, mental performance, and personal transformation. Jacques’s mission is to leverage physical and mental health to facilitate wise, compassionate action in our communities. He is a husband and father of two and is grateful to live in Wabanaki territory, also known as Southwest Harbor, Maine.

Athena Bryce earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2021 and expects to receive her Master’s degree in Social Work in May of 2023 at the University of Maine. Athena strives to empower individuals and communities she interacts with through her work as a Public Health Educator at Bangor Public Health and Community Services. Athena’s academic and professional goals are anchored to her commitment to advocacy and social justice for underrepresented communities, ensuring that vulnerable, marginalized populations and diverse life experiences are at the center of her work.