October 6 at 12:00 pm – 1:0o pm

The Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England will welcome Maine State Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, assistant house majority leader of the Maine House of Representatives, and Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation tribal ambassador, as speakers for its annual Donna M. Loring Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 6.

The Donna M. Loring Lecture addresses current or historic Native American or aboriginal issues and indigenous rights, as well as women’s issues, civil rights, and issues of fairness and equality as they overlap with the concerns of tribal peoples. The event is named in honor of Donna Loring, an elder of the Penobscot Indian Nation who recently served as the senior advisor of Tribal Affairs to Maine Gov. Janet Mills

This year’s virtual event, “Racial Justice in Maine State Policy: Understanding the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations,” will feature a conversation between Loring, Talbot Ross, and Dana. Speakers will discuss the purpose of the Permanent Commission, what it has accomplished in its first two years, and what urgent matters it plans to take up this fall.