Skiing While Black: Celebrating Community and Winter Adventure on MLK Weekend

Kameron Stanton, center, and his partner Chevy Linear, right, both hailing from Chicago, observe as a server pours drinks for them during the welcoming event for a Black Travel Maine MLK weekend gathering at Allagash Brewing on Friday night. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland

Following a day of ice fishing near Augusta, Kameron Stanton swayed to the music while enjoying craft beers at Allagash Brewing’s Cellars event area on Friday night, eagerly anticipating a weekend of skiing at Sunday River.

For the resident of the Chicago area, it was a quintessential Maine experience, who mentioned he would “never, ever” have journeyed to the Pine Tree State without a little encouragement.

“I arrived here with an unfortunate preconception of what to expect,” stated Stanton. “I had no clue. I checked the ticket: Portland, Maine. Where is that?”

The 32-year-old was among numerous Black travelers who made their way to Maine from Texas, Florida, New York, and several other locations for the lengthy weekend leading to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, enduring the state’s biting winter cold along with its image as one of the most Caucasian states in the country.

The journey, arranged by Black Travel Maine, aimed to provide a welcoming introduction for individuals who might not have otherwise contemplated vacationing in Vacationland. Lisa Jones, who established the company two years back, expressed her surprise at discovering the extensive offerings of the state after relocating to the Portland region during the COVID-19 outbreak — and how little awareness Black communities nationwide seemed to possess about it.

“I embarked on a quest to find out what other Black individuals knew about Maine,” said Jones. She traveled through the state, sharing images of herself and her daughter on social media. “People began to respond, ‘You’re in Maine? And it’s safe?’”

“I understood that there was a distorted narrative regarding Black individuals” concerning Maine, she noted.

According to Jones, the tourism sector of the state, with its focus on outdoor recreation, has not been promoted towards visitors of color. Consequently, she curated an itinerary that blended traditional Maine experiences with opportunities for reflection on its Black community.

Lisa Jones, center, proprietor and creator of Black Travel Maine, interacts with attendees Friday night during the welcoming event at Allagash Brewing for an MLK weekend ski trip. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

The weekend encompassed a day of skiing at Sunday River, the essential L.L.Bean shopping excursion, and a historical walking tour centered around Portland’s Black heritage sites.

Enjoying a short drink, Jennifer Tinch, 52, remarked that she and her spouse, William Gunn, 54, “preferred to delve into Maine through a Black perspective.”

“We’ve never engaged in skiing before, so we believed this would be an ideal moment and group to learn and experience Maine and skiing,” Tinch expressed.

Tinch, a Washington D.C. resident, added that Maine “was not previously on my travel plans,” yet she became intrigued upon learning about the trip.

“I’ve always desired a lobster roll,” Gunn joked, acknowledging that he found one immediately. “But I’m uncertain when I would have ever come up here.”

FOUNDATIONS OF A NARRATIVE

As the crowd filled the brewery on Friday night, visitors from outside expressed their delightful astonishment at how vibrant and inviting Maine had been thus far.

There are numerous factors explaining why Black individuals may not have historically found Maine appealing as a travel locale, explained Brian Purnell, chair of Bowdoin College’s Africana studies department. He pointed out that Maine is distant from the nation’s major Black populations and carries an image of whiteness that could lead Black travelers to consider alternative destinations when planning travels.

“If someone is going to invest their own money for a new experience … they will certainly wish to ensure that the experience is a favorable one,” Purnell stated. “Maine is known as Vacationland. Yet Black Americans have sought other vacationlands.

Purnell noted that people typically consult their friends and family for travel advice, and Maine might simply not feature in those discussions within Black communities.

“We cannot disregard the protracted history in which Black individuals were not welcomed in all parts of the country,” he added. “And those fortunate enough to travel probably tended toward a select few destinations, which became familiar to their children and grandchildren.”

Changing the image of the state and altering its national perception is an inherently gradual endeavor, he remarked.

Purnell, who relocated to Maine about 15 years ago, also mentioned that the state — with its “from away” language — possesses a distinct culture regarding “who qualifies and who does not” as a Mainer, which can be daunting for visitors of any ethnicity.

“I think Black individuals in Maine are aware of what Black individuals outside of Maine remain unaware of,” Purnell remarked. “I believe Maine is a place that embodies a live-and-let-live atmosphere.”

Local historian Bob Greene, hailing from South Portland, receives a hug from a friend during the welcoming gathering for the Black Travel Maine MLK weekend ski trip at Allagash Brewing on Friday evening. Greene states that the first named Black individual to arrive in Maine did so in 1608, when Mathieu da Costa arrived as a translator for a group of French explorers. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

Although known as one of the most predominantly white states in the country, Maine possesses a rich and complex Black history, according to Bob Greene, a local historian and an eighth-generation Black inhabitant of Cumberland County.

Greene mentioned that the earliest named Black person in Maine arrived in 1608. His name was Mathieu da Costa, and he worked as a translator for a party of French explorers, Greene indicated.

“Blacks have resided here, so to speak, for a long time,” Greene noted. “When you start discussing seaports in Maine, there have consistently been many Blacks coming and going. That does not imply that all of them remained, nor does it indicate that Maine boasted a large Black populace.”

At present, Black individuals make up merely around 2% of Maine’s demographic, as per the U.S. Census. Greene shared that the state experienced periods of increased Black immigration during the Civil War and World War II, lured by the prospect of employment at shipyards, but numerous newcomers departed once those positions faded away.

Jones, the organizer of the trip, expressed that history serves as a significant attraction for many participants. She highlighted the state’s involvement as a location on the Underground Railroad, which served as a final destination before freedom in Canada for formerly enslaved individuals.

“That (history) is the primary attraction, to be candid,” Jones remarked. “Individuals don’t realize that the history of the South is also present in the North. They often think that Black history only exists in the South.”

BACK FOR MORE?

This weekend marked Black Travel Maine’s second ski excursion, and the group has previously organized a couple of summer events, according to Jones. She aspires to establish the MLK weekend retreat as an annual event.

“I perceive immense potential for expansion,” during the off-peak season and beyond, she asserted. “Numerous individuals are interested in visiting Maine, and it is not restricted to summertime.”

Portland Councilor Regina Phillips, a lifelong Mainer, commented that the gathering — along with the entire weekend — felt like a testament to Maine’s “vibrant” Black community. Phillips was joined by a select group of prominent Black Mainers, including Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, as esteemed guests.

“We frequently discuss how Maine requires diversification, and Black Travel Maine is facilitating that change,” Phillips noted. “This underscores the truth that we are present.”

Phillips mingled with peers and longtime acquaintances. A few feet away, New York resident Gloria Lee did likewise.

Lee expressed that this weekend was her third outing with Black Travel Maine after attending both summer excursions. At this point, she is beginning to recognize the familiar faces of other repeat participants.

This time, however, Lee brought along several close friends to experience The Way Life Should Be.

“It’s simply not a location that comes to mind frequently; I don’t hear much about it and have not seen any advertisements,” Lee stated. “If it weren’t for this, I would never consider visiting Maine.”

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