By Associated Press - Saturday, September 14, 2019

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A Maine university is honoring the state’s first African American legislator through a new three-year fellowship.

The Portland Press Herald reports the University of Southern Maine is creating a new teaching fellowship dedicated to examining race in honor of 87-year-old Gerald Talbot.

Talbot attended the March on Washington in 1963, when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

He also served as president of Portland’s NAACP chapter in 1964, when it was reestablished after a five-year hiatus.

Talbot was also instrumental in passing Maine’s first law protecting fair housing and human rights.

Talbot was first elected to Maine’s House of Representatives, representing Portland, in 1972.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide