FARMINGTON – Students at the University of Maine at Farmington gathered at the campus amphitheater last week for the university’s first student-led teach-in.
Teach-ins are designed to raise awareness of singular topics through a concentrated series of lectures, discussion and speeches. Last week’s teach-in focused on the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I wanted the UMF community to learn and to show their numbers. I wanted to see if we could be larger than the issue,” UMF Sophomore Aman Hagos said. “The numbers are what is going to do this.”
Hagos is from Cape Elizabeth, and had previously organized several protests and a teach-in in his hometown. After seeing how little action was being taken on campus, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“Aman came to us and pitched the idea and then we all figured out how to make it happen,” Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Action Team Kate MacLeod said.
The DIAT sponsored and helped advertise for the event, but MacLeod said Hagos did everything else himself. A number of students spoke, as well as two UMF basketball coaches and a faculty member. Topics ranged from racial inequality to voter suppression and education.
“There needs to be more self education and communication with your own people,” Hagos said. “Friends, family, co-workers…you need to have conversations with people in your own communities, the difficult ones…the uncomfortable ones,” Hagos said.
Hagos said he hopes to plan another teach-in for the spring.
