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Portland, Maine

UNE to host civil rights icon Bettie Mae Fikes for annual MLK celebration

A composite of two images featuring, at left, Bettie Mae Fikes singing into a microphone and, at right, a black and white image of her embracing Martin Luther King Jr.
“Ms. Bettie Mae Fikes: Voice of Selma,” will be held at noon in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall on the University’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences.
Learn more about the event

The University of New England will welcome renowned civil rights activist Bettie Mae Fikes as part of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

The event, “Ms. Bettie Mae Fikes: Voice of Selma,” will be held at noon in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall on the University’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences. The event is free and open to the public.

Fikes is a celebrated icon of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. As a founding member of the Freedom Singers, she began traveling with King during the Freedom Rights struggle, which is how she came to be known as “the Voice of Selma.” She was present in Selma during Bloody Sunday and witnessed the chasing down and beating of those who joined the march, including the future Congressman John Lewis.

Fikes has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, numerous jazz festivals, and the 1964 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions.

Andrea Paredes Santacruz, M.Ed., director of Intercultural Student Engagement at UNE, said Fikes’ legacy serves as a testament of the progress made and a reminder of the work to come in ensuring equal rights for all.

“It's incredible to have a living legend of the Civil Rights Movement like Ms. Bettie Mae Fikes on our campus,” Paredes Santacruz said. “We have to remember that the movement is not a faraway time and that we still have work to do with and for our community. I hope our students, faculty, and professional staff feel inspired to create change in whatever way feels right for them for the causes that they most believe in.”

The annual MLK Jr. Celebration is held in honor of King’s historic 1964 visit to St. Francis College, UNE’s Biddeford Campus precursor, and to encourage discussion of racial equality in the 21st century. This year marks the 60th anniversary of King’s visit, which was his only such trip to Maine.

The celebration is coordinated by the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement with support from students, faculty, and professional staff.

Lunch will be provided at the event. Attendees are asked to RSVP by Jan. 22 to estimate a headcount for lunch.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest private university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.