BANGOR, Maine — According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, Black Mainers only make up about 2 percent of Maine's total population, which often makes it harder for African Americans living in Maine to build a sense of community with each other.
Because there is such a low population of Black people scattered across various parts of Maine, owner of Taste of Jamaica in Ellsworth, Gilmore Griffiths, said he gets excited when he sees other people who look like him.
"Just being able to see someone and have that interconnection automatically," Griffiths said while explaining how Black people immediately take notice of each other, sometimes even communicating non-verbally. "You'll look, you'll nod to each other, you'll acknowledge them."
Griffiths said it's a language that Black people undoubtedly understand at first interaction that silently screams, "We're in the building."
Griffiths moved from Jamaica to Ellsworth 18 years ago. He said at first, he had his concerns.
"Not seeing a lot of people that look like me. . . I was a little scared," Griffiths said. "I was wondering if I was going to be uncomfortable."
Lucky for him, those worries of finding a sense of community quickly went away after being welcomed with open arms to the city and state. Griffiths said Mainers made him feel seen, taking an interest in his Jamaican culture. Griffiths said now years later, he has a business that he's proud of in a city that he loves.
Even with feeling a sense of acceptance from the community, Griffiths said it's good to find people who have similar backgrounds and who understand him on a deeper level. He said his business has allowed him to make meaningful connections with other Black Mainers.
Like Griffiths, Keil Slayton, who owns White Raven Tattoo shop in Bangor, said the people here make him feel at home, despite racial prejudices that still linger.
"I just kind of fell in love with this place," Slayton said. "There are some deep undertones of racism that still live here, but I feel like that has changed over the course of the years that I've lived here."
Slayton said when he moved to Maine in 2018, it took him a little while to feel the level of acceptance that Griffiths felt from the start. Slayton said he feels like his race and the fact that he just looks different, having several visual tattoos in various places, played a role in people judging him at face value.
"People would just be judgmental right off the bat," Slayton said. "Instead of them looking at me like a human being, I would be that stereotypical Black man up here—[like] I'm either selling drugs or not contributing to the community."
Slayton said he believes the cancelation of old negative perspectives has softened the racial undertones that he used to view as more prevalent in the community, explaining that people are moving further and further away from old, deeply rooted ideologies.
"Race is something that stems from suppression of people and the advantages of being one up over the other," Slayton said. "So, as those ideologies and those sorts of tyrannies begin to fall away, that leaves room for new thought, new ideas, new intellectual stimulation."
Now, Slayton regularly finds ways to give back to the community through his business, hosting events and supporting individuals who struggle with drug addiction. He said he now feels that the community values him, and like he has found his niche.
According to Slayton, Black people often build their sense of identity around their race and background. Slayton said trying not to internalize negative stereotypes that are unfairly placed on Black individuals can be a challenge—leaving Black people struggling to find a healthy balance between who the world perceives them as—and who they know themselves to be.
"It makes it harder for a Black person to want to be a part of that community," Slayton said. "So, I think the biggest part is fighting through those stereotypes. Allowing yourself to see yourself as a human being first and then still being able to love other people—but still have that tight identity with who you are."
Slayton said his storefront attracts people from various ethnic backgrounds, giving him more opportunities to build connections. He said since Bangor doesn't have much culture to spread around, he has to depend on his business connections to help him build the sense of community that he craves.
"Bangor is just a place that culture hasn't quite come to," Slayton said. "Although you have African Americans, Native Americans, and people of color, there's not a lot for people to gravitate to or go to."
He said he's often able to harbor connections that sometimes turn into friendships.
Slayton has a few family members in Maine. He said for people like him who aren't from Maine, finding ways to build that sense of community can be a struggle.
Tyler Thompson, a Husson University alum and current assistant director of student admissions said like many students, his prior involvement on sports teams and organization Black Student Union was critical to him finding his footing and building friendships with other Black people in Maine.
Thompson is originally from Queens, New York. He said there is a lot that people can learn from being in an environment that they're not used to. Thompson said he loves Maine and has a deep respect for Husson University.
"I never had to leave my Black culture at the door coming to Husson," Thompson said. "I had people who had come from similar backgrounds, and we were able to bond on a lot of things and different experiences."
Thompson said he always kept an open mind, and he always felt supported by staff and his peers, even if they came from different racial or ethnic backgrounds.
University of Maine men's basketball captains Jashonte Wright, Jaden Clayton, and Kellen Tynes echoed the same sentiments.
Wright said his biggest challenge has been more with the fact that Maine is much smaller than his home in Montreal, Canada.
Clayton, who is from Canada right outside of Toronto, said he's a family guy. Clayton said although it's hard being away from his family, team bonding and comradery with people on other sports teams have given him an easy transition.
"When you hear 'Maine,' you're not thinking of a very strong cultured black community here," Clayton said. "But once you actually get here and you see the people who are around, you really do feel a community. You can't be afraid to see what's out there. If you're afraid to see what's out there, you're just going to be out alone."
Clayton said he didn't have a problem at all settling into Maine. Tynes said the same, explaining that his coaches, teachers, and peers are amazing. Tynes said his team plays a big role in making him feel like he belongs.
"For me, I think it was easier just because I came into athletics," Tynes said. "You know—some of my teammates are black."
Thompson at Husson offered Black men and Black Mainers who are looking for their people to follow what feels right.
"Go to places where you feel cared for, and I stayed here because I felt cared for," Thompson said. "Have an open mind and be mindful of your surroundings and how people treat you. Once you find a place where you know people care I would choose that place."