Historian Bob Greene

Did you know that Maine’s Black history goes back to at least 12 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock? The history of the Pine Tree State includes many Black builders, farmers, fishermen, ship captains, educators, and more whose lives have often been forgotten or ignored. In fact, the first doctor in Maine may have been a Black man, and the nation’s first Black lawyer practiced in Portland after passing the bar. Rockland Public Library will host historian Bob Greene, who will explore and celebrate this often hidden side of Maine’s history.

Bob Greene is a retired journalist and genealogist who has researched the Black history of his native state for years. A native of Portland, Greene is the eighth generation of his family to be born in Cumberland County. His roots in Maine stretch back into the 1700s. After retiring, he returned home to Maine; his genealogical research has led to his deep knowledge about Maine’s Black history. He contributed to Maine’s Visible Black History, The First Chronicle of its People, co-authored by H.H. Price and Gerald E. Talbot. Greene currently lives in South Portland and is on the Board of Trustees of the Maine Historical Society as well as the Board of Directors of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Southern Maine. He currently teaches a course on Maine’s Black history at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine. Greene is also the 2021 recipient of the Maine History Society’s Neal Allen Award, which is presented each year for exceptional contributions to Maine History.

This event will be held in-person in the Community Room, with limited seating. For more information, please email elewis@rocklandmaine.gov.