BANGOR, Maine — When Michael Alpert was appointed president of the Greater Bangor Area NAACP a year ago by fellow members, he was a different choice for the organization dedicated “for the Advancement of Colored People.”
The previous two leaders of the Bangor chapter — George Mathis of Newport and Joe Perry of Searsport — are black, as were previous presidents. Alpert is white.
“Even friends of mine were very surprised,” Alpert said of his selection.
Alpert, who served on the Bangor School Committee in the 1980s and is the director of the University of Maine Press, said working against injustice regardless of race is the reason he joined the NAACP in Bangor in his youth.
“I was 15 and I was horrified by the violence inflicted on our civil rights workers at Selma and other places,” Alpert said Saturday. “It was that violence that really shocked me.”
For the last year, Alpert has worked to increase membership, the lack of which caused both the Bangor and Portland chapters to come under scrutiny by the national organization, which has deemed them inactive.
“We have a plan for some activities and it’s been approved by the national office,” Alpert said. “The plan includes increasing our membership.”
Alpert declined to say how many members there are in Bangor, saying the NAACP’s bylaws are “quite strict” about what can be released. The plan will put both Maine chapters back in good standing with the national group this year, Albert said.
He said numbers dwindled over the years because people “were satisfied with the progress being made in civil rights,” but he added “that’s not true anymore.”
“In recent years there has been increased violence and vile language — It’s reminiscent of the 1950s,” Alpert said, adding that people are turning to the group for support and assistance.
One of the biggest fundraisers for the Bangor group is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast celebration at the University of Maine, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday at Wells Commons. It’s the breakfast’s 20th anniversary.
Invitations to the annual MLK Day breakfast have been sent to area lawmakers, congressional leaders and even Gov. Paul LePage, who earlier this month made what many considered racially charged statements that made headlines across the country.
“I find it really sad that a person in a respected position would talk like that,” Alpert said. “I find it truly sad, but I don’t think it reflects Maine. Overall, I think Maine people by and large are tolerant and are welcoming. That is my experience.”
LePage has not responded to the invitation, Alpert said, but “If he wants to come to the breakfast he would be treated with respect.”
Here is a statewide list of Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, compiled by the Bangor Daily News.