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James Varner held up his hand, pointed to the skin of his palm and asked the crowd to tell him what they saw.
“See my five fingers. Imagine it holding yours. Does my brown hand feel like your hand?” Varner asked the crowd.
The 92-year-old drove from New Jersey earlier this week to continue an event in the city’s Freedom Park he started 22 years ago. About 30 people attended.
Varner has been speaking about Black freedom in Brewer long before Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, was observed as a holiday. Yearly, he has spoken about the importance of the end of slavery and asked attendees to spread understanding and compassion.
Although Varner has lived a life that includes serving in the Korean War, attending Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington and being one of the first Black athletes to play for the University of Maine, he said he still has the desire to speak at the event because he believes America has racism and bigotry that needs to be talked about and driven out.
“Think about what I’m sharing with you and what contribution you can make to make people realize we’re all family,” he said.
The event had the energy of a Sunday church service with Varner occasionally breaking out in song and gospel while encouraging attendees to spread the understanding that everyone is equal no matter their race. His encouragement included requesting the crowd take a daily pledge to look at their own racist tendencies, treat everyone with respect and combat the racism they see around them.
Brewer Mayor Jenn Morin read the city’s proclamation declaring Juneteenth Celebration Day in Brewer, which is done yearly. Morin called Varner living proof that someone can have an impact on their community.
“His greatest legacy is the example he has set,” she said.
Varner’s upbeat speech turned somber when he and Morin placed a wreath near the statue of a freed slave in the park, a yearly tradition in memory of the “mistreated, humiliated, hanged by the neck and whipped until bleeding slaves,” Varner said.
The former Maine Human Rights Coalition president and Greater Bangor NAACP co-founder went on to say Americans need to vote in the November election and the next presidential election to bring more compassion to the country. He said the administration of President Donald Trump doesn’t care about people of color or the LGBTQ+ community and has made the country into a “sinking ship.”
“What’s going on right now isn’t loving,” he said.
While Varner was able to drive his Mercury Grand Marquis hundreds of miles from New Jersey for the event this year, which he said “pissed off” his family, he said he’s not sure how many more years he can attend. His mental capacity and energy make him a “rare commodity,” he said, but he knows he won’t be able to speak in Brewer forever.
“I hope I still have a few more years. I feel like I still have gas in my tank of love,” he said.