Black youth detained in the prison represent an estimated 23 percent of the youth at Long Creek, which is nearly 12 times the Black representation in Maine’s youth population at large.

Right now, nobody is doing that level of promotion for Black- and minority-owned businesses in Maine, Brister said. He has counted more than 80 for-profit Maine companies owned by Black entrepreneurs.

Maine boasts a low 12.4% Black population. As a result, things like haircare and styling are often hard to come by in the state.

Allagash Brewing Co., of Portland, is one of the Maine breweries participating in Black Is Beautiful, a grassroots initiative launched earlier this month by San Antonio-based Weathered Souls Brewing.

That’s why people in Maine are working to create opportunities for the younger generation of Black Mainers following in their footsteps. "Every time I look at this, it reminds me that I made the ...

That’s why Brister, a business consultant who owns the Lewiston-Auburn Maples semiprofessional women’s basketball team, has launched the Maine Black Chamber of Commerce.. It’s the first ...