Lessons About Race and Place from Lewiston Teens

Speaker: Dr. Andrea M. Breau, Youth Studies Scholar

Recorded December 9th 3:00-4:00 p.m.


In the past two decades, there has been much media attention devoted to Lewiston’s rapid racial demographic shift and, depending on the source, either its stubborn "race problem" or its thriving “multicultural community." In these stories, youth -- especially teenagers -- and their behavior serve as a primary gauge for diversity and inclusion. They are cast as either the present problem because they “can’t get along” or as a sign that hope is on the horizon due to activities that bridge racial and cultural differences. But what do we know about the lives of youth, and their own understandings of race, beyond these media stereotypes? Andrea will discuss her research with the first generation of white and Black youth coming of age together in the context of a historically and still predominantly white town. By examining the ways that youth themselves draw on place to make meaning of their past, present, and future selves, her research challenges the harmful yet commonplace belief that youth are either those who need to “be saved” or those who will “save us all.”


Andrea received her B.A. from Colby College and her Ph.D. in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the racial, gender, sexual and place-based identities of teenagers in Lewiston, where she was born and raised and is currently raising her own family. As both a graduate and former employee of Lewiston High School, she is especially interested in how Lewiston's young white and migrant communities interact. From 2018-2020, Andrea worked with Dr. Krista Aronson on the Diverse BookFinder research project at Bates College, where she coordinated the launch of an online tool to help public librarians across the U.S. diversify their children's book collections. She is currently co-leading professional development workshops on diversifying the curriculum for elementary school educators around the state. Andrea has served on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Central Maine and was the Project Scholar for the Maine Humanities Council book series commemorating the centennial of women's suffrage in the U.S. Andrea currently sit on the Diverse BookFinder Advisory Council and serves as the Vice Chair for the Androscoggin County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation.

AndreaBreau.mp4