Great Falls Forum with Rose Barboza and Genius Black

Register here to attend!

The 2020-2021 season of the Great Falls Forum continues on Thursday, March 18, featuring Rose Barboza and Genius Black, Co-Directors of Black Owned Maine and Co-Owners of Black Owned Maine Media, on the topic “A Rationale to Support Black Business in Maine.” The program will take place from 12 noon to 1 PM virtually via Zoom and streamed to the Lewiston Public Library Facebook page.

Black people have retained a presence in Maine for centuries, a presence that is often entirely overlooked and diminished. Black Owned Maine exists to celebrate the vibrancy and nuances of these people. The foundation of the organization lies in their Black business directory.

The question often arises, “Why should I determine how I spend my money based on the color of someone’s skin?” BOM encourages people to look beyond the surface and at the systemic differences between Black-identifying people and other races. In their Great Falls Forum talk, Rose and Genius invite attendees to join and learn how they can support this community on a deeper level.

Rose Barboza is a marketer, serial entrepreneur, and mother to a young son. She moved from California to Maine in 1995, growing up in Lewiston, and graduating from USM with dual majors in Marketing and International Business in 2019. She co-directs Black Owned Maine, and Black Owned Maine Media, along with Genius Black. Her passion lies in connecting the dots in nontraditional ways and creating her own modalities of engagement while honoring the lessons of those who came before her.

Genius Black was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up playing football, recording music, and writing stories. In the year 2000, Genius moved to Maine to attend Bowdoin College, graduating with a major in Africana Studies, and an English minor. Genius is currently an artist and entrepreneur, residing in greater Portland, Maine. Genius enjoys creating music that’s both fresh, and classic at the same time. Similarly, Genius Co-Directs Black Owned Maine with a keen eye on lessons learned from the past, as well as creating an equitable future. Genius brings his motivational and storytelling style to Black Owned Maine, focusing on collaborating and connecting in the business community.

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The Great Falls Forum is a monthly, brown-bag speaker series featuring statewide and regional leaders in public policy, business, academia and the arts. Admission is free to all Forum events. The Forum is a co-sponsorship of the Sun Journal, Bates College, and LPL. Recordings of the virtual Great Falls Forum programs will be archived on the Library’s YouTube channel following the live event.

For more information, please contact the Lewiston Public Library at 513-3135 or LPLReference@lewistonmaine.gov.