South Portland Human Rights Commission

11/13/2025

11/11/2025

🙏🏼 Jajóm, South Portland!
What an incredible day! Casa Areyto extends a heartfelt jajóm (thank you) to everyone who joined us for the "Seeds of Culture" event in South Portland, Maine. I am so grateful for the stories shared, the learning we experienced together, and the deep connections made through our ancestral agricultural knowledge.

Our deepest gratitude to the South Portland Human Rights Commission and the Grassroots Fund for their continued support of our mission to remove barriers to education.

Shout out to Tostones Café for the delicious Taíno Indigenous food!

Want to host your own Casa Areyto event? Book a consultation.
👉 https://www.casaareyto.com/services

11/04/2025

Calling all Maine residents! 🌿

Join Casa Areyto for “Seeds of Culture,” a fun, family-friendly event celebrating Taíno heritage and community.

📅 Date: Saturday, November 8
📍 Location: Red Bank Community Center
95 MacArthur Circle W, South Portland, ME 04106

🕚 11:00 AM – Kids’ Agricultural Workshop
Free book giveaway for kids!

🕛 12:00 PM – Lunch & Learn: Taíno Culture Through Food & Story
Free food and refreshments!

A big jajóm (thank you) to the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund and the Human Rights Commission of South Portland for their incredible support.
South Portland Human Rights Commission
Grassroots Fund

06/21/2024

Captions Available! Springtime has sprung here in Maine! Come check out all that's happening in South Portland including: Watch us live on the Roku! Check…

06/21/2024

06/13/2024

06/10/2024

Let's check out the Moon and Summer Skies. Join us on Saturday June 15 at 8pm at Bug Light for a star party where you will be able to view our celestial neighbors using telescope equipment. This event brought to the community in partnership with Southern Maine Astronomers and SoPo Eclipse Chasers.

Working to ensure that South Portland is a place where all have equal opportunity to earn, learn, and be healthy.

06/04/2024

Did you know one of the Tuskegee Airmen lived and worked in South Portland? James Alexander Sheppard Jr. was a South Portland resident and worked as the airworthiness inspector at the Portland Jetport. We invite you to join us as we hear about his life from his son, Bob Sheppard.

05/20/2024

Live in South Portland's District Five and want to be part of fostering a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and respect within our city? Then please consider joining the city's Human Rights Commission--we've got a seat open that must be filled by a resident of District Five. Help us provide support for individuals who have experienced discrimination or harassment, and produce workshops and special events that offer educational outreach to promote understanding and harmony among residents. Apply here: https://onboard.southportland.org/board/3608

05/16/2024

In partnership with the South Portland Public Library, SPHRC invites the community to a unique event exploring The Underground Railroad and its ties to the Abyssinian Meeting House.

Working to ensure that South Portland is a place where all have equal opportunity to earn, learn, and be healthy.

04/21/2024

South Portland's Epic Spring Festival Returns for 2024! Stay tuned for details!

04/18/2024

Today marks the 49th year since the beginning of the Cambodian genocide in 1975—a systematic persecution and killing of Cambodian citizens by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot. The horrific four-year reign of terror resulted in the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million people, nearly 25% of Cambodia’s population. In 1975 The Khmer Rouge had taken power in the country following the Cambodian Civil War and attempted to create a classless agrarian society by brutal force. The regime ultimately collapsed when Vietnam invaded, establishing an occupation that would last more than a decade.

Said Dith Pran, from the film “Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors”: “It is important for me that the new generation of Cambodians and Cambodian Americans become active and tell the world what happened to them and their families ... I want them never to forget the faces of their relatives and friends who were killed during that time. The dead are crying out for justice.”