President of the ACLU, Deborah N. Archer's "Dividing Lines"

Tue Sep 09 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm UTC-04:00

Mechanics' Hall | Portland

Mechanics' Hall (Maine)
Publisher/HostMechanics' Hall (Maine)
President of the ACLU, Deborah N. Archer's "Dividing Lines"
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Deborah N. Archer discusses her book 'Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality'
About this Event

Eminent legal scholar and president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Deborah Archer offers a critical examination of how transportation infrastructure - from highways and roads to sidewalks and buses - has been used to protect segregation and deepen racial inequality in America after the fall of Jim Crow.

This event includes an author talk and panel discussion exploring the intersections of urban planning, law, and social/racial justice across the United States and here in Maine.


Tuesday, September 9 at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM), approximately 90 minutes including Q&A.


FREE to the public, registration is required.

Presented by the ACLU of Maine and Mechanics' Hall, with Longfellow Books


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deborah N. Archer is president of the ACLU, where she serves as chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. She is a tenured professor and associate dean at New York University School of Law and the faculty director of the Community Equity Initiative at NYU Law. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.


ABOUT THE SERIES

Presented by Mechanics' Hall, Beyond Comfort is a three-part speaker series that brings together nationally recognized authors and changemakers who challenge the status quo and invite us into deeper reflection, courageous leadership, and transformative justice.

These events ask: What must we risk to create cultures of equity? How do we move through discomfort to action? And how can we lead, learn, and live in ways that repair rather than repeat harm?

Don’t miss the other events of the series including on Tuesday, August 12 at 7:00 PM and on Tuesday, September 23.


PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.


ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator and a ramp available upon request.

If you need accessibility accommodations/questions please contact us at [email protected] or 207-773-8396.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Mechanics' Hall, 519 Congress Street, Portland, United States

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