Episode Description
Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired July 13, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host: Richard Rudolph, PhD.
An interview of Tom Blackburn, the president of the Bayside Neighborhood Association in Portland Maine. He first briefly talked about the history of the neighborhood which served as a vibrant immigrant gateway. As industries were developed it became a melting pot of new Americans - where Italians, Polish, Jewish, Irish and Armenians established vibrant neighborhoods around Franklin Street and throughout Bayside. The "little italy" neighborhood south of Franklin Ave was particularly cohesive, despite being home to some of the peninsula's poorest residents. This rich diversity and tradition of welcoming newcomers continues today, with more recent African and other immigrant communities contributing to Bayside’s unique cultural fabric. Over 60 different languages are spoken in this area of the city. Tom also talked about two ongoing initiatives that the association is undertaking to establish a small 1/2 acre park in this neighborhood and it effort to establish the Bayside Opportunity Center (BOC) which will offer a range of service including language classes, job placement assistance, cultural orientation sessions, events, with a HUB that will offer referral services to appropriate organization sharing their mission with BOC.
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host: Richard Rudolph, PhD.
An interview of Tom Blackburn, the president of the Bayside Neighborhood Association in Portland Maine. He first briefly talked about the history of the neighborhood which served as a vibrant immigrant gateway. As industries were developed it became a melting pot of new Americans - where Italians, Polish, Jewish, Irish and Armenians established vibrant neighborhoods around Franklin Street and throughout Bayside. The "little italy" neighborhood south of Franklin Ave was particularly cohesive, despite being home to some of the peninsula's poorest residents. This rich diversity and tradition of welcoming newcomers continues today, with more recent African and other immigrant communities contributing to Bayside’s unique cultural fabric. Over 60 different languages are spoken in this area of the city. Tom also talked about two ongoing initiatives that the association is undertaking to establish a small 1/2 acre park in this neighborhood and it effort to establish the Bayside Opportunity Center (BOC) which will offer a range of service including language classes, job placement assistance, cultural orientation sessions, events, with a HUB that will offer referral services to appropriate organization sharing their mission with BOC.