Gerald Talbot facts for kids

Gerald Edgerton Talbot (born October 28, 1931) is a famous American civil rights leader, author, and politician from Portland, Maine. He made history as the first Black person to be elected to the Maine legislature. Talbot was also the founding president of the Portland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He later served as the president of the Maine State Board of Education. In 2020, a school in Portland was renamed the Gerald Edgerton Talbot Community School to honor him.

Early Life and Career

Growing Up in Bangor

Gerald Talbot was born in Bangor, Maine, on October 28, 1931. His father, Wilmont, was the head chef at a large hotel, and his mother, Arvella, was a homemaker and community organizer. He was the oldest of five children. Talbot's family has deep roots in Maine, tracing back to Abraham Talbett, a Black soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Talbot went to local schools in Bangor and graduated from Bangor High School in 1952. It was during his high school years, while playing football, that he met his future wife, Anita Cummings.

Military Service and Moving to Portland

After high school, Talbot wanted to serve in the military. He tried to join the Marines but was not accepted because he is color-blind. Instead, he joined the United States Army in 1953. After his service, which included a year in Greenland, he and his wife settled in Portland.

Finding a place to live was very difficult for the Talbot family because of their race. This experience inspired Talbot to fight for fair housing laws for the rest of his life. He also faced challenges finding steady work. In a 2021 interview, he explained that some employers would fire him after finding out he was Black. In 1966, he began working for the Guy Gannett Publishing Company, where he stayed until he retired in 1991.

A Leader for Civil Rights

Fighting for Equality

In 1963, Talbot traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the famous March on Washington. This event deeply inspired him. He later said that the march taught him to go home and "fight for jobs and education," which became his lifelong mission.

A year later, in 1964, Talbot helped start the Portland chapter of the NAACP, a major civil rights organization. He was elected as its first president.

Creating Fair Housing Laws

One of Talbot's biggest achievements was helping to pass the Maine Fair Housing Bill in 1965. At the time, it was legal for landlords to refuse to rent to people because of their race. Talbot and other activists worked hard to change this. They successfully convinced the state government to pass a law that made housing discrimination illegal. In May 1965, Talbot stood beside Governor John Reed as he signed the bill into law.

In 1968, Talbot used this new law to sue a landlord who had discriminated against him. He won the case, which was the first of its kind in Maine.

Political Career

First Black Legislator in Maine

In 1972, Talbot decided to run for a seat in the Maine Legislature. He wanted to make sure that all people, especially the poor and minorities, had a voice in the government. He won the election by about 1,700 votes, becoming the first Black person ever elected to the Maine legislature. This was a historic victory, especially since his district had very few Black voters.

Work in the Maine House of Representatives

Talbot served three terms in the legislature, from 1972 to 1978. He was also the first Black person to chair a legislative committee. While serving in the legislature, he had to work a five-hour shift at his printing job every night to support his family.

Talbot sponsored many important laws. He introduced a bill to protect the rights of gay people and another to remove offensive names from places in Maine. His law successfully removed the n-word from a dozen place names in the state. He also worked on laws to improve conditions for migrant workers, support Native American tribal rights, and make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday.

Service After the Legislature

After leaving the legislature, Talbot continued to serve the public. He was on the Maine State Board of Education from 1980 to 1984, serving as its chair in his final year. He also served on many other boards and committees, always working to improve education and the lives of others in his community.

Personal Life

Talbot and his wife, Anita, have four daughters: Sharon, Rachel Talbot Ross, Regina, and Robin. His family has continued his legacy of public service. His daughter Rachel Talbot Ross was elected to the Maine House of Representatives and became the first African-American Speaker of the House. In 2024, she was elected to the Maine State Senate. His daughter Regina Phillips is a professor and was elected to the Portland City Council in 2022.

Honors and Legacy

The Talbot collection is kept at the University of Southern Maine's Glickman Library in Portland.

Throughout his life, Talbot collected thousands of items related to Black history in Maine and the U.S. In 1995, he donated his collection to the University of Southern Maine (USM), where it is now available for students and researchers to study.

Talbot has received many awards for his public service. USM gave him an honorary doctorate in 1995 and named an auditorium after him. In 2021, a park in his hometown of Bangor was renamed Talbot Park in his honor.

Gerald E. Talbot Community School

The Gerald E. Talbot Community School is in Portland, Maine.

In 2020, the Portland School Board voted to rename Riverton Elementary School in his honor. The school is now called the Gerald E. Talbot Community School. At the renaming ceremony, Talbot and his grandson, who was a student at the school, cut the ribbon together.

Books

• Maine's Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People by H. H. Price and Gerald E. Talbot | Tilbury House Publishers | ISBN: 978-0-88448-275-8