tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:52:52 +0000politicsPresident Barack H. ObamaBarack Obamahistoryspiritualityreflectionsmusiclovecivil rightsphotographycelebrationsmoviesforeign affairssportsadoptionsearch and reunionbook excerptspoetryquotestelevisionJennifer HudsonfarminghumorfoodbooksMaineBlack ChurchSerena WilliamsawardsMichelle ObamafilmblogospheregardeninggenealogyhomophobiaDNC 2008Inauguration 2009religionartFirst Lady Michelle Obamaadoptee rightstheaterNIna SimoneVenus Williamsnew writingsSarah VaughanastrologycommunityenvironmentBillie HolidayChaka KhanElla FitzgeraldLuther VandrossMichael JacksonfictionhealthAIDSAlthea GibsonCarmen McRaeChet BakerEtta JamesNat King ColeRafael Nadaleconomyeducationrecipesreviews of FTDself publishingAl GreenArthur AsheBetty CarterColin PowellJoe BidenLizz WrightMalia ObamaMartin Luther KingRay CharlesShirley HornStaples SingersWhitney HoustonlettersAfricaAlvin AileyBlossom DearieBob MarleyCassandra WilsonClaire McCaskillCurtis MayfieldDianne ReevesDinah WashingtonDionne WarwickDorothy DandridgeEric HolderEssex HemphillEthel WatersEva CassidyHall and OatesHarvey MilkIsaac HayesJames BaldwinJennifer HollidayJoe SampleJohn ColtraneKeith JarrettMahalia JacksonManhattan TransferMarian AndersonMarlon RiggsMarvin GayeMiles DavisMinnie RipertonOtis ReddingPatti AustinPatti LabellePaul RobesonPeggy LeePhyllis HymanRahsaan PattersonRichard SmallwoodRoberta FlackSasha ObamaStevie WonderStingTake 6Teddy PendergrassThelonious MonkWes Montgomerycookinglena hornelibertylvoephilosophyservicesexualityslaveryMusings about art, life, spirit and love by an adult adoptee living in reunion.http://craighickman.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)Blogger1055125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-2707840863318777094Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:50:00 +00002020-09-03T07:52:46.979-04:00 He traveled to my native state of Wisconsin, just miles down the country roads from where my parents are surely rolling over in their graves, to survey destruction, holding court among men who praised his preening. A world-class disgrace, he said nary a word about the destruction to the lives and loved ones of the victims of the violence he has incited since before he rose to power. http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2020/09/black-bodies-are-human-bodies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-1490183007123835904Fri, 03 Jul 2015 19:30:00 +00002015-07-03T15:30:13.472-04:00AUGUSTA – The Maine Legislature on Tuesday unanimously overrode the governor’ veto of a bill sponsored by Rep. Craig Hickman to prohibit the unauthorized “rehoming” of adopted children. Hickman’s bill, LD 1342, addresses this practice. It prohibits the transfer of the long-term care and custody of a child without a court order. Hickman, adopted when he was a baby, has been involved in http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2015/07/representative-hickmans-bill-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-3338059002383949607Sun, 05 Apr 2015 14:33:00 +00002015-04-05T10:33:46.693-04:00 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led marchers across the Alabama River on the first of a five-day, 50-mile march up Route 80 from Selma to the state Capitol at Montgomery, Alabama, on March 21, 1965. (AP file photo) Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses the crowd March 29, 1965, at the concluding event of the Capitol march. A huge crowd massed in front of the state http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2015/04/audio-remarks-of-representative-craig-v.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-5495829075508975068Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:22:00 +00002015-03-30T12:24:11.475-04:00 1 Roosevelt looked like no other boy Craig had ever seen. On the first day of kindergarten, they looked each other square in the face, two curious little boys in the middle of a big classroom looking for a way to bridge the barrier between them. “Hey, you,” asked Craig, “why are your teeth so big?” Roosevelt looked back through bubble eyes bulging from a head way too big for his skinny body http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2015/03/roosevelts-crossing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-1261270454472935129Sun, 28 Sep 2014 20:58:00 +00002014-11-03T17:19:45.690-05:00"IS AUGUSTA FRUSTRATING? “Of course,” he said. “But with persistence comes success, so I will try again and see what happens.” He hopes to bolster Maine food and sustainability, fight for greater food sovereignty and better infrastructure, including more opportunities for farmers to process their livestock. “I see small farms as the solution to some very big problems.” I was honored to be http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2014/09/meet-craig-hickman-farmer-and-legislator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-3101976940087624931Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:18:00 +00002014-09-18T09:21:04.548-04:00Earlier in spring, Loss came knocking at my door. Within weeks, Loss came knocking again. A few days later, Grief checked in. Brought a lot of baggage, took the biggest room, the Edwardian, the one with the private bath, looking like he was going to stay awhile. Little did we know. A month or so ago, Loss came knocking two more times. Didn’t see her coming either time (a suicide, one; http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-house-full.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-7581392868979741849Fri, 12 Sep 2014 20:09:00 +00002014-09-12T16:11:01.915-04:00Grief can freeze you to the bone. But there's no shivering, no shaking -- still debilitating. More like numbness, or at its most intense, paralysis -- still aching. http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2014/09/aching-bone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-997337033070380595Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:16:00 +00002013-12-31T15:16:32.402-05:00 We said goodbye to our beloved dog, J.B. Two years ago, we lit a torch on his grave to observe the first anniversary of his death. I thought then that the following spring I would finally be able to plant a garden where his body rests. I wasn't. Sure, I was busier this past spring than I've ever been. Serving in the Maine Legislature remains the highest honor of my life. I will always work http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2013/12/three-years-ago-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-4968210500558871742Thu, 22 Aug 2013 11:53:00 +00002013-08-22T07:53:38.462-04:00 Friends came... ...bearing gifts. They gathered in our backyard to see us marry. Before our altar... ...we exchanged vows. Daddy sang "Ebb Tide," my favorite love song. We joined our lights... ...and became one heart. Everybody... ...cried. Two families became one. How sweet it is. http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2013/08/15-years-ago-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-2731986613090342677Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:10:00 +00002013-04-20T09:24:53.970-04:00 TWELVE YEARS ago today, I saw my birthmother's face in person for the first time in my life. It's hard to believe it's been so long. Hard to believe there have been so many twists and turns. Great celebrations. More separation. Confrontation. Reconciliation. But this was how it was, as I documented in my book, on that Sabbath evening twelve years ago: Their Eyes Were Watching God 1 It is http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-first-time-i-saw-her-face.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-2319056246355165875Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:54:00 +00002013-04-17T19:08:52.913-04:00 When I first received word of the Boston Marathon bombing, I was out in the field behind the barn turning over the soil for planting. It was the first time this season that I have been able to work the land, to get soil under my nails. To hear of such horrifying news when preparing to seed new life reminded me just how much we often take for granted.  How life is so ripe with http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2013/04/boston.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-751853003653469370Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:48:00 +00002013-02-11T21:36:44.615-05:00 On Tuesday, January 29, I addressed the entire student body of Kents Hill School in Readfield as the Amnesty International Human Rights Speaker. It's always an honor to speak to young people. My remarks combined personal history, a focus on community, ideas for a sustainable Maine economy through agriculture and food, and a special demonstration of slam poetry at the request of a student duringhttp://craighickman.blogspot.com/2013/02/hickman-on-hill.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-4062564308214801501Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:08:00 +00002013-02-10T10:45:39.396-05:00 My name is Craig Hickman. We meet today to make official the outcome of the popular vote in the general election held on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012. We, the members of the 2012 Maine Electoral College, thank you Mr. Secretary, Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, and assembled guests for your attendance here today to bear witness as we conduct this momentous task. I thank my fellow electors for http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/12/presidents-remarks-2012-maine-electoral.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-6288005099520320689Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:20:00 +00002012-12-14T14:20:51.540-05:00Representative Craig V. Hickman to Preside Over Electoral CollegePublic invited to attend the ceremony in the House Chamber or view streaming video online on Monday, December 17, 2012. WINTHROP – Representative Craig Hickman of Winthrop will preside over the Electoral College for the State of Maine on Monday, December 17, 2012 at 2:00 p.m., in the Chamber of the Maine House of Representatives. http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/12/represenative-hickman-to-preside-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-723404042918909491Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:54:00 +00002012-12-12T16:56:23.818-05:00 Representative Craig V. Hickman of Winthrop takes the Oath of Office on December 5, 2012 in the chamber of the Maine House of Representatives. Photo by Christine Johnson Higgins. For more photos of the swearing-in ceremonies, click here. Cross-posted to Hickman in the House http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-oath-of-office.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-9077658233701445910Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:34:00 +00002012-12-01T14:16:42.522-05:00 If you had told me as recently as three years ago that I would be elected to serve the good people of Winthrop and Readfield in the Maine House Representatives, I would have said you were dreaming. I’ve pinched myself over and over again and, yes, it’s still true: the good people of Winthrop and Readfield have voted to send me to Augusta. Which is exactly what the official greeting above that http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/12/from-bottom-of-my-heart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-2361738738932567896Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:49:00 +00002012-12-01T12:50:06.608-05:00 The following reprint from the 1943 30th Anniversary Issue of the Delta Journal was written by my biological great grandmother, Madree Penn White, the driving force and inspiration behind the founding of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She wrote its first constitution and by-laws. :: Delta Faces the Future Before me there sweeps an array of days;Dark days filled with bitterness; bright daysToo http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/12/madree-penn-white.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-2309242008994499877Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:22:00 +00002012-11-07T09:22:48.672-05:00 The voters of Readfield and Winthrop just elected me to the Maine House of Representatives with 2,915 votes or 59% of the votes cast. Scott Davis, who ran a positive campaign, finished with 2,057 votes. I'm beside myself. Surely, my father is dancing a jig in heaven. My mother wants pictures so she can brag about it at her nursing home in Milwaukee. My biological father is dancing a jig in http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/11/elected_7.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-9156501340681279103Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:40:00 +00002012-06-14T08:40:16.199-04:00I'm still speechless and can't say much more than thank you from the bottom of my heart for your overwhelming support in the primary election Tuesday. We received 757 votes, 78% of the votes cast in the Democratic primary. You have no idea. Congratulations to Mr. Cookson and his team for running a fine campaign. On to November.... http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/06/thank-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-7907009690863566648Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:53:00 +00002012-06-11T14:53:42.247-04:00June 12th As owner of Annabessacook Farm Organic Farm Stand and Bed & Breakfast, I believe small businesses and family farms are burdened with expensive regulations designed to help corporations drive them out of business. I've managed start-ups, directed human resources, operations, and marketing departments. I've been a sole proprietor and a partner. I know small businesses and small http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/06/vote-hickman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-2255693616480457026Sat, 09 Jun 2012 18:57:00 +00002012-06-09T14:59:27.654-04:00 Winthrop Democrat Elected Presidential Elector at State Convention WINTHROP — Craig Hickman, vice chair of the Winthrop Democrats and two-time candidate for the Maine House of Representatives, was elected as one of Maine’s Democratic Presidential Electors at the party’s state convention this past weekend. The state delegation also elected Diane Denk of Kennebunk, Jill Duson of Portland, and http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/06/hickman-in-electoral-college.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-8897087667998770618Sun, 13 May 2012 20:55:00 +00002012-05-13T16:57:39.763-04:00 I'm blessed to have been raised by the wise woman who raised me. "You need to go sit down somewhere and be quiet," was one of her many pearls. She might say it if you were overworked, overtired, overwhelmed, overemotional or simply over it all. She knew exactly when and when not to say it. Ignoring her words would only make matters worse. Heeding them always made rejuvenation easier. In her http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-mothers-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-7462022528167038933Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:18:00 +00002012-04-02T12:20:15.814-04:00politicsCraig Hickman Announces Another Bid for the State HouseWINTHROP — Craig Hickman, organic farmer, small business owner, chef and author, is making another bid to serve the residents of Readfield and Winthrop in the Maine House of Representatives.“I’m stepping up again because I want to take the work I’m doing in the community to the next level and serve the people in the Legislature,” said Hickmanhttp://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/04/we-can-do-better.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-6921147462355518269Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:31:00 +00002012-03-14T13:32:29.290-05:00celebrationsloveHazelle HickmanFebruary 14, 1920 - March 14, 2007How time flies. Thinking of my mother and sister today. Praying for my mother's continued recovery.http://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/03/five-years-ago-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9607677.post-1475830261641856563Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:55:00 +00002012-02-12T11:57:53.308-05:00historyMarian Andersonmusichttp://craighickman.blogspot.com/2012/02/sunday-with-marian-america.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Craig Hickman)0