06/30/2025
Jim Young, Fallbrook Commons, Portland
Coming of age in segregated Baltimore in the 1940s and ā50s, Jim Young was moved by the injustice around him. Guided by a strong sense of empathy, he took early action to advocate for integration at his local Dundalk Methodist Church. While attending Johns Hopkins University, he joined his youth group in efforts to demand change and educate older members of the congregation, marking the beginning of a lifetime of principled action.
After graduating, Jim studied theology at Boston University, where he met Kathleen, a nursing student he fell in love with at first sight. Following their graduation, the couple moved across the Northeast for Jimās United Methodist Church assignments before settling in Bangor, then Portland, Maine.
Throughout the 1960s, Jim remained deeply engaged in social justice. He worked with groups like the NAACP, organized local and national marches for civil rights and peace, and in 1968 was appointed to the Governorās Task Force on Human Rights by Governor Ken Curtis.
Over the years, Jim developed meaningful relationships with political leadersāfrom Margaret Chase Smith to Angus Kingābut speaks just as warmly of volunteers who ran food programs or organized community events. None of it, he says, would have been possible without Kathleen, who supported his work and fielded countless calls over the years.
Not everyone agreed with his stances, but Jim takes pride in a life lived according to his convictions. He and Kathleen raised two children, MaryAnn and Jay, both thoughtful and socially conscious. Now, 62 years into marriage, reflecting on a life of activism and service, Jim offers just four words: āIt was worth it.ā
Photography by Wyndee Grosso Photography, Westbrook
