ORONO – Two simultaneous events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scheduled at the University of Maine next month are causing confusion and controversy in the community.

“I don’t want to see this get into some sort of ugly conflict,” James Varner, organizer of one of the events and former president of the Bangor Area chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Wednesday night. “Everybody should be able to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.”

At the center of the controversy is an apparent rift between Varner and current local and regional NAACP leaders.

In September, Varner reserved Stodder Commons at the University of Maine to hold the annual “Keeping the Dream Alive” breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21. Varner said he made the reservation on behalf of Human Rights Coalition Inc., a group he founded.

A few weeks ago, NAACP Bangor chapter President Joseph Perry contacted the university to reserve the traditional space for the breakfast on the same date only to discover Varner’s group had booked it.

Perry was able to book space at UM’s Buchanan Alumni House for the same time and date, but is concerned that potential attendees will be confused by the dual events.

Varner’s long-standing connection with the NAACP chapter and the fact he started the local MLK breakfast 12 years ago may have led some to believe he was holding the breakfast on behalf of that group, according to a regional NAACP official. For allegedly misrepresenting himself, Varner may be sanctioned by the NAACP, the official said.

Varner admitted he and the local NAACP chapter have had problems in recent years, mainly involving differences in personalities and management styles. Perry said Varner, who retains a lifetime membership with the NAACP, caused the rift.

“We, being the Bangor branch, have had minor problems for the last couple of years with the Martin Luther King breakfast,” Perry said earlier this week. “Not with the university, not with the human rights coalition, not with the student body, not with student affairs division of the university, but with Mr. Varner. We’ve gone over it over and over again to the point where there’s some bad feelings with members.”

Adding to the confusion over Varner’s scheduled event is a former campus organization called the Human Rights Coalition, for which Varner served as an adviser and which is no longer a university organization.

“It does not exist. There is no such thing,” UM spokesman Joe Carr said. “It used to be a student organization and it is no longer.”

Varner said he is unsure how many members Human Rights Coalition Inc. has.

He said he warned Perry that his group had reserved the space at Stodder.

“I’ve been telling them at meetings that they need to find another space if they want to have an NAACP breakfast,” Varner said.

Perry said Varner never mentioned the breakfast at local chapter meetings.

“We began to scramble as to where and how we could hold our annual Martin Luther King breakfast,” Perry said.

Perry also is concerned that Varner is misleading potential sponsors in his letter requesting donations by saying that part of the sponsor’s donation will help support the NAACP.

The letter refers to the “Keeping the Dream Alive” breakfast, includes Varner’s name and that of Human Rights Coalition Inc., which is similar to the former co-sponsor’s name. Varner said part of the donations would be sent to support the national NAACP.

Varner admits that because of the many years he has been involved with the local NAACP and the UM Human Rights Coalition, people likely see his name and make the association without fully understanding his new role.

“I’ve been working with the NAACP for more than 40 years,” Varner said.

Varner also requested a letter of support for his event from the national NAACP office, and received a response from NAACP Chairman Julian Bond endorsing the breakfast.

“I am sure that Julian did not know that [Varner] was having a function competing with the Bangor branch,” said Juan Cofield, president of the New England Area Conference of the NAACP. “I am absolutely confident that he would not have sent the letter under those conditions.”

Bond could not be reached for comment.

Cofield said the regional office is doing follow-up with the national office, and that both will support only the Bangor Area NAACP event.

“The reason that Mr. Varner has a letter from Julian Bond is because he misrepresented things,” Cofield said.

He went on to explain that as former Bangor Area NAACP president Varner always organized the breakfast.

“People had become used to seeing Mr. Varner in that capacity,” Cofield said. “Mr. Varner has not made it clear and people have been thinking they were supporting the Bangor branch again and have only later come to realize there are two separate functions.”

Varner likely will face repercussions from the NAACP because of his actions, according to Cofield.

“I can’t disclose those to you, but the branch with my support will be dealing with that issue,” Cofield said. “The process will start soon.”

Varner’s ceremonial position of president emeritus also has been revoked by the chapter although he remains a member.

“What the branch is referring to is that it believes, as do I, that he is guilty of conduct not in accord with the principles, aims and purposes of the NAACP,” Cofield read from the NAACP bylaws. “There was prior conduct found to be inappropriate that led to that. This is clearly a reaction to all of that.”

Varner, who said the “Keeping the Dream Alive” breakfast normally attracts 250 to 300 people, said there is no “official Martin Luther King Day breakfast” and that there are several celebrations in the area on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday each year.

“We don’t need any division,” he said. “I hope the citizens, if they do end up having two Martin Luther King Day programs on the University of Maine campus this year, I hope that everyone that comes, comes to whichever one they go to with the spirit of love in their hearts and that we’re there to keep the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King alive.”

Aimee Dolloff may be reached at adolloff@bangordailynews.net or 990-8130.