A Somali proverb goes, “Be a mountain or lean on one.” This is what was ringing in my mind as text messages came in after the midterm elections. People felt inspired and both those we have elected and those of us who elected feel proud and partnered in the joys and hopes of others.
No doubt the best Christmas gift I could have wished for arrived the day after Election Day. As a Maine voter I feel fulfilled. We were able to reject Paul LePage, a governor who attacked the Black and the immigrant communities across Maine during his term. This time, we have more immigrants in offices in the state, unlike when the former governor was in office. Once again Maine brings pride to many communities and many countries.
Abdi Nor Iftin is a Somali-American writer, radio journalist and public speaker. He lives in Yarmouth.
The results were watched closely not only in Maine but throughout the United States and beyond. As the results came in the celebrations were coming in many different languages in the group chats. Hambalyo is the Somali word for congratulations and it was everywhere I looked. Somali Americans are making history once again in Maine, Ohio and Minnesota but uniquely at the state level in Maine. While other Somalis who won seats in other parts of the country seem to have secured city council seats, two Somali Americans were elected to the Maine Legislature, Mana Abdi of Lewiston and Deqa Dhalac of South Portland, and they became the center of the conversations.
There is no legislative body in Somalia, which has suffered from more than 30 years of civil war. I feel lucky to be engaged in these conversations and talking about what having Somali-Americans in state government means to us. Representation matters and we are slowly seeing it in Maine. We desperately need immigrants in the state Legislature and on city councils, as well as in other offices, who can communicate in languages Maine’s minorities speak and connect with their stories and backgrounds.
These seats now taken by the Somali Mainers and other immigrants are not easily won. They are hard-earned even if won without a competing candidate. The Somali community has tolerated a lot – too many hateful words from the former governor, a pig’s head thrown into a mosque, being told to only speak English here – but this election proves we are here to stay and we are here to be who we are: proud Mainers and proud of where we come from.
When I moved to Maine eight years ago, LePage was the governor. Not a single Somali American held office in the state. There was no representation in Maine. It was hard to feel at home. It was easy to feel like a stranger, not belonging here, not able to vote and not represented. I waited to become a naturalized citizen and can celebrate casting my vote.
As the new year arrives Maine’s immigrant students will return to classes motivated to be involved in Maine politics because they see a way to do that here. They have mountains to lean on. With the help of Maine’s different communities, we can all create the state we want to live in together without worrying that someday someone will tell us that we are foreigners.
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