Published October 8, 2021 at 7:00 AM EDT
Maine's population is made up of immigrants, considering that for hundreds of years, people have come here from all over the world—earlier waves were from Europe and Canada. In more recent decades, diverse communities of new arrivals from Africa and Asia have settled here as well. Many arrived with young children, or had children born in Maine--and those in that next generation are now adults. We learn about children from immigrant families who have grown up in Maine and are contributing to our state in a variety of ways.
Panelists:
Zamzam Elmoge, filmmaker, freshman studying Visual & Media Arts at Emerson College; born in Kenya and lived in a refugee camp before coming to the U.S. at age 4
Mina Assadollahzadeh, family medicine specialist; born in Iran, family escaped to Turkey, came to Maine as refugee
Reza Jalali, executive director, Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center; author, educator, scholar, former refugee
VIP Callers:
Abdulkadir Ali (Ali), USM Justice Policy Analyst, Maine Youth Justice Advocacy Director; Ethiopian-American social activist
Sosanya Pok, patient financial service representative, MaineHealth; board member of the Cambodian Community Association of Maine; born in a Khmer refugee camp in Thailand, came to Maine at 2 months old
Source: https://www.mainepublic.org/show/maine-calling/2021-10-08/next-generation-immigrants-share-their-stories-and-perspective-of-growing-up-in-maine-with-immigrant-backgrounds