BRUNSWICK

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick hosted a panel of young men and women on Sunday who spoke of their pasts in war-torn African countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia, and how coming to America has bettered their lives. Three seniors from Lewiston High School, one former student and one teacher from Egypt shared their experiences with a crowd of around 50 people in the Immigrant Justice forum.

The panelists are part of the International Club at Lewiston High, which was formed by English teacher Patty MacKinnon of Brunswick to promote cross-cultural acceptance during times of increasing racial uncertainty in our country. MacKinnon, who has worked with immigrant students for 12 years, hosted Sunday’s event.

“The immigrant population makes up 30 percent of our population in Lewiston,” said MacKinnon before the event. “There has been a lot of political rhetoric this year, and we have seen that effect here at the school. The first day after the election we heard people say ‘you have to go back to your country,’ and we’ve seen increased racist remarks since then. We’ve always had some issues, and a lot of it has to do with lack of knowledge and understanding. Our group has a goal of bringing people together.”

Over the course of an hour on Sunday, students spoke of growing up in their volatile home countries, moving to America and working hard to achieve their dreams.

“I was born in Somalia, a very war-torn country,” said Zekeriya Nur. “There has been no peace there in 25 years.”

Nur said he faced numerous problems growing up in Somalia, and then later in a refugee camp in neighboring Ethiopia.

“There was a missile that hit a house while my sister was inside,” said Nur. “She was paralyzed, and my parents decided to move from Somalia, so we moved to Ethiopia.”

Nur lived in a refugee camp for five years, where the school systems were subpar and food was scarce. Nur said he would come home sick after an eight hour day in school with no food, and found it extremely hard to retain anything he learned. Still, he studied English as much as he could. In 2015, he arrived in Lewiston.

Today, thanks to the help of MacKinnon, Nur is planning to attend college and may study premed.

Abdishakur Ali also escaped Somalia and lived for a while in an Ethiopian refugee camp

Ali recalled being separated from his mother for eight years after she went to America to find work.

“The way she got here is her friends told her in America money grows on trees,” said Ali. “So my mom was trying to go the same route as them.”

Ali was raised by his grandmother and uncles, and said that the education in the refugee camp was “not that great.”

“We experienced a lot of hardship, and you’re advised to migrate from the country,” Ali said.

Ali came to America in 2014.

“It was good to be with teachers who could help you,” Ali said. “Even though I didn’t have a lot of English, Mrs. MacKinnon helped me a lot. I doubled my classes Freshman year and worked real hard.”

Djamila Issifou — the last student to speak — grew up in Togo and has battled with scoliosis all her life.

“I have a lot of health issues, and in America there is health insurance but in Africa there is not,” said Issifou. “My mom was supposed to buy me medication all the time and I was supposed to have an operation, but we didn’t have the money. In America you can not work and still eat, but in Africa if you don’t work you can’t eat.”

Issifou credits her mother for seeing her through and getting them to America, where she now has access to health insurance and can receive a proper education.

“My mother always says you have to keep fighting,” said Issifou. “Keep fighting and be strong, and become something. My mom is my hero.”

Even though Lewiston and Portland are the refugee hubs of Maine, MacKinnon stressed that other areas of the state need to become aware of these students’ struggles and subsequent triumphs after moving to America.

“I’m glad Brunswick is becoming involved in our program,” said MacKinnon.

The International Club is selling t-shirts as well as planning an “International Week” that celebrates the different cultures of the world. Folks can purchase shirts and donate to the International Club by emailing Mackinnon at [email protected].