Deqa Dhalac was the country’s first Somali-American mayor. She moved to Lewiston by way of Atlanta, Georgia. She speaks extensively on community and her involvement with municipal employment and city politics. She also talks about the role of language in her...
Abdul Mohamed is Somali-American. He was born in Atlanta and has lived in Lewiston since 2008. He speaks about the move to Lewiston and how it differs from Atlanta, the community he has found and made here, and the changes he has seen take place in Lewiston. Abdul...
Lucy Belanger, born in Canada and raised in Lewiston, Maine after a brief period in New Hampshire, speaks in this interview on her and her family’s experience in working with the mills. She talks about growing up and going with her father to work, and becoming a...
Michael Rancourt is a local of Lewiston, Maine. In this interview, he begins by discussing what it was like to grow up in Lewiston. Looking back on his roots, he shares family history including Catholic and European traditions. He discusses his mother and father’s...
Maria Goranites was born in 1914 in Greece, and moved to the U.S. around the age of 20-21, following her father in pursuit of a better life. She did not immediately find herself in Maine, but ultimately decided to settle in Saco in pursuit of employment at the local...
