May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s time to raise awareness in the immigrant community about the importance of mental health and end the stigma surrounding both mental illness and seeking professional help for it. As a Somali immigrant in Maine, I understand the challenges of navigating mental health in a new community. In […]

Spring is a time of beauty, renewal and reflection. As a resident of Maine, I am fortunate to witness the signs of spring all around me – the return of birds, the growth of plants and the trees bursting with new leaves. For many of us, this season is a much-needed respite from the cold […]

I often receive inquiries about Ramadan and fasting, and recently a white Maine student asked me about my favorite part of Ramadan. Surprisingly, many of my favorite experiences are not directly related to the religious significance of the month for Muslims. I began observing the Ramadan fast at the age of 8, even though fasting […]

In recent years, the words “patriotism” and “patriot” have taken on new meanings, particularly in the United States. Here in New England is where “patriotism” in the traditional American sense originated. You know, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s ride, the Minutemen at Lexington. And we have that professional football team that has won a […]

I wrote recently about the declining population and labor shortage in Maine’s towns. In recent years, Maine has not seen a significant influx of refugees through traditional resettlement methods due to the Muslim ban and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite President Biden’s promise to resettle 125,000 refugees in the United States in fiscal […]

Doctors and nurses across Maine not only need interpreters, but they also need to be informed of the traditional systems of healing to create a more inclusive and culturally sensitive health care system.  For three years I worked as a certified interpreter in the Maine health care system and I have observed a disconnect between […]