Somali and Bantu migration to Maine

Somali and Bantu migration to Maine refers to the migration of ethnic Somalis as well as people from the Bantu minority ethnic group to the American state of Maine. [http://www.amconmag.com/2002/2002_11_18/cover4.html The Great Somali Welfare Hunt] ]

Background

Bantus are a minority ethnic group in Somalia, a country largely inhabited by ethnic Somalis. They are the descendants of people from various Bantu ethnic groups originating from what are modern-day Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique who were brought to Somalia as slaves in the 19th century. Bantus are ethnically, physically, and culturally distinct from Somalis, and have remained marginalized since their arrival in Somalia. [L. Randol Barker et al., Principles of Ambulatory Medicine, 7 edition, (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: 2006), p.633] [http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/3d9ac1502.pdf Refugees Vol. 3, No. 128, 2002 UNHCR Publication Refugees about the Somali Bantu] ]

During the Somali Civil War, which first began with the overthrow of Siad Barre in 1986, many Bantus were evicted from their lands by various armed factions of Somali clans. Being visible minorities and possessing little in the way of firearms, the Bantus were particularly vulnerable to violence and looting by gun-toting militiamen. Fearing war and famine, tens of thousands of Bantus fled to refugee camps in neighboring Kenya.

In the year 2000, the United States classified the Bantu as a priority and began preparations to resettle an estimated 12,000 Bantu refugees in select cities throughout the United States. Most of the early arrivals in the United States settled in Clarkston, Georgia, a city adjacent to Atlanta, but the latter contend that they encountered problems there with local criminals.

Present situation

Word soon spread that the town of Lewiston, Maine had a low crime rate, good schools and cheap housing, and even reached as far as the refugee camps in Kenya. [http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2004/03/02_401.html The New Yankees] , Mother Jones, March/April 2004] Somalis subsequently began trickling in to the former mill town, soon followed by hundreds of Bantus over a period of just a few months.

Welfare spending quickly doubled. Public housing, although also available, now came with a waiting list due to demand by the influx of refugees.

In October 2002, then-Mayor Laurier T. Raymond wrote an open letter addressed to leaders of the Somali community, predicting a negative impact on the city's social services and requesting that they discourage further relocation to Lewiston. The letter angered some persons and prompted some community leaders and residents to speak out against the mayor, drawing national attention. Demonstrations were held in Lewiston, both by those who supported the Bantus' presence and those who opposed it.

In January 2003, a small white supremacist group demonstrated in Lewiston in support of the mayor, prompting a simultaneous counter-demonstration of about 4,000 people at Bates College and the organization of the "Many and One Coalition". Only 32 attended the rally by the white supremacist group. The Mayor was out of state on the day of the rallies, while governor John Baldacci and other officials attended.

In a bizarre incident in 2006, a severed frozen pig's head was thrown into a Lewiston mosque while the faithful were praying. This was considered very offensive by the town's Muslim community, as swine is proscribed in Islam. The culprit admitted to the act and claimed it to be a joke. He later committed suicide. [ [http://www.sunjournal.com/story/208827-3/LewistonAuburn/Man_kills_self_outside_Mardens/ SunJournal.com - Man kills self outside Marden's] ]

From 2000-2005, the population classified as Black by the United States Census in Maine experienced a 99% increase, which was mostly due to increased migration of people originating from Somalia and [Sudan] . [http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060805census.shtml Maine's black population doubles] , Portland Press Herald, August 5, 2006] Many Somali residents have settled in the Kennedy Park neighborhood of Portland, alongside other migrants and immigrants from across the world.

Other migrations

With the help of a million dollar grant from the federal government, a coalition of religious charities also attempted to resettle the Bantu in Holyoke, Massachusetts, but city councilors voted against it.

In addition, proposed plans to resettle Bantu refugees in Kansas were met with fervent opposition by the state's Senator, Sam Brownback, who was ironically a one-time supporter of accommodation in Kansas for Sudanese refugees. [ [http://www.cis.org/articles/2003/back1303.html Somali Bantu and the Paradigm Shift in Refugee Resettlement] ]

References