New Mainers community publish a newspaper - terrific articles!

This interesting newspaper was distributed when I attended an event sponsored by l'Alliance Francaise in Portland Maine, during a reception in the historic Customs House, on Fore Street in the city's Old Port.

Women united around the world gala photograph, published in AMJAMBOAfrica.com

Here is the website for this newspaper: https://www.amjamboafrica.com/

But, two of the articles are of interest because of their optimism so I am blogging them in Maine Writer here. One is a report about how a group of the asylum seekers in Portland were relocated into Brunswick and the second is an affirmative reflections poem, composed by an immigrant student who attends school in Casco.

First, is a report written by Kathreen Harrison, published on Thursday, August 15, 2019 about Brunswick Landing, in Maine. This location is the former Navy housing, when the Brunswick Naval Air Station was an active military base. When the base, unfortunately, closed, the newly renovated housing became open for rentals to former military personnel and civilians. Today, seven families have moved into the housing. They are asylum seekers from Africa. Here is the report:

Volunteers assisting the relocated asylum seekers to move into apartments at Brunswick Landing

BRUNSWICK- Seven asylum seekers and their families moved from the Portland Expo, into Brunswick Landing, on Thursday, August 15. They were joining several other families who had moved in during July. The families were greeted by volunteers from The Emergency Action Network (TEAN), the Midcoast New Mainers Support Group, and by Mr. Nsiona Nguizani, who is the president of the Angolan Community of Maine and Brunswick's first cultural broker. His forth day on the job was on the Thursday, when the new residents were welcomed.

Mr. Nguizani started his day with a coordinating meeting at the Expo Building where the new residents had been living until new homes could be found for them. By mid-morning, he was in Brunswick, welcoming the first of the wave of families that continued to arrive throughout the day. He already knew the families, having helped them during their stay at the Expo. He helped them to unload their belongings and orient them to the new units, all while speaking in Portuguese, French or Lingala, as he is fluent in all three languages, as well as in English.

Huge efforts were put forth by volunteers in Brunswick, said Mr. Nguizani. "You will see 50 people in and out of here by the end of Thursday, all making sure the apartments aren't totally empty," he said. Both TEAN and the Midcoast New Mainers Support Group have extensive networks and it seemed that no sooner had a need been identified and shared, it was fulfilled.

Stacks of mattresses, tables, lamps and bags, and bins of cooking equipment filed the grassy green in front of the apartment complex by early afternoon. Carol Kalajainen, from the steering committee of Midcoast New Mainers Support Group, helped to distribute these goods, making sure each family received an equal share.

Two families requested a trip to the food pantry to get ingredients for cooking, so Mr. Nguizani arranged for a volunteer driver to do that. The children stayed behind, playing in small trees, running across the grass, enjoying the fresh air. Becaue, the parents already knew him, they felt comfortable leaving the children with Mr. Nguizani and the volunteers so they could concentrate on stocking up.

By the end of Thursday, all the families had arrived, including the sister with a two-month old baby who, just the previous day, had been wondering where she would be moving. Two African women already living near Brunswick Landing arrived on foot and exchanged hugs with the children playing outside. The women were among the first asylum-seeking families from the Expo to be housed outside of Greater Portland. Their smiles showed their pleasure in seeing their community grow.

Mr. Nguizani's plans for the first few days include setting up individual orientations to the apartments, getting the adults and children started with English classes, filling out paperwork and scheduling appointments with each family.

“This is unprecedented. The challenge is big. But I like challenges, and what I’m doing is working on developing a model that can be replicated elsewhere. You have to start by looking at the needs of the people, and work outwards from there,” said Mr. Nguizani.

Susan Pate, a resident of Brunswick Landing, came out with a big smile on her face to meet her new neighbors. “I am so proud of Maine to see all this support in the midst of the terrible things we constantly hear about in the national news. To get more diversity in Brunswick, and be part of a community that is welcoming, feels great. I’m excited!” she said.

By four o’clock on Thursday the move out of the Expo was complete, and a dozen Maine towns and cities had joined Greater Portland in welcoming new residents. Asylum seekers have made their way to Maine for years – and continue to arrive – but this summer’s wave was bigger than usual. Maine has earned national attention for the welcome it has extended this summer toward the newcomers. If Brunswick’s greeting over the past month is any indication, there is every reason to believe their response will be replicated in other towns and cities as the newcomers move into residential neighborhoods, start school, and become part of their new communities.

And this reflective poem by a Casco Bay High School student with the initials JN. She moved to the US in 1016, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She speaks French and English. She is also in the process of redefining the idea of home, as she is trying to make a connection between what was home then and what is home now.

Hi! I'm Jossy!

Not a short form of Josephine,

Neither is ti spelled Josie or Josi.

Wait, why should I care about?

My name is very special to me, I admit.

Its meaning is very present in my mind,

A reminder of where I am from.

A light to illuminate my path whenever I feel blind.

What does it mean?

Born in the capital of the Congo,

I was raised between the capital city,

and the south of the country.

My Mom is from a different ethnicity than my Dad.

IT's not just two different ethnicities,

It's two ethnicities that dislike each other.

Growing up, My maternal grandmother often criticized

My Dad's ethnicity though she never explicitly called on my Dad.

I'm from the struggle of different identities.

Of different ways of living.

Of hundred years of history full of dislike and opposition.

I am from two different people that love each other.

I'm not the typical kid from Africa with a non-sounding African name.

Nor am I a rejection of my cultural identity.

What does my name mean again?

My Dad's name is Joseph.

My mom's name is Sulamite.

If you haven't guessed.

My name is the combinaion of the two first letters of both of my parent's names.

My name is the crisscross of my mom's native Lingala and Dad's western Luba.

My name is a combingatin of bioled Safu and the time-consuming Kasava leaves.

I am the love that unites two people for the better.

I mean love.