I was delighted to read the interview with Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald in The Bates Student’s November 20th issue. This is surely a sign of the ever-growing connection between Bates and Lewiston, and I am particularly encouraged that Mayor Macdonald recognizes the importance of this relationship.
I am concerned, however, that the mayor believes that his 2012 comments that Lewiston’s Somali residents should “leave [their] culture at the door” are mitigated by the fact that he “[wants] them to become Americans and prosper.” I reject the idea that the paths to both prosperity and becoming an American must involve casting ethnic identities aside.
Like Mayor Macdonald, I hope that everyone who lives in Lewiston can be happy and successful. However, maintaining cultural traditions is not an impediment to this success. This became clear to me when I attended “Lewiston-Auburn Shines” in early December, sponsored by Bates Professor of Anthropology, Elizabeth Eames. Members of the panel addressed the contributions of immigrants and refugees to the economic development of Lewiston and Auburn. Two of the four panelists, a Somali woman and man, operate their own successful small businesses on Lisbon Street.
In order to succeed as business owners, these entrepreneurs have made use of the economic skills they had learned in Somalia. Many of the dishes served in their restaurants and many of the products sold in their stores are part of their cultural traditions. One panelist even described his market as a “reflection of [his] culture.” Clearly, the success of new-Mainers’ small businesses disproves the assumption that rejecting ethnic heritage is necessary for attaining prosperity.
Equally problematic is Mayor Macdonald’s suggestion that becoming an American depends upon the rejection of ethnic identity. Mayor Macdonald has chosen to identify himself as an American as opposed to an Irish-American, but everyone else should not be required to do the same; he does not have the authority to decide other people’s identities for them.
Furthermore, Lewiston’s cultural diversity has been a distinguishing characteristic of the city for over a century. From about the 1840s to 1960s, Lewiston became the home of Irish, French-Canadian, Chinese, German, Austro-Hungarian, Scottish, Welsh, Lithuanian, Greek, Italian, Russian, and Polish immigrants. Somalis and Somali Bantus began settling in Lewiston in the early 2000s, while Djiboutian, Congolese, Sudanese, and Chadian residents have arrived within the most recent years. A vibrant and active Franco-American community continues to remain present within the city.
Lewiston, therefore, has not had a homogeneous population since the middle of the 19th century. The presence of ethnic diversity and the retention of cultural heritage (whether it be Franco-American or Somali-Bantu-American) is, in fact, consistent with Lewiston’s history. Mayor Macdonald ignores this history by suggesting that Lewiston’s residents, regardless of their own personal choices, should view themselves as Americans without hyphenated identities.
It is a mistake to regard the cultural diversity of our city as a weakness. Perhaps us Bates students, as Lewiston residents, ought to recognize this as one of the many advantages of living here. When people have different backgrounds, histories, and identities, the opportunities to learn from one another and challenge each other’s previous assumptions will multiply.
Working as an English tutor at Lewiston’s Adult Learning Center has been one of the most enriching experiences during my time at Bates thus far, in part because it has allowed me to recognize and fully appreciate this advantage of living in Lewiston.
Many of the students with whom I work have come here as immigrants and refugees, and I have grown from the relationships and friendships I have formed with them. This opportunity for cross-cultural understanding and personal growth would not be possible in a place where people have abandoned their cultures at the door.
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