The opening scene of this year’s Sankofa show, staged on the evening of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was set in a classroom at mythical Mays College, the name being an intentional allusion to Benjamin Mays, Class of 1920.

Among the students in the class was Safiya, played by Imti Hassan ’23 of Portland, Maine. “Safiya is determined,” says Hassan. “She’s taking college courses at Mays College while being a high school senior. She has a lot of big dreams that I feel she will accomplish because she’s so driven.”

However, some adults in her life, such as her boss at a fast-food restaurant, are dragging her down. “Adults should be there to uplift teenagers and be their mentors,” says Hassan.

Video by Theophil Syslo.

The role was important to Hassan because, she says, she is a Somali American, a group that in Lewiston comprises approximately 20 percent of the city’s population.

“I have never seen a Somali lead character in theater, or movies, or shows,” says Hassan. “So for me, I wanted to have an opportunity to give other people a chance to see that type of character played out on a big stage.”

“Reality isn’t a one-way street. It’s multiple outlooks.”

Continuing the theme of sophomores taking the lead with Sankofa, Abdulwahab Mohamed ’22 of Lewiston was this year’s organizer, while Losseni Barry ’22 of New York City was the scriptwriter and director. The theme, “Invisible Women,” featured stories of women of color at �ֲ���ý and in Lewiston.

Areohn Harrison ’20 of Rockville, Md., plays a Mays College professor who leads his class in a wide-ranging discussion, starting with women in the civil rights movement and continuing to “how you assess value to a person in a society with varying levels of stratification based on race or gender.”

Areohn Harrison ’20 of Rockville, Md., playing a professor at mythical Mays College, leads his class in a discussion of race and gender during Sankofa’s 2020 MLK Day performance. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

Hassan notes how black women of the civil rights movement have been historically been “overshadowed, in a way, unfortunately. We know about Rosa Parks, but less about Ella Baker, Gwendolyn Simmons, or Doris Derby.”

“So this play is an opportunity to give another perspective, another lens for people to see, because reality isn’t a one-way street,” she says. “It’s multiple outlooks.”

The Many and One movement in Lewiston-Auburn, formed to support the local Somali community, reached a peak with a massive rally in packed Merrill Gymnasium on Jan. 11, 2003.

The Many and One rally in Merrill Gym on Jan. 11, 2003, sent a strong, unified message far and wide. Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College.

Ten years later, at Lewiston Public Library, an anniversary gathering recalled and celebrated that transformative day.

The program featured city and community leaders, among them Heather Lindkvist, a �ֲ���ý anthropolgist who is special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion, and Sarah Davis ’10, who during her time at �ֲ���ý led or took part in various programs that help integrate new immigrants and refugees into the Lewiston-Auburn community.

In 2003, the Many and One rally sought to drown out the message of hate at another rally that same day, by the white supremacist group World Church of the Creator.

The rally also responded to anti-immigrant sentiments earlier that year, specifically the infamous letter by then-Mayor Larry Raymond to the local Somali community saying that the Somalis had “maxed out” city resources and that a “large number of new arrivals cannot continue without negative results for all.”

“The hate group was big, but the local response was bigger,” . “Thousands turned out at �ֲ���ý College’s Merrill Gymnasium in counter-protest, an outpouring that is still regarded as a turning point for the immigrants in Lewiston.”

It was a peak moment, but Lindkvist, quoted in Laflamme’s story, says that the Many and One coalition was just a start. “The coalition was sustained beyond that one event,” she says. When issues of hate and racism emerge on occasion, “we still come together and say we will not tolerate this.”

Associate Dean of Students James Reese listens to the speakers at the 10th anniversary of the Many and One rally, held at Lewiston Public Library on Jan. 11, 2013. Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College.

Lindkvist that the rally “catalyzed and energized people to focus on issues around tolerance, acceptance [and] coexistence and a way that hadn’t been done before.”

Davis, director of Welcoming Maine, a group that introduces immigrants to various city programs and resources, tells WGME-TV that the story of Jan. 11, 2003, is one of “unity, when different people came together from all different walks of life and stood together and raised their voices and said, ‘this is us.'”

By Brittney French ’11

Fixed rates, home loans, mortgages — banking concepts like these are almost nonexistent in my day-to-day dialogue as a �ֲ���ý College student.

But soon this will all change. When I graduate, I’ll become part of the economic world in an entirely new way. Most importantly, I’ll have opportunity: the choice to take out loans for houses, cars or perhaps my own business.

For some members of our community, though, this simple freedom of economic choice does not exist. Religious considerations prohibit Muslims in our community from using the American system of banking. Specifically, they are forbidden to use banking products that involve interest or money begetting money.

“We can’t prosper if we can’t get the right capital to sustain ourselves,” said Ismail Ahmed, a member of Lewiston’s Somali community and a consultant to employers looking to hire Somalis. “We miss out on an important American dream of becoming homeowners. It affects the type of schools our kids go to and where we reside.”

While a few U.S. banks do offer a full range of Islamic banking products, none are found in Maine. But Lewiston’s wants to change that.

That’s why, at the bank’s request, my �ֲ���ý anthropology class “Production and Reproduction” took on a community-based research project involving the local Somali population this semester. We explored ways in which Islamic and American banking differ. Our research gave the bank ideas for Islamic banking services.

And the most important idea was also the most straightforward: We advised the bank to make sure that the local Somali community knows that Androscoggin wants to implement banking products that conform to Muslim beliefs.

Taught by the chair of the �ֲ���ý anthropology department, associate professor Elizabeth Eames, the course integrates the disciplines of anthropology and economics by analyzing economic behavior from cross-cultural perspectives.

“Part of the theme in the class is that choices are constrained, constructed and contextualized by values and by culture,” Eames said. For local Somalis, economic choices are constrained by the incompatibility between Western banking practices and Shariah law, which guides how Muslims live their lives.

The biggest barrier, we learned, is Shariah’s prohibition against any financial system where money begets money — a concept central to Western banking. Muslims can’t pay or receive interest on loans, accounts or mortgages.

Another key theme that emerged in our research was the Islamic emphasis on relationships of personal trust. “There are a lot of barriers we need to break down and one of those is clearly trust,” said Paul Andersen, Androscoggin Bank’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Our project was suggested by Christine Conrad, senior vice president for marketing at Androscoggin Bank and a member of the �ֲ���ý class of 1990. She was motivated by an about a similar research project Eames did with last year’s class involving local employment of Somalis.

Eames felt Conrad’s idea was perfect for our class. “I thought I could have the students explore the way in which Muslims’ values impact their economic lives and at the same time be helpful to the bank and the community.”

The group of students that I was a part of compared international and U.S. financial systems that offer banking services compliant with Shariah law.

A second group interviewed Somali laypeople about their interpretations of Islamic law concerning loans and banking services. Their interviewees included people from various professions and socioeconomic backgrounds, and members of both the Somali Bantu and ethnic Somali communities — two distinct populations.

“They were really receptive,” interviewer Hannah Arenstam ’11 said. “Mostly they stressed that this is a really important need in the community.”

The third group interviewed the religious leaders, or imams, of both the ethnic Somalis and Somali Bantus. The students asked the imams how banks could create a system that would serve the Somali community.

After a few run-throughs and some diligent PowerPoint editing, we presented our final report, “Culturally Informed Banking: Shariah Compliance in Lewiston-Auburn,” on Nov. 9 at a meeting with nine key decision-makers from Androscoggin.

Along with setting the context of Somali community needs and the conditions that Shariah law places on banking, we offered specific recommendations for appropriate banking products:

• The bank should lay out a potential contract with Somalis before accepting them as clients, and should detail all fees upfront. How the money from fees will be used must also be specifically stated.
• We recommended that the bank integrate community members into the planning process of establishing compliant products.
• Finally, we suggested that, in the near future, the bank employ a Muslim community member to act as a liaison between the bank and the Somali community.

Andersen, who credited our class with “a lot of poise and a lot of presence” in the presentation, said in an interview afterward that “the No. 1 thing we are going to do is build trust in and knowledge of the Somali community.

“We want to use this information and find good ways to reach out.”

That’s important, said Ismail Ahmed. “Advertisement has been the wheels behind the success of the banks. If people don’t know about your services, you don’t exist in their minds.”

Writing about this semester-long project reminds me of the immense amount of knowledge and experience I gained from it. Not only did I learn how cultural values impact economic life, I also saw firsthand how anthropology ties in with professional aspects of life.

I realized, too, how difficult it must be to conduct daily activities without banking services. For example, without the simple freedom to borrow money, many of us would not be able to attend �ֲ���ý.

I realized how confusing and puzzling banking can actually be. I found myself “lost in translation” at times when hearing about our own banking system. As a native speaker of English, I can’t imagine what a non-native speaker has to deal with when reading financial contracts.

Finally, our class project brought home to me �ֲ���ý’ strong commitment to community-based research. I personally believe it’s an important component of a �ֲ���ý education and it’s also great when you have a professor who believes the same.

“It’s essential and central to what I do and what �ֲ���ý stands for,” Eames said.

As for Androscoggin Bank, how long before it will take action?  “As short of a time as possible,” said Andersen. “This is something that’s needed now.”

— Brittney French ’11

The college, which is working with the Lewiston-Auburn community to schedule programs that oppose hatred and bias, also plans teach-ins on Jan. 8 and 10. All three events are open to the public at no charge.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, in the college’s Edmund S. Muskie Archives, on Campus Avenue, former Somali Prime Minister discusses the past, present and future of his native country. Galaydh, a visiting professor at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, served the Somali government in a variety of positions and became prime minister following the 2000 Somali National Peace Conference, serving until December 2001.

The first teach-in is a three-hour discussion and training session on nonviolent political action sponsored by the Multicultural Center. Beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, the gathering features presentations by three activists, two of whom are connected to the 1979 tragedy known as the . A car caravan of 40 Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis attacked and opened fire on 100 men, women and children preparing for an anti-KKK march in North Carolina. Several in the crowd were wounded and five were killed.

Presenters include Greensboro Justice Fund (GJF) founder and trustee Lewis Pitts, senior managing attorney for legal services of North Carolina’s Advocates for Children’s Services department. He was lead counsel in the civil rights litigation stemming from the Greensboro Massacre. GJF assists grassroots organizations in working for racial justice and economic empowerment.

Also scheduled to appear is Signe Waller, a GJF trustee and author of the book Love & Revolution: A Political Memoir: People’s History of the Greensboro Massacre, Its Setting and Aftermath (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002). She was an eyewitness to the 1979 attack in which her husband, Jim Waller, was murdered.

The third participant, attorney Dexter Wimbish, serves as the national program director of the Center for Democratic Renewal (CDR), founded in 1979 as the National Anti-Klan Network. CDR serves as a national clearinghouse for research-based advocacy designed to counter the effects of racism and bigotry.

The second teach-in, titled The Ideology of Hate: Past and Present, will be offered at 4:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. Professor of History Steve Hochstadt, who teaches about the Holocaust of European Jewry, will explore perspectives of the past. Steve Wessler, director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, and Kelvin Datcher, outreach coordinator for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), will discuss contemporary U.S. hate groups.

The Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, at the University of Southern Maine, is committed to making schools and workplaces safer by developing innovative ways to help stakeholders reduce the bias, prejudice and harassment that leads to violence, and by helping schools and communities respond to hate crimes.

SPLC is a nonprofit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation.

The teach-ins will also take place at the Muskie Archives.

At the Humphrey Institute, Galaydh teaches about the politics of public affairs, strategies for economic development and the role of nongovernmental organizations in governance. He supports the outreach mission of the Humphrey Institute by working with the Minneapolis Somali community, the largest in the United States.

Galaydh was an official in the Ministry of the Interior during Somalia’s last democratically elected government, in the mid-1960s. During the 1970s, he headed two large sugar-processing operations before being appointed minister of industry in 1980. He was one of 650 delegates at the 2000 Somali National Peace Conference, held in Djibouti, and served as prime minister from September 2000 until December 2001.

In keeping with an egalitarian tradition pre-dating the Civil War, �ֲ���ý has helped welcome Somali immigrants to the Lewiston area and has participated readily in efforts to show that hate and prejudice have no haven in this community. In an open letter soliciting ideas and participation, former Chaplain Kerry Maloney, former Dean of the College James Carignan and former Dean of Students Celeste Branham thanked the �ֲ���ý community for reaffirming the college’s commitment to issues of “social justice and respect for the dignity of every person. We will continue to work together to oppose any group or person who aims to incite hatred, bias, violence and division within our community.”

[For more information about �ֲ���ý’ response to the WCC, visit the .]

[See a slideshow of the �ֲ���ý-hosted diversity rally on Jan. 11 at Merrill Gymnasium.]

Ali Khalif Galaydh, who served as the prime minister of Somalia from 2000 to 2001, visits to discuss the past, present and future of his native country in a lecture at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives, 70 Campus Avenue. Free and open to the public, the lecture continues a series of events offered in response to the anti-Somali rally scheduled in Lewiston Jan. 11 by a national hate group.

, a visiting professor at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, holds degrees from Boston and Syracuse universities, and taught at the latter institution’s Maxwell School from 1989 to 1996.

At the Humphrey Institute he teaches about the politics of public affairs, strategies for economic development and the role of nongovernmental organizations in governance. Galaydh supports the outreach mission of the Humphrey Institute by working with the Minneapolis Somali community, the largest in the United States.

Galaydh was an official with the Ministry of the Interior during Somalia’s last democratically elected government, in the mid-1960s. During the 1970s, he headed two large sugar operations before being appointed minister of industry in 1980.

Galaydh was one of 650 delegates at the 2000 Somali National Peace Conference, held in the Republic of Djibouti, to participate in drafting a National Charter based on Somalia’s 1960 Constitution. The delegates then selected a 245-member parliament, which supported Galaydh’s appointment as prime minister in September 2000. He served until December 2001.