“It says a lot when six white Americans support and elect a Black Muslim immigrant to be their mayor.”
the first African, Muslim, Somali American mayor in Maine and South Portland—a city where 90 percent of the population is white.
“It says a lot when six white Americans support and elect a Black Muslim immigrant to be their mayor,” said Dhalac about other South Portland City Council members. “I hope I will do justice for this big job. I’m lucky to have a council that supports me, a very supportive staff, family in Maine, and in Somalia and across the U.S. and Europe who celebrated my win—which is their win.
Following the civil war, Al Shabab—”the youth” in Arabic—took control. Seeking to control territory within Somalia to establish their own rigid people in Somalia. Before landing in the Somali community in Atlanta, Dhalac traveled as an asylum seeker through Italy and Canada. Her fluency in English made it easier for her to adapt to and navigate through her new communities. In the U.S., she started work as an interpreter, translating legal paperwork and helping Somali refugees settle.
“I take my mayor’s position graciously and in gratitude for the fact that this is not only mine. This is a win for South Portland. This is a win for Maine. This is a win for the United States of America and globally,” said Dhalac, pictured here at the Women’s March in January 2019.
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