Blog Archives

111 Martha Martinez

8/28/2016

Martha's family was from Michoacan, Mexico before they moved to a small town in Texas when she was five years old. She speaks of their intense transition and how it changed how she perceived herself.

During her youth, Martha's parents explored various religious practices and eventually found their way to the Baha'i Faith. This practice supported their growth as they changed traditional gender roles and painstakingly found a new way to be a family. Now, Martha is the Program Coordinator for Green Acre Baha'i School, Retreat and Conference Center in Eliot, ME.

Music: "Malaguena Salerosa" by Los Copacabana

nms_111_martha_martinez_mexico_aug._28_2016.mp3
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110 Abdullahi Ali

8/21/2016

Abdullahi Ali is originally from Somalia. He fled the civil war with his family at the age of five and was then raised in refugee camps in Kenya. He attended University of Nairobi before being resettled in 2009 to Lewiston, ME. In recent years Abdullahi earned his bachelor's degree at USM and this past spring completed his master's degree in Public Administration and Justice Studies at Southern New Hampshire University.

Abdullahi is now the Chief Executive Officer of
Gateway Community Services. "Gateway" is a social services organization that opened its doors in October of 2015. They offer culturally sensitive individual and group counseling (anger management, depression, aging, parenting, self image, relational problems) and case management services (employment, housing, immigration, counseling, natural support, education) to immigrants and refugees who are processing a range of losses and atrocities experienced along the way.

Music: Dhaanto Laba Laba by Nuur Caraale

nms_110_abdullahi_ali_somalia_august_21_2016.mp3
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109 Toho Soma

8/7/2016

Toho was the only American-born member of his family. He and his brother were raised in California where his family had moved in the early 1970's for his father's work. They attended Japanese language and culture classes on Saturdays and visited Japan every summer.

He studied anthropology at Johns Hopkins University followed by a master's degree in public health. Today Toho Soma is the Director of Public Health for the City of Portland. He discusses what public health is and the role of social determinants of health in Maine. In the interview he also refers to some of the many partnerships the city has with other organizations which support immigrant health and well-being,
(click directly on them for links):
Care Partners at Maine Health
International Clinic at Maine Med Center
MAIN- Maine Access Immigrant Network
ILAP - Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
Multilingual/Multicultural Center of Portland schools

Music: "Vektor" by Shugo Tokumaru

nms_109_toho_soma_japan_august_7_2016.mp3
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111 Martha Martinez

110 Abdullahi Ali

109 Toho Soma

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