Come Closer: Immigration in Maine
Exchanging Stories
2018
Almost 200 years after its founding, Maine’s horizon is full of change. Between 2002 and 2016, almost 4,000 refugees have resettled within its borders. Half of those came from Somalia seeking refuge from conflict. When immigrants are faced with resistance to their arrival, schools are places where their children can show their potential and contributions to their new communities.
How do young Mainers—some born in the US, some from abroad—understand themselves and their classmates through cultural and political change? In Come Closer: Immigration in Maine, filmmakers Claire Brunner and Sydney Avitia-Jacques ask four South Portland High School students to share their views and experiences. TRANSCRIPT
This video was produced by Claire Brunner and Sydney Avitia-Jacques as part of Guestbook Project’s Exchanging Stories – Changing History initiative with assistance from Fernando Nascimento.