Tucked in with the beer, shamrocks and green clothing today is real pride in heritage, a pride that extends even beyond those who have Irish roots.

This weekend, a film detailing the early lives of Francos in Lewiston will be shown at the Franco Center at St. Mary’s Church.

Reminders of our ancestry are all around us, and they are important. For people in Lewiston, our origins came into clearer focus during the past year.

Steve Wessler, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Hate Violence at the University of Southern Maine, told members of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce Thursday that the recent immigration of Somalis to Lewiston has strengthened pride in heritage and has opened our eyes to cultural differences and similarities.

Wessler, who works with Lewiston High School students on issues of tolerance, acceptance and diversity, believes that this difficult process, which included a tense standoff with white supremacists on Jan. 11, demonstrates the remarkable tolerance and acceptance of Lewiston’s people.

He sees it every time he goes to the high school.

Early in the school year Somali and local students often traded slurs and taunts. There were fights and plenty of suspicion.

That has changed.

Students, who regularly meet with Wessler in small groups and who have talked about where they have come from and about their family traditions, have developed a healthy respect for one another.

Wessler said students tell him they don’t hear slurs in the hallways anymore and, on the rare occasion it happens, other students stand up and challenge the bigotry. There are no more fights between what Wessler calls the Lewiston-born students and the Somali-born students.

In Lewiston, students have bridged the racial divide while holding on to pride in their own heritage.

It’s a remarkable achievement and the community deserves at least part of the credit.

When Wessler first introduced his plan to bring the Student Leaders Project to Lewiston, he asked for business and individual support to spare the school district the cost. He did the same thing in Portland.

In Portland, he collected about $7,500 in donations. In Lewiston, he collected just short of $40,000.

If money talks, and it does, that says the people of Lewiston care deeply about teaching acceptance and tolerance.

As the school year winds down, Wessler is looking forward to continuing his program at some level to cement lasting change. He’s worried about continued financial support, though.

The climate in Lewiston last fall demanded action and people were generous. As the community has achieved some balance and the national media attention has disappeared, it’s going to be harder to raise as much money.

The need for this city to equally embrace newcomers and natives isn’t going away. Wessler has made tremendous strides this year, but the work isn’t done.

We urge people to continue their generosity, and perhaps for others to share in this work, so we can honor the ideals of acceptance and understanding that this community so convincingly demonstrated here Jan. 11.

We have a lot to be proud of.


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