These non-European immigrants are big contributors to their Maine communities

In light of news stories this week about the pro-white, pro-separatist town manager of Jackman, I thought it might be good to post a few links here to stories about non-European, non-Caucasian  immigrants in small towns in Maine who have had an impact on the communities where they live and work. Not only have they been made to feel welcome in the state, but they have had  positive influences on their local communities and are very much appreciated by local residents and officials for the significant contributions they have made to those communities.

It's not a comprehensive list, but just a quick few examples I can think of off the top of my head:

• Ben Okafor from Nigeria, who opened a pharmacy in Eastport after national chains bought out and closed the last one there, temporarily forcing local residents to travel to Calais or Machias to get needed medications.
• Romana Vazquez from Mexico, who with her husband and family owns and operates Vazquez Mexican Takeout restaurant in Milbridge. They started out operating out of an old bus in Deblois, selling food directly to blueberry rakers during the harvest each summer, but have had a seasonal take out business on Route 1 in Milbridge village since 2014.
• Habib Dagher from Lebanon, who as executive director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at University of Maine has been honored by the White House for his Bridge-In-A-Backpack design and has led the state's efforts to develop technology for commercial floating ocean wind turbines.
• Vero Poblete-Howell from Chile, who owns Baobab Organics Inc. and co-owns Cider Hill Farm in Waldoboro.

Needless to say, there are many more than the few I list here. 

It also is worth mentioning that the vast majority of Maine residents are, if not immigrants, descended from European immigrants, the first of which tried (and failed) to colonize St. Croix Island on the Maine/New Brunswick border in 1604. If anyone has a claim for which culture and ethnicity should be preserved in  Maine, it is the native tribes -- the Passamaquoddys, the Penobscots, the Micmacs and the Maliseets -- who were here before any Europeans were even aware of the existence of North America (as it is called now).

So for those of us whose ancestors wanted to establish a home here -- and who don't want to be told to leave by those who were here first -- it is only just and fair that we welcome and try to make room for others who want to same, even if they don't speak or dress as we do or have some social customs and traditions different than ours.