PLEASE NOTE: Community Language and Culture Bank officially changed its name to Center for Intercultural Organizing in August, 2005 to better reflect our mission, work and values.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Community Language and Culture Bank
Media Contact: Kayse Jama
kayse@interculturalorganizing.org
http://www.interculturalorganizing.org
More Information: (503) 287-4117

Film Screening
The Letter: An American Town and the Somali Invasion

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2005

Tuesday June 28, 2005
7:00 PM
Smith Center at the Multicultural Center
(SW Broadway and Montgomery)
Portland State University

A firestorm of controversy erupts when Lewiston, Maine Mayor Larry Raymond sends an open letter to the 1,100 newly arrived Somali refugees informing them that the city’s resources are strained to the limit and asking them to tell other Somalis not to move to the city. Interpreted as racism by some and a rallying cry by white supremacist groups across the United States, The Letter: An American Town and the “Somali Invasion” documents the ensuing cross-current of emotions and events, culminating in a hate rally convened by The World Church of the Creator and a counter peace rally involving nearly 4,000 Lewiston residents supporting ethnic and cultural diversity.

Hamzeh Mystique Film’s feature-length documentary explores what American news outlets have dubbed the "Somali invasion" of Lewiston, Maine – an insulated, predominantly white former mill town struggling to maintain its equilibrium in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy.

Please join us for this unique viewing opportunity.

Co-Sponsored by:
Community Language & Culture Bank
PSU Multicultural Center