Wednesday June 1, 2022
By Abdirizak M. Diis
Since the Civil War broke out in Somalia, many Somalis have immigrated to different parts of the world. Those who immigrated to the United States became politically active and held elected and appointed high-profile government positions. The vast majority of them lived in the state of Minnesota. However, Somalis that live in other states also secured higher-level positions in their Sates to reflect the needs of the new Somali immigrants. Abdifatah Hassan Ahmed, born in Somalia, was recently appointed to join the Maine State Board of pharmacy after a tumultuous process. He is the first Somali American to be appointed to that position in Maine. The 46-year-old was born in Mogadishu and lived in Nairobi, Kenya, before immigrating to the United States in 1992. Ahmed is also the founder of Lewiston-Based Maine Community Integration Center, a Lewiston-based organization focused on helping new immigrants assimilate into the community. We had the opportunity to interview Abdifatah, and he talked to us about his background and role as a board member.
Q- Can you tell us your background information, especially your educational background?
A- Thank you so much. To give you a short brief of my education, I completed my high school education in Boston, Massachusetts. I graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 2003. Since then, I have worked in Portland, Maine, where I still live and work.
Q- In recent years, many Somali immigrants have been elected or appointed for new positions for the first time. You are joining that list by becoming the first Somali American to be a state-level pharmacy board member. The Governor of Maine appointed you. Can you tell us about your process to achieve this position?
A- As I mentioned before, Governor Janet of Maine appointed me to this position. However, the process starts at the county level.Each county selects someone they think meets the criteria; I live in the Central county of Androscoggin County, and our state senator nominated me before being interviewed at different levels. There were seven candidates from my county, all of whom were White except me. Finally, I was able to succeed in that position.
Q- Maine is one of the whitest states in America; I assume that you secured this position because of your knowledge and experience. Can you tell us your experience and the places you worked?
A- Experience is essential in this type of position. I have more than 18 years of experience as a pharmacist working in the State of Maine, and I worked as a clinical pharmacist at different hospitals and positions. I worked for Walgreens, and I am also a community organizer. I have seen the need to get representation for the Somali immigrants living in the State of Maine. We created a civic engagement organization that helps new immigrants with voter registration and educates them on issues that affect their lives.
Q- Your state is part of the New England States; how is your state different or similar to neighboring states? Can you also tell us if they have achieved community representation in your state?
A- This is a good question. The majority of Maine's population is White. Some of the neighboring states are New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rode Island, and Connecticut; collectively, these states are called New England. Maine is the only state in this region where Somalis who were not born in the US achieved leadership positions. The reason is because of the effort of the Somali immigrants who worked hard and achieved an understanding with other communities.
Q- Why is it important to be a member of the Board of Pharmacies in Maine?
A- This is very significant and hugely benefits immigrants and people of color. I am the first Somali-American born outside of the US to be appointed to this position. This gives Somali immigrants representation. It gives them a voice to know that another Somali is sitting at the table where major decisions are made. For Somalis, I am sitting at the decision-making table and will bring diversity to the board decisions and look at issues from a different perspective. For instance, many immigrants who do not speak English. When they are collecting their prescriptions at the pharmacies, they are given instructions in English, and I will work on getting people who can translate forms or at least a system that explains the side effects of the medicine and how it's used. People who do not understand English should have the right to get an interpreter.
Since I am representing the entire State of Maine, I will work on the well-being of everyone.
Q- What is the primary job of the board?
A- The board's work is setting policies at the state level and listening to complaints. For example, if someone has a complaint from one of the pharmacies, we have an agency that investigating the matter. If we find out that a violation is taking place, we take appropriate action against the person who committed the violation. So we do oversight and ensure that policies and laws are protected.
Q- What is your advice to the Somali community who live in your state and other leaders from your community?
A- The Somalis who live in Maine are hard workers and willing to contribute positively to the society they live. Allow me to give you an example. We created a Civic Engagement organization of which I was one of its co-founders. The organization's primary task was to educate society and conduct voter registration drives. The major accomplishment is that we have the first mayor of a Somali immigrant, Deka Dalac, and we are part of the school boards, City Council. We have achieved a lot in terms of political participation and business, and I am glad that I am the first state-level appointee and encourage others to join.
Q- How many Somali live in the Sate approximately?
A- Approximately 6-7 thousand Somali live in the Sate even though Somalis move a lot between states. The Stae is a good place in terms of living and also raising children.
Q-Thank you Abdifarah
A- You are welcome.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity