One Goal: What Somali Refugees Did to Win the Hearts of Their New Neighbors in Maine

Watch Amy Bass's On The Homefront interview from this week's Global Lane to find out what the young athletes did to win the hearts of the community.  

As Americans debate the border wall and President Trump sends National Guard troops to the southern US border, a town in New England is sharing its immigrant story of encouragement and heart change.

Amy Bass, author of the book, One Goal: A Coach, a Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together, tells how the people of Lewiston, Maine resisted the settlement of Somali refugees into their city. The mayor even wrote letters to federal officials urging them to stop the migration.

"We're looking at one of the fastest, if not the fastest, migrations into a town of this size in modern American history," Bass said.

Lewiston is a city of about 35,000 people. Once a thriving mill town, it was hit hard by a downturn in the state's manufacturing sector. 

"Like many New England cities, there was an enormous economic downturn," Bass explained. "This created a big vacancy that Somali migrants started to seek and  filled."

Over a 10-year period, as many as 7,000 African immigrants settled in Lewiston and sought work there.

Bass says there was a culture shift that caused resentment in the town. 

"There was a racial shift in terms of the city's demographics, language, food...there's always that fear that someone is getting something that you're not and learning to be a community is hard work. It doesn't just naturally happen."

The new Somalis of Lewiston experienced some hate incidents, but they were determined to win over the citizens.

Some young Somali males were gifted in sports and they eventually found their way onto the high school varsity soccer team.

That's when the incredible transformation took place for the people of Lewiston.