LEWISTON – “Refugees demonstrate courage in seeking a new way of life, and it is my hope that we may demonstrate a love of humanity to any individual who may become our neighbor,” Mayor Larry F. Gilbert told a World Refugee Day audience Wednesday night.

He said the celebration at the Franco-American Heritage Center was an opportunity to learn from others and to establish new friendships.

“We have much more in common than we initially realized. These similarities are what bring us together as one humanity,” the mayor said.

The World Refugee Day event took place in a hall with exhibits that echoed similar quests for community by Canadian French-speaking families who came to Lewiston several generations ago. There were several tables displaying colorful ethnic clothing and handicrafts representing the refugee population from Somalia, Sudan, Togo and other countries and regions.

A multimedia presentation with readings titled “Telling Somali Women’s Stories” brought a personal expression of refugee suffering to the gathering. It included stories about early and colonial Somalia, the Somali civil war and accounts of the refugees who went to Europe, Canada and Maine.

The five readers in the University of Maine project also told about the 1755 event in Canada called Le Grand Derangement, when the French settlers were forcibly removed by the British in what would be seen today as an act of ethnic cleansing.

The young people of refugee families were the focus of remarks by Steven Wessler, founder of the Portland-based Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.

“The reason I have so much hope that issues of bias and suspicion will end is what we see the students doing in both high schools (in Lewiston and Auburn), both middle schools and in the elementary schools,” he said.

“When I think of who the really gutsy heroes and heroines are, I think of students,” he said.

In particular he recognized Jama and Hanan Ahmed, who spoke before a recent audience of adults. Both were in attendance and stood to applause of the audience. They are Lewiston students and are nephew and niece of Ismail Ahmed.

“Both had self-possession, intelligence and empathy,” he said. “It created such an amount of awareness and understanding to bridge the different communities.”

The Lewiston mayor’s address also recognized the contributions of early Somali resettlement residents in Lewiston, as well as the more recent accomplishments of Azeb Hassan, who has become a local businesswoman through her translation abilities for hospitals and other organizations.

Noting that violence and tragedy preceded the arrival of many refugees in the Twin Cities, Gilbert said, “We cannot possibly know what they have experienced.”

He credited the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield for its good work in bringing cultures together.

He said, “I can’t help but think what an example Seeds of Peace youth are to the rest of us. I encourage all of us to not let fear prevent us from providing empathy and compassion to others who cross our path. We all have the ability to positively contribute to the world around us.”

Ahmed Hiire translated the mayor’s remarks, and he also addressed the multicultural audience in his native Somali language.

Ismail Ahmed, who is well-known in the community for his efforts to assist new refugees, emphasized appreciation to “our hosts,” the people of Lewiston.

He also asked the audience to rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of refugees who remain in camps and in other desperate circumstances throughout the world.

Torli H. Krua, executive director of Universal Human Rights International in Boston, delivered a joyous and animated talk beginning with his run to the podium waving an American flag.

Krua is a refugee from Liberia, and he pointed out the irony that Liberia was founded by former slaves in America who became refugees from this country and fled to Africa.

He unfurled another huge flag – the flag of Liberia – with red and white stripes and a blue star field in the upper left corner with just one star.

Krua urged refugees striving to make a new life in this country to remember the needs of refugees everywhere.