PORTLAND, Maine — As the demographics of Maine slowly begin to change, some municipalities are doing their part to prioritize and promote diversity. That includes in our state's largest city, Portland, which recently hired its first-ever director of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Umaru Balde took on this inaugural role on Monday, April 3. He came to Maine after spending 15 years in Iowa where he attended the University of Northern Iowa (and is currently a doctoral candidate there), was an investigator for the civil rights commission in Cedar Rapids, and acted as director for a multicultural family center in Dubuque.
"It has a lot to do with the position, but it also has to do with the community," Balde said about his reasons for applying to and accepting the Portland job.
Balde's passion for inclusion has a long past, stemming from his experiences growing up. He moved to Egypt from Guinea-Bissau for school but said people there discriminated against non-Muslims, and he didn't want to partake. He fled to Israel and was held in an immigration detention center until a Jewish Israeli citizen helped him get out.
"[She] didn’t know where I came from. [She] didn’t care what I looked like," Balde said. "[She] took me in, just because of [her] humanity. I think that changed me and changed who I am as a person and how I perceive things."
Balde said at that point, he decided to dedicate his life to social services. He said he was drawn to working in Maine because of how accepting Portland is of asylum seekers, immigrants, and refugees.
"That is almost rare in this country," Balde said.
Balde is starting this position at an interesting time. Since the beginning of 2023, about a thousand asylum seekers have come to Portland. Some are now living in temporary shelter at the Portland Expo.
Interim city manager Danielle West said recommendations from Portland's Racial Equity Steering Committee prompted the creation of this position. She said she and Balde are "building the plane as [they're] flying it" since this position is so new. She said she hopes his work will help move the city forward.
"My hope is that this will be like a domino effect, so we’ll start the listening, and the educating will come after that as we develop the office, and those dominoes will just keep falling over," West said.
For Balde, listening to one another is going to be a key priority.
"It’s important for everybody to get out of their comfort zone and deal with people that you normally would not, do things that you normally would not, learn to be comfortable with uncomfortable things," Balde said.
Balde speaks 13 languages. You can learn more about him here.
This story has been updated to reflect Umaru Balde's home country is Guinea-Bissau, not Egypt.