Honoring a Community Leader and Dear Friend

Dear Community,

It is with deep sadness that I write about the passing of Alain Nahimana this past weekend. As many of you know, Alain was a smart, thoughtful, engaging and committed leader. He was a tireless and effective advocate – for immigrants and for justice – both as the former leader of Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and as the founding Executive Director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. His charisma was unmatched and he used it to guide our community towards justice.

Alain was also a valued member of the Maine Initiatives community, contributing in so many ways, not least of which by serving on the board of directors from 2018 – 2020. But most of all, he was our friend. And we will miss him. We will honor him in our work by continuing to be advocates for justice and faithful allies to the immigrant community here in Maine.

Our hearts and our thoughts are with Alain’s family, loved ones, and with his colleagues at the Welcome Center, in particular our colleague and friend Shima, who also serves as Co-Chair of the Welcome Center Board. We send our love and support to all who have found themselves close with Alain. In this time of national grief, we hope all of you find a way to mourn this loss and find joy in Alain’s legacy.

To honor Alain and his powerful commitment to justice, donations are being directed to the Alain Jean Claude Nahimana Memorial. We also urge you to consider supporting the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center during this challenging time. An online memorial service will take place this Friday at 4:00 pm, with more celebrations of his life to come.

Rest in power, Alain.

With sadness,

Phil