Deqa Dhalac Becomes First Somali-American Mayor in the United States of America

Deqa Dhalac is the new mayor of South Portland, Maine. She’s making history as the city’s first Black mayor, and she’s the first Somali American mayor in the United States, according to the Sun Journal.

She has worked in community-building roles: as an activist, social worker, and currently, as the family engagement and cultural responsiveness specialist for the Maine Department of Education. She’s lived in South Portland for more than a decade, following stints in Lewiston and Atlanta after emigrating to the U.S. from Somalia in 1992.

Congratulations to Somali born Deqa Dhalac, the new Mayor of South Portland, Maine, USA. pic.twitter.com/qxbtuOgKRI

— Somalia (@kingofSomaliaa) December 7, 2021

Dhalac was sworn in as mayor of the state’s fourth-largest city on Monday. Voters elected Dhalac to the council in 2018, and this year, the seven-member council decided to elevate her to the mayoral post.