Deqa grew up in Mogadishu, Somalia where she studied English, Italian, and Arabic, and earned a degree in accounting. Her father’s desire to improve his country was a major inspiration in her life. He shared his passion for world politics and democracy and spoke to her about the accomplishments of women leaders around the world. When war came to her city, Deqa joined the wave of refugees on a path that took her to Italy, England, Canada, Atlanta, Lewiston, and South Portland. Along the way, Deqa worked to improve the lives of the people in her community focusing on human rights, education and health. In Atlanta, she was a community organizer for voting rights. In Maine, Deqa has worked as an interpreter for Catholic Charities and the City of Portland teaching people who were arriving from refugee camps how to acclimate to their new home. She’s also worked for the City of Portland’s Social Services Division, Refugees Services Program as a Human Services Councilor working with survivors of torture, the City of Portland Public Health Division Minority Health Program as a community health outreach worker, The Center for Grieving Children as the Intercultural Program Manager, and The Opportunity Alliance as a South Portland Schools Community Builder.

This super positive mother of three likes to keep busy, help solve problems in her community, and continue to learn. To augment her passion and acumen for community building, counseling, and education, she returned to school earning a master’s degree in Development Policy and Practice at University of New Hampshire and then a second master’s degree in Social Work from the University of New England. She currently works as a Maine Department of Education Family Engagement and Cultural Responsiveness Specialist. She is especially proud of the work her team is doing around bringing the experiences and considerations for people of color to Maine educators. She serves on the Somali Community Center of Maine and is a board member of Northern Light Mercy Hospital. She is also on the boards of I’m Your Neighbor Books, Emerge Maine. She is co-founder of Cross-Cultural Community Services. She is past board president of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition and former board member of the Maine Women’s Fund.

In 2018, members of her community encouraged Deqa to run in a special election for South Portland’s District 5 City Council seat. With the help of Emerge Maine, an organization that trains Democratic women how to run for public office, she won the election by a wide margin. Her voting organizer experience helped drive a high turnout. She made local history as the first African-American and first Muslim to be elected to the South Portland City Council. She was re-elected in 2020. Her focus has been on human rights, access to quality education, affordable housing, and a clean and safe environment. Two areas of great impact in which she was involved

• the establishment of the South Portland Human Rights Commission, which will work with marginalized groups, including black, indigenous and people of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and low-income families, “in order to build community, provide education and training, celebrate diversity and inclusion, increase community engagement, and review policies and provide policy recommendations to the city council and the city manager.”
• a committee to assess the extent of the problem with the petroleum tanks in South Portland and work with the state to design an air monitoring program

The family tradition for serving the community continues. All three of her children attended Seeds of Peace Camp which strives to provide youth with the skills and relationships to work in solidarity across lines of difference to create more just and inclusive societies. Her youngest daughter has served on the student council in middle and high school and was named NAACP King fellow in 8th grade.