The Letter 

This documentary explores the complicated story behind the divided town of Lewiston, ME. Once, Lewiston's 97 percent Caucasian population made it a uniformly white berg in the whitest state in America, while its profitable textile mill made the hamlet a model of the American dream. Half a century later, however, factory closings and an imploded industrial economy have left residents scratching for pennies and sourly resentful of the government-assisted "free ride" bestowed upon the 1,100 Somalis who have come seeking sanctuary. Being both black and Muslim in a post-9-11 society only aggravates the fearful tension. When the mayor publishes an open letter asking refugees to stop moving to Lewiston, with the media and the Klan's help, all hell breaks loose.