The incredible true story of how Wilmot Collins fled his war-torn African homeland to make a new home in America, becoming a community activist, a political leader, and an inspiration for hope in a time of rising anti-immigration sentiment.
Run tells the inspiring story of Wilmot Collins, who fled the brutal and bloody Liberian Civil War in the early 1990s—where over 250,000 Liberians were killed, including two of Collins’s brothers—and managed to make it to Helena, Montana, one of the whitest places on the planet. Enduring and overcoming racism and xenophobia, he joined the Montana National Guard, became an active member of the Helena community, and in 2017 rose to become mayor of the capital city and the first Black mayor in Montana’s history.
Collins garnered a national reputation not only as a beloved Democratic politician in a ruby red state but also as a shining example of how being a racial and political outsider in a highly partisan society can be transformed into an effective and engaging form of political leadership.
Wilmot’s story highlights the tragic decision to abandon one’s homeland when it turns on its people. Collins came from a highly educated family and, when civil war erupted, he was fresh out of college working as a middle school teacher at Monrovia's SOS Children’s Village School. He had recently found a great companion, Maddie Muna, whom he met after college graduation. They became fast friends and soon life partners in marriage. But they first had to negotiate forces threatening their very lives.
Through extensive interviews and his masterful command of storytelling, award-winning author and filmmaker Daniel Blake Smith tells how Wilmot and Maddie, through great perseverance, plenty of ingenuity, and inspiring displays of generosity, journeyed to the United States and have made their new home a better place for everyone. Run offers an emotional, inspiring, and deeply personal story of survival, racial injustice, political hope, and the challenges one family faced to realize the American dream.
Table of Contents:
Preface
1. The Killing Fields of Home
2. Limbo
3. From Hell to Helena
4. The Road to Politics
5. Campaign
6. Mr. Mayor
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
About the Author :
Daniel Blake Smith is the award-winning author of six books and a prize–winning filmmaker. Most recently, he is the writer and producer of the film Mr. Wonderful, adapted from his novel of the same name.
Review :
"Smith effectively details Collins’ extraordinary journey by providing plenty of welcome historical context, particularly when describing the ‘barbarity unleashed by the Liberian Civil War.’ Collins’ survival of such conditions, and his accomplished later life as a progressive politician, together make for a compelling story. . . . A memorable, historically grounded look at a unique tale in American politics."—Kirkus Reviews
"Over the years, I’ve watched Wilmot transform adversity into purpose. From his early days working multiple jobs to his eventual role as Helena’s mayor . . . his journey is nothing short of inspirational."—Pat Williams, US House of Representatives Congressman for Montana (1979–1997)
"Wilmot’s journey from seeking refuge from the Liberian Civil War to serving in public office in Helena is a powerful reminder of what is possible when people are afforded safety and a chance to belong. Today more than ever, we need reminders like this one."—Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO, Global Refuge
"The American Dream we all want to believe in is captured in Wilmot Collins’s story. It would not have been reached without individuals and communities supporting him and his family, yet there is so much more [to the story]. Mayor Collins’s story is a lesson in personal perseverance, joy, commitment and unwavering optimism and idealism that things can always be better than they are today."—Steve Bullock, Montana Governor (2013–2020)
"Run traces one man’s remarkable journey from war-torn West Africa to the mayor’s office in Helena, Montana. It is an inspiring example of the human capacity for resilience and the importance of community and service to others."—Mark Bixler, author of The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience
"Run: The Wilmot Collins Story—From Liberian Refugee to the First Black Mayor in Montana is a book about a singularly remarkable man. His biography confirms what I've come to know: that his passion for and commitment to humanity shines through in all he does. But the book reveals deeper truths. Welcoming communities have always been at the heart of refugee resettlement—and when refugees succeed, they make invaluable contributions to the communities that embrace them. At a time when refugees, like other newcomers, are being turned away by short-sighted, wrongful national policies, the life of Wilmot Collins shows how welcoming the stranger enriches us all."—John Slocum, Executive Director of Refugee Council USA
"Run is an extraordinary story that needed to be told. Wilmot Collins faced unimaginable loss, racism, and hardship, and chose to serve his community anyway. His journey from refugee to mayor is living proof that courage and perseverance can transform even the most unlikely place into home."—Naquetta Ricks, Colorado State Representative HD 40, and first Liberian woman to serve in any US state legislature
