Arab-American voters reflect on election

In today's paper, I have a story about Arab-American voters in Dearborn, Michigan. The story is part of a Globe series, Snapshot America, in which reporters are visiting cities and towns across the nation to ask people about how their communities have changed over the last eight years, and what issues are on their minds as this election approaches. An excerpt from the Dearborn story:

As America prepares to vote, the large and diverse Arab-American community of Dearborn finds itself striving but shunned, eager to engage but often unwelcome, and with concerns born of ethnicity overshadowed by concerns about the economy. "We need to stop the war and work on the local economy," said Norman Hamood, 48, who has been helping out at a convenience store since losing his job when his auto plant closed in 2005. Hamood, who was born in Michigan after his parents emigrated from Lebanon, went on to say, "America should be first."

There's also a video (below) and a slide show featuring pictures taken by Essdras Suarez of the Globe staff. (Essdras also shot the photo above, which shows a voter registration drive, part of the Yalla Vote campaign, at the Islamic Center of America mosque in Dearborn.)