Lady Liberty Reinforces American Ideals
The Statute of Liberty has long
represented to the World the wonderful ideals of America. Inscribed on the plaque
attached to Lady Liberty is the following.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek Fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall
stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Over the past four years, I have often heard Donald Trump belittle immigrants and use them as excuses for many ills that our nation must address. His administration sought to separate families seeking access. It denied basic rights of persons seeking asylum. He has been aggressive in seeking to eliminate options of legal migration. He sought to even to deport Dreamers who have lived in this country since childhood and offer many contributions to our communities. As I see these actions and policies, I wonder if he ever visited Lady Liberty in the years that he lived within sight of her and if so, whether he read her words of inspiration. His actions suggest not.
In contrast to his opposition of even legal migration, he has expressed adamant support for preserving statutes of treasonous Confederate Generals who sought to destroy this Union of the United States. He has called white supremacists at Charlottesville “some good people”. He recently retweeted a video of white seniors in golf carts calling out “White Power”.
Unless one’s heritage is solely Native American, all of our ancestors were immigrants. Some came to this country to find a better life. Some were carried in slave ships. Today we together make this nation great. Our nation's strength comes from the diversity of backgrounds and heritages that fill this country from sea to shining sea. It is our diversity that makes this country the greatest in the World. As Lady Liberty cries out, our nation must continue to welcome from all nations around the World “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We must lift Lady Liberty’s lamp to welcome all on their way to our shores. We must make legal migration easier and not more difficult. Our future and our economic growth may depend on that recognition. More important, we must maintain the heritage of diversity that built this nation.
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