We Are All Immigrants
By Nick Penning
My great grandfather was an immigrant from Luxembourg, and I can no longer allow the hateful speech against immigrants to stand.
We are a nation founded on “the firm belief” that all persons are created equal, and that all have rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, no matter who we are or how we got here.
Millions have left their homes in other countries in search of sanctuary from religious persecution, in search of freedom, to escape tyranny, terror and death; while enduring hardships most of us will never know.
We, the people, must reject the divisive rhetoric aimed toward those whose religion or nationality is different from ours. Ellis Island never imposed such tests; neither should we.
The statue of Liberty beckons what we know to be true, in the words of Emma Lazarus:www.nps.gov/...
“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-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Please, reject the hate spewed from the lips of fear-mongers and bullies.
Please, look at the men and women who risked everything, many walking - walking! - for hundreds of miles to escape brutality.
No one should have their religion, their homeland, denigrated here.
Everyone deserves a smile, a hand, a chance. Our ancestors (save those native to this land and those brought here in chains) certainly received it. Today, after the vigorous screening we already have in place, refugees all should hear these words:
“Welcome to the United States of America.”