Dear Tired,
Dear Poor,
Dear Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free,
Dear Homeless and Tempest-Tossed,
I am writing to you to express my sorrow, my fellow countrymen and countrywomen’s regret, and my feelings of remorse and despair.
While we have never been a country free from injustice, true, empathetic Americans have been constantly working to right the wrongs against humanity.
Empathetic America is the real America. It is the America that gained its independence from Britain in the year 1776. The Declaration of Independence is Empathetic America. It is the America that abolished slavery in the year 1865. The 13th Amendment is Empathetic America. It is the America that acknowledged that women deserve the right to vote and gave them suffrage rights in the year 1920. The 19th Amendment is Empathetic America. It is the America that marched on Selma fighting for civil rights for African-Americans in the year 1965. Brown v. Board of Education and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are Empathetic America.
Unfortunately, on November 8, 2016, Election Day in the U.S., Empathetic America lost. Even though Hillary Clinton received more votes than Donald Trump, the racist and bigot won the Office of the President of the United States.
On this day, I, along with many members of my family, community, and country, felt a range of emotions. We were shocked, appalled, disheartened, disappointed, confused, sad, sick, hurt, horrified, uncertain, nervous, and scared. We were pained by the reminder that people would stand behind someone who made such horrible comments directed toward the disabled, prisoners of war, Latinos, Muslims, African-Americans, and women.
After the results of the election became clear, I personally was confident that my life would not be significantly impacted. I am relatively privileged financially and socially, but I could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of empathy toward others who genuinely feared for their lives and their inalienable rights. While I could foresee that my personal situation might be negatively impacted, I was certain that others would suffer as a result of this election.
These fears were realized on January 27, 2017. On this day, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
The Executive Order is not Empathetic America. It is Trump’s America.
Trump’s America is one of selfishness, cowardice, and ignorance. Simply examining Trump’s Twitter account reveals the pettiness and lack of empathy of the current president. Trump’s America is one that reminds us of two dark events in U.S. History: the turning away of refugees on the German transatlantic liner St. Louis and the Internment of Japanese-Americans. Both are notorious because of the inhumanity of the American government that ultimately lead to unforgiveable injustices.
By not allowing the passengers of the St. Louis to enter the country, Americans, knowing that we could help these people, decided to let fear overtake us and turned our backs. We sent these human beings back to a continent overcome with conflict and warfare. Almost half of the refuge seekers on the St. Louis did not survive the Holocaust. Although we did not have to help the Jews seeking refugee from a country where they were being persecuted, it was an injustice that we did not.
After America entered World War II because of Pearl Harbor, we committed another injustice. We feared all people of Japanese heritage for the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Fear compelled America to round up Japanese-Americans and put them in internment camps. We justified this action by claiming it was for “National Security,” which is certainly relevant again today given that the same argument is being used to justify Trump’s Muslim Ban. The internment camps were injustices against our fellow Americans.
This is a stark contrast to real, patriotic America. The Home of the Free is a welcoming place, founded by immigrants who believed in the American Dream, immigrants who simply hoped to live a better life. The Land of the Brave symbolizes the courage that we will not fear terrorist organizations to the point that we turn away thousands of innocent souls.
Today, I realize that I cannot be shocked. I cannot be appalled, disheartened, disappointed, confused, sad, sick, hurt, horrified, uncertain, or nervous. I cannot be scared. Empathetic America must be and will be brave.
I beg you to keep hope. Keep faith in Empathetic America. As a nation, Empathetic America will keep resisting. Keep protesting. Keep fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. We will make sure that this injustice is corrected.
Even though Empathetic America might not be at its strongest now, we are still formidable. If you need evidence of this, simply look to two protests.
The Women’s March on January 21st took place in cities across the nation and around the world to voice Americans’ belief that women’s rights are human rights. Estimates say that a total of over 4.2 million people marched in more than 600 U.S. cities, inspiring the belief that people will step up to fight for what they believe in against Trump.
Following the signing of the Executive Order on January 27th, thousands gathered at airports across the U.S. to voice their opposition to the travel ban. Protesters brought signs displaying their support and solitude for refugees trying to enter the country. Songs broke out with the protesters singing the ultra-patriotic and relevant lyrics from Woody Guthrie:
“This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.”
The ACLU also continues to step up when civil liberties were being threatened. Accompanied by the support of a $24 million surge in donations following the order, the ACLU won the first court order to stop Trump’s travel ban.
It is with deep regrets that I write this letter to you. But it is with great hope that I promise you this: we will welcome your arrival into America. In the famous words of Emma Lazarus, which are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, “We will lift our lamp beside the golden door.”
Sincerely,
Empathetic America
