“Many of you are yourselves the children and grandchildren of economically and politically exploited immigrants—working people who came to this country with dreams they could hope to realize only through neighborhood solidarity and, above all, family cohesion.”
Our Quote of the Week reminds us of the important role that immigration plays in our collective history and in our communities.
While on the campaign trail during his Presidential run in 1975-76, Sargent Shriver made a speech about busing at Cooper Union in New York. In the speech, he reminds the audience of the history of busing as a tool for accomplishing the desegregation of schools. He speaks about desegregation in a historical context, going back to slavery:
“Behind everything there is still the sin and curse of slavery, and the fact that for black Americans, the way up through hard work and education was closed in the South by force of law, closed by government policies that combined with private action to create racial ghettos and urban decay.”
Shriver then reminds the White audience members that, as our quote indicates, they themselves are the descendants of “economically and politically exploited immigrants,” the implication being that they should build solidarity with Black peers who have been discriminated against and mistreated for generations.
While Shriver’s language is rooted in the time (e.g., we wouldn’t typically use the term “ghettos” in this way today), his observation points to a fundamental truth about the history of our country: that millions of Americans of all backgrounds should remember their heritage and the hardships of their ancestors, and come together in solidarity.
May we work together to build safe and welcoming communities, and may we
demand fairness and justice for all—including for new immigrants who are being demonized and pursued in unlawful ways.
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