A strong sense of community
Immigrant families all over our country are being painted as the enemy. Here's a moment in the life of one family who will never be the same, as it shows how we are all in this together.
I am lucky enough to live in a community where, almost every Saturday from May through October, a thriving farmers’ market sets up in our downtown. A short bike ride or walk away from my home, the market offers up fresh, organic produce, delicious baked goods, artisan crafts, and a strong sense of community.
That community was rocked this past week when one of the families who makes a one-hundred mile round trip every week from their farm to our town were in an auto accident in which their young son died.
I’ve talked with the mom, grandfather, and/or grandmother of this young boy most market days for the last seven years, cheering them on as they achieved their organic certification, arranging for 50 pound boxes of their tomatoes, and delighting in sharing their (very) hot peppers with my partner.
This is an immigrant family, with close ties to their home country. Our conversations in English are often halting with lots of pantomime and smiles, especially with the elders. There is always a child or two at the stall, sometimes “working,” often asking mom or grandma for a few dollars to buy treats. The boy who died, I remember when he was an infant in his mom’s arms, balanced on her hip when she needed to make change.
Who on this beautiful earth would see this family and be threatened? Consider them somehow less than worthy because their roots happen to be on the other side of a national border? They work hard, contribute healthy food, and revel in raising their children.
Immigrant families like this one all over our country are being painted as the enemy. If someone who wants your vote uses families like this one to frighten you, or make you angry, remember that image: a hard-working mom with an infant on her hip, offering a few dollars in change for the peppers or corn or tomatoes or cabbage that cost someone a few more dollars to buy.
And vote accordingly.
Be safe and well, and use the next two months to do everything you can to support the families and communities that need democracy to thrive. That’s all of us, by the way.
