Photo by Carlo Allegri / Reuters.
By Emma Lazarus
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-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Inscribed inside the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World
As a Canadian, I was only aware of the lines which begin “Give me your tired, your poor…”, & when I read through this post, I felt heartsick about the regressive steps recently taken which are already denying so many the opportunity to escape their shattered countries & seek refuge.
The Canadian government has announced it will continue to do what it can to welcome refugees, & I am thankful for that. Not that anti-refugee/anti-Muslim sentiments aren’t alive & vocal here – they are – but sometimes it helps to remind people that except for our First Nations people, we are all descendants of people who came here seeking a better life.
Well said, Bette.
Good news: an emergency stay has been granted against Trump’s immigration ban thanks to the ACLU.