Dear friends,
When I was a history teacher at Chelsea High School, I used to present Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as a window and mirror in the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King was a window– providing an inspiring vision of an American society that honored the values and principles of our nation’s founding fathers. Malcolm X on the other hand, was the mirror– he presented a disturbing reflection of our nation’s hypocrisies and broken promises. Both were unflinching and both were relentless.
When I saw the events unfolding in Minneapolis, I thought of windows and mirrors. Like most of you, I was horrified by the videos that documented the tragic deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The vision that Dr. King had for America seemed like a fairy tale– a dream deferred. And like Malcolm X, I hated the vision I saw in the mirror– it was monstrous and inhuman.
Fortunately, we are also seeing an inspiring vision: the people of Minneapolis are resisting Renee Good’s and Alex Pretti’s unjust deaths and the atrocities that our immigrant communities are experiencing daily. In the mirror of Minneapolis, we see an America that is exercising love, compassion and empathy. These are traits to build upon.
My hope is that as you see the events unfold in Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota, you will also notice that locally there is a fierce resistance. MIC partners work daily to provide emergency assistance, legal help and workforce/education support to the most vulnerable in our immigrant communities. Recently, MIC co-sponsored a community event in Springfield with the Massachusetts State Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI), the ACLU of Massachusetts and Pioneer Valley Worker Center that provided legal support to immigrant families. Participants were reminded that they are still a part of the American Dream– America is their home.
As I saw the smiling faces of immigrant families in Springfield, I saw the smiling faces of MLK and Malcolm X. Hope is the greatest act of resistance.
In solidarity,
Frank DeVito Executive Director
