Monday, July 29, 2019

What Goes Around, Comes Around


  The way immigrants, children, — babies! — are being treated in inhumane camps at the border of my country, in the heartland where they are afraid to come out of their homes lest they be snatched from their families — breaks my heart. 

  The Writer and I did not expect to be attending vigils and singing protest songs we sang in our teens again in our old age.




  
  Earlier this month communities across the country announced candlelight vigils to show support for more humane treatment for asylum seekers from Latin America.  









  Georgetown (pop. 9000) is not a diverse community at all and for the most part doesn’t have much enthusiasm for outsiders (including those of us from north of the Mason Dixon Line!).  We wondered if we would be the only ones showing up in the park.  We were pleasantly surprised.  



  There were handmade signs ...









and speakers (including a Native American elder, a worried honor student - DACA recipient, a war refugee from Germany in the 1940s, a passionate and eloquent young Gullah woman (above), descendant of African immigrants who were forced into slavery),


and musicians to lead us in songs for which some of us did not need the song sheets to remember all the words. 

  

When is the last time you sang all the verses of This Land is Your Land, Blowin’ in the Wind or If I Had a Hammer?  For us ... oh, nearly 50 years!  

  

Finally, we lit candles as the darkness fell on the beautiful harbor behind us and stood together to sing a last song of love and compassion for those frightened, tired, hungry, dirty and hopeful human beings in the camps.
Someone's crying Lord, kumbaya
Someone's crying Lord, kumbaya
Someone's crying Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya*

*  Sung in the Gullah culture of  South Carolina and Georgia, with ties to enslaved West Africans. The song is thought to have spread from the islands to other Southern states and the North, as well as other places in the world. 

  

18 comments:

  1. God Bless you for speaking out!

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  2. Cynthia, I am so proud of you for doing this. This kind of protest needs to become a mass movement throughout the country, akin to the protests against the Vietnam War (referred to as the American War, by people in Vietnam). I see your country sliding deeper into fascism every day and it is very scary. Keep the faith and don't let your principles be overridden by despots like Trump, and whatever you do make sure that he and all his Republican sycophants are never reelected again. A big hug from your admirer in Canada. David

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    1. Thank you, David. It’s a sad time in our history and I can’t be silent.

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  3. Well done to both of you. It makes me feel proud to know you are making a stand against this inhumane treatment of immigrants.

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    1. Thank you, Marie. I hope your new prime minister doesn’t take your country down similar paths.

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  4. Well done - that lunatic in 1600 Penn. Avenue hasn't a charitable bone or brain cell in his body and he
    surrounds himself with self like "toadies".
    No wonder US visitors here in Australia (if any at present) keep a low profile.
    Keep up the good work.
    Colin

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  5. This type of gathering is what's needed . It worked to some extent before. I hope it does some good now. OR do we need new songs.

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  6. You are a very kind hearted person. The situation around the world is not at all good. Every where is only sad news. It is heartbreaking.

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  7. Its all so appalling in so many ways and levels. My outrage often causes me to reflect on my two hoz'nors student grandchildren in Middle School who happen to come from Rwanda and Ethiopia. Two "shithole countries"...:(

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  8. As we also sang back then "We shall overcome...…….someday".

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  9. Good for you. We have the same problem with refugees in camps on tropical Islands and being treated inhumanely too. What is the world coming to??

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  10. Yes, those were the days... Our generation had hopes for the future to change it. Now people have become so selfish and not tolerant to others anymore.

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  11. God bless you, it certainly makes you wonder what the world is coming too...

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  12. This is so close to my heart, and my previous work. Thank you for lending your voice, Kumbaya.

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  13. What a grand assembly you had. We had lots of speakers for ours earlier this month, too.

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  14. That's what the world needs plenty of. We have to speak out to stop the insanity.

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  15. I think Europe is more tolarant than US

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