Make no mistake about it, Donald Trump’s virulent racism and fearmongering about immigrants is downright unpatriotic.
One of America’s most recognizable symbols is the Statue of Liberty, which sits on a small island at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York City. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes America’s history as a nation of immigrants. In fact, just upstream at Ellis Island, millions of immigrants began their lives as residents of this great country by being processed by immigration officials on Ellis Island.
I live in a much lesser-known symbol of America’s history as a nation of immigrants: the village of Westville, Illinois, located in the east-central part of the state. In the early 20th century, immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, came to work in the coal mines that once surrounded Westville. At one time, Westville could boast of having people of over three dozen nationalities living in its immediate area. Throughout America’s history, immigrants built cities and communities across this country.
Donald Trump is running one of the most anti-American presidential campaigns in American history.
The Progressive Midwesterner 