In September, at the 20th Anniversary Arrival Award, I will be recognized as a “Beacon of Light” by the University of Houston Law Center Immigration Clinic. Join Us as we recognize immigrant achievement and stand for peace, justice and hope.
President Kennedy said, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. Our country has been divided since the election of 2016. Hatred Corrodes the container its carry in. Right now, we have a moral crisis regarding what America has always stood for around the globe: namely, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all, but especially for all those who make it to our shores. Dante in Divine Comedy said, “the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in a time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality” “The way to get along”, should not be “to go along” when our nation’s moral principle is at cost. Great crisis produce great men and women of courage, so now it is time to SPEAK UP.
The University of Houston Law Clinic works at the grass roots level as well as the policy level. It is the time for the great Silent Majority to stand up and be counted. The Statue of Liberty stands with her arms opened, accepting everyone, and in bold letters she is saying “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”. We are the United States of America and not the divided State of America, so Stand United for freedom. There is nobility in struggle. Thomas Aquinas said, If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, then he would leave it in port forever,’. Let us sail together on this turbulent weather and move forward together. YES, we can…. I am appealing to your humanity for this great cause. Si Se Puede… The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, take the first step. Be the change you want to see in the world. Let’s change our passion into action, it will end up to satisfaction.
Persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, political opinion, or gender – This is what America tries to protect immigrants and even us from. Time after time lawyers, judges, and our judiciary system have tackled these evils with cases like Brown vs Board of Education, Barnette vs West Virginia State Board of Education, Miranda vs Arizona, Gideon vs Wainwright… and many others that make us and the world proud of our judicial system. The University of Houston Law Clinic stands for these ideals and has been doing an amazing job to keep America the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Your donation of time, money or anything you can donate to this important cause shows who we are as Americans and what it means to be an American. Come and fight for the words we all cherish – “E Pluribus Unum,” Out of Many, we are One. These same words are written under the statue of Lady Freedom at the top of Capital Hill. Ladies and Gentlemen, at times it seems that some of our senators and congressmen and women do not see it as they climb up the stairs to go to Capital hill. Please raise up your head and act on it, do not DIVIDe us, UNITE US.
Ladies and Gentlemen, there are seized opportunities and lost opportunities. Seize it. We stand at the altar of democracy, let’s us stand together by helping to this great cause. We need to continue to be pioneers and renegades and not be paralyzed with the tyranny of now. The Stone Age did not end due to lack of stone but we changed our perception and moved to a new era. Martin Luther King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”Courage is not the absence of fear, it is a judgement that something else is more important than fear “and “to get something you never had, you have to do something you never did”.
The University of Houston Law Clinic is trying to keep American ideals alive, give voice to the voiceless, be part of that…it is such an amazing opportunity to do something
Nelson Mandela once said, “let’s us remind ourselves our work is far from complete, where there is poverty and sickness, where human being is being oppressed, there is more work to be done….there is more work to be done ….
Now let us do the work and show the world what it means to be an American, not judging people because of the color of their skin, religion or their belief but based on content of their character. America gives an unlimited sense of possibilities. You can make the History of Tomorrow today and becoming a catalyst for tomorrow. Let’s write a great story together. Let us Keep alive the promise of American Ideals and the hope for a bright future. We, the American People, are the most generous, let us show it to the world by our action. May God Bless you and may God Bless the United State of America. Thank you.
If you are interested to join this great cause to defend our principles, please contact Ms. Myra Johnson at [email protected].