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An
Open Letter to America
By Li Rapkin
It is
now three days After, and I am still struggling to wrap my
mind around the enormous events that have engulfed our country.
Like you, I am angry, I am hurt, and I know new kinds of fear.
My first new kind of fear was for my family in New York and
my friend in Washington--the awful fear of the worst possible
outcome that twists the heart from not knowing. Thousands,
perhaps millions, of you know this fear, and my heart goes
out to you. I hope your loved ones beat the odds, so that
you need not fear the ring of a phone.
Another
kind of fear that I have learned about also comes from uncertainty.
As a nation, we watch and wait. We do not know if we will
wake up and discover that our government has directed its
declared war against an individual, an organization, or another
nation. We do not know if the landmark or airport near us
will be next. We don’t know, with unfailing certainty, that
it is safe to go to work or to a public space the way we did
last weekend. We don’t know even know who to be afraid of,
and so we fear everyone.
And this
is the fear that has commanded my attention. As I watch the
news, I am dismayed and shocked to see Americans turning on
each other. I am afraid of my fellow Americans, who have allowed
their pain and fear to fester and turn to hate. I am afraid
of these people who do not know that the Muslims and Arab-Americans
they have targeted are as innocent and as wounded as the rest
of us…and that they carry the additional burden of belonging
to a religion or ethnicity that is profoundly feared in this
country and elsewhere.
I ask
you, my fellow citizens, to stand with me and uphold our dearest
principles--freedom and justice for all, innocent until proven
guilty, freedom of speech, assembly, and religion. I am only
one person, but I will stand before the nation and say that
I will not blame all for the actions of a few.
I will not tolerate hate. I
will speak for and defend those who are afraid to speak for
and defend themselves. Most of all, I will urge you to join
me, and say that we will not blame all for the
actions of a few, and that we will not tolerate
hate... for we have had a disastrous demonstration of what
hate can do.
Please
share this letter, circulate it, copy it, publish it, post
it on the Internet and in public places.
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