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I recently bought a book on the history of Westford that was written by our esteemed Ellen Harde, Beth Shaw and June Kennedy. Three women have contributed in wonderful ways to our community over the years. As a somewhat new resident of Westford, I was interested in learning more about this great town. The history of the mills is what amazed me the most. The mills brought immigrants from Canada, Russia, Italy, Poland, and Ireland. These proud people worked hard and built a life for themselves. Many of them had planned to return to their home countries, but were unable to with the onset of World War I. Many of them and their children fought for America in World War I and World War II. I can imagine that Westford and America was not always a welcoming place for them.
That thread of diversity runs through Westford and America today. Westford still has great diversity. I have met friends who immigrated from India, Pakistan, China, Ireland, Honduras, and parts of Africa. I have met Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, and Atheist friends. According to Pew Research, Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past, and the U.S. is projected to be even more diverse in the coming decades. By 2055, the U.S. will not have a single racial or ethnic majority. Much of this change has been (and will be) driven by immigration. This is the America that my children are growing up in. I think it’s wonderful.
But, many do not think it’s wonderful. They are afraid of the changes this will bring and our President is stoking those fears and igniting hatred in our communities. His recent comments referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and the Continent of Africa as “sxxxhole countries” is very disturbing. We can no longer deny that our President is a White Supremacist and that the Republican Party is enabling it. It is time for all of us who abhor this radical shift in policy to stand up and say that this does not represent our hope for Westford or America. We are a nation of laws, but it is up to the people to shape those laws. It’s time for the people to take their power back. — Beth Morrison, Leader of Indivisible Westford, Progressive Massachusetts Chapter
