I am Lucky

Early Irish Immigrants

I am lucky

I have never been raped, sexually abused, or beaten

I have never been homeless, hungry, or unemployed

I have never had my husband, brothers, or father dragged out of my home by policemen and killed in the streets

I have never had to walk 2,000 miles to enter a country for a better life

I was born in a country where

I can speak against the government without going to jail

I can attend the church I want or not attend any church

I can go to the supermarket and buy food for my children

I can choose the school my children will attend

I am the great-grandchild of immigrants

Who came to the US on a ship from Ireland

They (my great grandparents) were seventeen and eighteen years old

Their parents sent them to the US alone

There were no jobs in Ireland

The English  had taken over the country and refused to hire them

The English kicked them out of their own country

The Irish were starving, unclean, and carried diseases

Look what the Irish have done for our country

Immigrants are coming from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

They are walking 2,000 miles to the US border

They are dirty, hungry, and homeless

They are children, babies, women, and men

They have seen the male members of their families taken away, shot and killed

The women have experienced rape, sexual abuse, and beatings

Their children can’t attend schools

The majority of them are not criminals, rapists, or murderers

They are people seeking a better life

Look what the Hispanics have done for our country

The US exists because of immigration

Imagine if the Native Americans won the war against the Europeans who invaded the USA

None of us would be in the USA

The Europeans came ready to fight

They had weapons

The Central Americans making their way to the border

Don’t have weapons

The American military has called 5,600 soldiers to protect our border against this “caravan”

This is not who we are.