Highest value: society based on tolerance

Thank you for your coverage of the event “Build Bridges: Rally for Immigrant and Refugee Rights” (http://thecommunityword.com/online/cwnotes/2017/04/02/attorney-no-human-being-is-illegal/)

We thought it was important to invite members of the Peoria community to respond to the Trump administration’s changes in immigration policy and recent Muslim travel bans. We also wanted to host a thoughtful discussion of the positive ways immigrants and refugees have influenced American culture and history.

To be honest, when we started planning the event, it seemed urgent to me to educate the public and to build solidarity with groups that have been targeted by fear-mongering and hateful rhetoric. However, in the process of organizing the rally, I was so impressed by the eagerness of our community to help and to stand up and speak out on these issues. I realized that the value of a multicultural society based on tolerance is not in question for most of us, and that we will resist an agenda of extremism. I was especially inspired and humbled by the courage of all of our speakers who shared their experiences and diverse histories with us.

Thank you again for being there!

Becca Taylor, Peoria