Our nation’s creed that all people are created equal has been and continues to be the reason this country flourishes. Since our country’s founding, that creed has been tested numerous times but proven resilient, thanks to the many who have risen before and who rise today to meet the challenge.
To meet the challenges of today, it seems apt to recall Martin Niemoller’s reflections about the Holocaust, a unique and horrific event in history after which nations pledged “never again.”
A Lutheran pastor in Germany who initially expressed support for Nazi ideas, Niemoller became an outspoken critic after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. When World War II was over and after serving time in Nazi prisons and concentration camps, Niemoller uttered these famous words:
- “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
- “Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
- “Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
- “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
The U.S. Holocaust Museum prominently features Niemoller’s words on one of its walls to “serve as an indictment of passivity and indifference during the Holocaust.”
It’s important to remember that whoever we are, wherever we come from, whatever the color of our skin, whomever we love, and whatever we believe, we are all human beings with innate dignity, deserving of kindness and grace, with the right to live in peace and liberty, and the need to resolve our differences civilly and respectfully.
The beauty of America is its commitment to diversity and pluralism, rooted in the fundamentals of freedom. We all have an obligation to protect the rights of those who call this nation home.
Another quote has stuck with me over the years, this one from President George W. Bush, who spoke in his first inaugural address about the “unfolding American promise”:
“…everyone belongs, everyone deserves a chance, no insignificant person was ever born. Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.”
