URGENT: Take Action for Refugees Today
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!-Emma Lazarus
Dear friends,
Today is a dark day for America. A nation which has long been a haven for the persecuted and the disenfranchised is turning its back on its principles of diversity and inclusion.
Banning refugees not only goes against our values as a nation, it is also a denial of our shared heritage.
For so many of us, our family histories are intertwined with American immigration policy. We are the descendants of hard-working refugees and immigrants who came to this country to build a better future for their children.
Today's refugees want the same. We owe it to our shared history to support them. It is more important than ever to demonstrate, in each of our communities, that refugees are welcome. Refugees are valued. Refugees make America great.
Today, I ask you to think globally and act locally. Here are two ways to help:
- Donate to local refugee resettlement organizations such as HIAS, IRC, CWS, and Catholic Charities or to Emma's Torch.
- Share this message widely.
Let's make our voices heard.
With gratitude and support even in our darkest days,
Kerry