“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respected stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions, whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges.” – President George Washington
“Respect for the God-given dignity of every human being, no matter their race, ethnicity, or other circumstances of their birth, is the essence of American patriotism. To believe otherwise is to oppose the very idea of America.” – Senator John McCain
Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day, and it’s worth noting that we have a long, proud history of advancing equality and social justice. Cleveland-Marshall College of Law was the first law school in Ohio to admit women and one of the first to admit minorities. It was our graduates who laid the foundation for the legal profession and who led the fight for civil rights in Northeast Ohio.
Louise Mooney, former C|M|LAW Communications Coordinator, wrote in her history of our law school, “A part-time night law school suited a hope-filled time, for it offered distinct advantages to a generation just forming itself- the children of hardworking immigrants, persons of limited resources, individuals with families to support, who hoped to build a new life and could study law only if they could continue to work.”
When Cleveland-Marshall was founded in 1897, Cleveland was the nation’s fifth most important immigrant gateway city, with nearly 33% of its population foreign-born. During this time, Cleveland’s population was at its highest level of nearly 800,000. The immigrant population migrating to the region drove early 20th century industrial innovation and growth and fueled the growth of our law school.
Ohioan William McKinley was President of the United States and immigration was a hot political issue because immigrants from Europe were pouring into America. McKinley took on his party’s nativist faction and reached out to Roman Catholics and immigrants. Ironically, in 1901, President McKinley’s assassination by a Polish immigrant sparked a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment and restrictive and exclusionary immigration laws.
In other words, we’ve been here before.
As our nation debates immigration in this new year, let’s remember that America wouldn’t be America without immigrants, Cleveland wouldn’t be Cleveland without immigrants, and Cleveland-Marshall wouldn’t be Cleveland-Marshall without immigrants. To understand the impact of immigration on Cleveland, go to Global Cleveland Immigrant Impact.
We are a nation of immigrants, and most of us have an immigrant story. My grandparents immigrated from Lithuania and Russia; Peggy’s grandparents from Italy. What’s your immigrant story? #myimmigrantstory
Our stories remind us, and our lawmakers, that we are tied in a single garment of destiny.
Have a great week.
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For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.
My best,
Lee