The Nation Magazine published an article this week that reminds readers of Eleanor Roosevelt’s message to a fear-racked American public following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Perhaps, on us today lies the obligation to prove that such a vision may be a practical possibility. If we cannot meet the challenge of fairness to our citizens of every nationality, of really believing in the Bill of Rights and making it a reality for all loyal American citizens, regardless of race, creed or color; if we cannot keep in check anti-Semitism, anti-racial feelings as well as anti-religious feelings, then we shall have removed from the world, the one real hope for the future on which all humanity must now rely. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt quoted in The Nation, “What can we learn from Eleanor Roosevelt in a time of Xenophobia?”, February 5, 2016.
Any Presidential Candidate who voices hatred for another religious belief or race leads us away from the great mandate of our national creed. David Woolner’s article follows The First Lady’s visit to a Detention Center, to President Roosevelt’s error in giving into the demands for internment by a fearful public. The article is extremely useful in the malaise of fear that pervades the American psyche today.
Susan Feathers 