By a St. Bernard Parish resident
I am deeply saddened by the demonstrations of xenophobia at the Italian, Irish, and Isleños Parade. A float titled “Build the Wall” paraded while people flaunted “white power” hand gestures, wore Kim Jong-un masks while impersonating East Asian stereotypes, mockingly wore “Mexican Lives Matter” shirts while wearing Trump masks, imitated Border Patrol deporting immigrants, and threw out toilet paper with blatant sexist statements written on it (“grab ‘em”, “Stormy Daniels Makes Trump Sammichs”, etc.). At their worst, they were mocking the sanctity of others’ lives simply because they are different than them.
It is a certain type of irony that a parade celebrating the rich culture and history of immigrant groups tolerates the blatant persecution of other, newer immigrant groups at a family event. My great-great grandfather and my great-grandfather were both born in Cefalu, Sicily. They undertook the arduous journey to New York and New Orleans, respectively, in pursuit of a better life promised by our country. Sicilian immigrants were lynched in the streets of New Orleans, forced to live on the outskirts of town or in the slums of the Quarter, and called “dago” or other derogatory slurs on a daily basis. It seems we’ve forgotten our history because we have been accepted as “white.” If we deplore the discrimination against our immigrant ancestors who sought a better life, we must confront and reject it when done to immigrants today, who are seeking those same opportunities. We can celebrate our cultures without dehumanizing other immigrant groups.
Not only would we do well to remember the history of how our ancestors were treated as immigrants, but we would do well to remember the hands that helped rebuild our parish from the ground up after Katrina. I remember the migrants who poured into the community, working in dreadful conditions to gut and rebuild homes, roads, businesses, and schools. They labored tirelessly in oppressive heat and humidity, and many had no place to sleep. They were there for us from the earliest phases of the rebuilding process. Post-Katrina St. Bernard Parish was built on the backs of migrant labor. They assisted us in our desperate time of need as we lamented the unfathomable devastation and mourned the hundreds who perished. We must *never* forget that nor forsake them.
To close, we should always stand up to hate, *especially* within our home community, no matter the backlash or repercussions. We should welcome incoming immigrant communities. Stand with them. To any immigrant, person of color, or anyone who belongs to any other group that was targeted by this vile xenophobia – know that there are people here that want you here. You are welcome here, and you make our community, your community, richer.