Lady Liberty. A symbol of freedom and welcoming. We so need to have a government that stands up for these welcoming ideals as expressed by Emma Lazarus in her poem “The New Colossus.”
For those that are interested, The New Colossus is a bit longer than the “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,…” part that is oft quoted. These words occur at the end of the poem. The bronze plaque titled “The New Colossus” is attached to the base of Lady Liberty states and says, in full:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
For a fuller history of immigration’s connection to Lady Liberty, check out my blog post from earlier this year: “The Statue of Liberty is an Egyptian Woman.“
Civil Rights Advocacy 