An armed Coast Guard patrols the waters around Lady Liberty, watching diligently to prevent those who might do her (and her admirers) harm. Yet, Lady Liberty herself stands as a beacon of inclusion, declaring that even “wretched refuse” are welcome.
How are we to balance our impulse to defend against those we don’t trust with our desire to be as broadly inclusive and welcoming as possible?
This month, I helped someone prepare for her citizenship test. The proposed questions, the materials about how to behave at the interview, and some of the questions asked in the interview seemed designed to emphasize to the person seeking to citizenship that she is indeed “wretched refuse”. Seeing this process up close, but from outside stirred mixed feelings about how I value my US citizenship and exercise my responsibilities as a citizen.