In a Land of Immigrants, a Thanksgiving Reflection for Tomorrow Night's Dinner
NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) is suggesting to millions of Americans that they pause during their Thanksgiving meal this year and consider words of reflection that pay homage to the immigrants who created America and who continue to provide our nation with a boundless enthusiasm, confidence and energy.
NECO Chairman Nasser J. Kazeminy stated, "We are respectfully suggesting that, as people prepare to enjoy their meals, we pause and offer to those who have assembled for this holiday some words that acknowledge what an amazing country we are."
NECO was founded in the belief that the diversity of the American people is what makes this nation great. The group's mission is to honor and preserve this diversity and to foster tolerance, respect and understanding among religious and ethnic groups.
NECO sponsors a broad range of programs, events, educational initiatives and materials designed to cultivate understanding among individuals and groups.
Additionally, NECO continues the commitment to the restoration and maintenance of Ellis Island, a living tribute to the courage and hope of all immigrants who have built America.
Mr. Kazeminy observed, "I am sure America's families may have their own thoughts in how best to honor the day but NECO has penned the following reflection as possible guidance to those who wish to pay tribute to the holiday."
An American Immigrant's Thanksgiving Reflection
We are a nation of men, women and children who have come to these shores in search of something greater than the lands from which we were born. Some of us were seeking freedom. Others sought opportunity. Others wished for religious tolerance. We all came with dreams and hopes. We all arrived with much anticipation and a deep seated concern that we may not measure up to the potential of who we can become as Americans.
As we reflect during this Thanksgiving meal we should pause and appreciate that America stands unique among all the nations of the world. We celebrate this holiday in a land that remains a beacon of hope for tens of millions of people. It is a country that has sacrificed its sons and daughters so that liberty may be sustained and that civilization does not succumb to the forces of darkness. And we continue to do so today.
We recognize that we observe this celebration in a democracy where it is our Constitutional right to argue, to disagree, to petition our government and to make use of that most powerful weapon in the arsenal of democracy: the ballot box.
NECO, and its proud members who live throughout the United States, recognize that for many American immigrants every day is Thanksgiving. Every day is an appreciation of not just what America represents but what it offers its citizens by way of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom from fear and freedom from want.
Centuries after the first Thanksgiving, we continue to pause to honor those American immigrants who built this nation, framed its laws, protected its democratic form of government as well as those Americans who continue to affirm our role as a moral force for good. Let us recognize that as a nation of immigrants we shall continue to honor the principles of America's founding so that we may welcome future generations to this American Thanksgiving.
SOURCE National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)
Share this article