LETTER: Who are the heroes now?
We think of those who participated in the Underground Railroad in the 19th century as heroes, we applaud those who protected Jews during the Holocaust, and we revere people who fought for civil rights, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These individuals stood against injustice, often defying unjust laws in the name of moral duty.
Today, in the United States, our government vilifies and criminalizes those who offer aid and protection to people seeking a better life. Those who provide food, shelter, or legal assistance to migrants and refugees now face social and legal prosecution. “We, the people” punish them for their compassion.
History has not been kind to societies that created injustice, or those who stood by in the face of injustice. How will future generations judge us? What values do we truly stand for? In the story being written now, who will be remembered as the heroes — and who as the villains?
Timothy Silbaugh
Canonsburg