Will We Reap What We Sow?

Miami Herald writer Andres Oppenheimer asks this question of the swelling hysteria against undocumented immigrants in his recent article. What becomes of a Dream deferred? Where do good people go when they are cased as "illegal" humans for the want of a simple visa? "We cannot let everyone in!" will be the refrain. But this does no justify the unorganized, mean spirited, manner in which everyday people are trying to solve the problem. Where is the leadership? Have we not learned that meanness only begets meanness?

Several years ago I conducted a painting workshop titled "Planting Anew" in which I paired people from different backgrounds together (immigrant with minority, African with Asian,) and asked them to create a collaborative painting. Titled "Planting Anew" it was a hopeful project that got its name that came from the Gardener's habit of deciding each year what to plant. Today, I fear we are planting the seeds of a bitter garden.