Today we celebrate an immigrant community that fled dire hardship in their native land for a better life in the United States: the Irish. In the mid-19th century, as Irish immigrants arrived in large numbers fleeing famine, many Americans whose families had been here longer responded with prejudice and scorn. “No Irish Need Apply,” declared many places of employment. A new political movement was organized on the basis of xenophobia and religious discrimination (while also arguing that the newcomers were harming the economic prospects of those already here). To many Americans in that time, Irish immigrant families were “somebody else’s babies.”
Nearly two centuries later, those of us whose ancestors fled here from Ireland are indistinguishable from other Americans, and America would be much less great without them. St. Patrick’s Day is our annual reminder of that reality. As we celebrate today, let us learn from the mistakes made by those who shunned the Irish when they arrived, and let us celebrate the modern-day immigrants seeking a better life in our country. Because their experience is as American as anyone’s.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and have a great weekend.
