The jingoistic isolationism fostered within the Trump era stands in stark contrast to the ideas of cosmopolitanism. In such a world, how can one be bound by such nationalistic policy and still exercise a form of citizenship that extends beyond the borders of his own country? How can one be a global citizen in the Trump era? Well, Portlanders seem to be doing a pretty good job.
A traditionally progressive area, Portland has welcomed the recent wave of primarily Angolan and Congolese refugees with significantly open arms. Being that Portland is a longstanding gateway community for East African refugees, community members have collectively rallied behind a Community Support Fund in recognition of the city’s longstanding foundations within the immigrant community.
This pay-it-back form of global citizenship is a statement of solidarity and the beginning of a movement forward and out of this regressive age. While much of today’s political rhetoric is fostering extreme right-wing conservatism, Portland’s embrace of the now more than 700 refugees who have arrived since October 2018 is a powerful example of how immigration does not need to be a divisive issue.
Portland may be a small city, but it exemplifies a mighty message. To be truly American is to be a global citizen. The American owes his existence to the pain of others, and to be the great country we all want America to be, we must accept the fact that the road to getting there involves embracing a citizenship that extends beyond America’s borders.
Meredith Hawkins
Yarmouth
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