Immigrant to Immigrant “from an America created by Immigrants”

Ellis echoes 17th century poet, 20th century preacher at Brownsville

“America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from waves of immigrants, bearing different memories, honoring different heritages. They have strengthened our economy, enriched our culture, renewed our promise of freedom and opportunity for all.”

“A

ll of us…. came here from somewhere else….” Few in this country “have roots in this country. Whether it was through slavery or migration —  

This land flourished because it was fed from so many sources; because it was nourished by so many great cultures and great traditions and great people, who crossed borders to get here.

Together we built cities. We built industries. We built movements. We built a culture.

Wendell Ramone “Jay” Ellis Jr. was speaking at Brownsville, Texas, a few days ago.

J

ay Ellis grew up a military “brat” (no  disrespect intended) reportedly attending twelve schools in thirteen years before heading to Oregon for college sports and university studies. Southern (Sumter, South Carolina) born Jay Ellis Jr. then heads to Tinseltown, City of Angels, Ciudad de Angeles and embarks on a modeling career (not unlike First Lady Melanija Knavs Trump) and an acting career. At Brownsville, he recalled another “Jr.” who had said (in the original text):  

“… [A]ll life is interrelated, and in a real sense we are all courting an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.

“John Donne caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms: ‘No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’

“And he goes on toward the end to say: ‘Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’”

I

n the assembly of migrants and protesters Jay Ellis recalled “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and continued in the spirit of ML King Jr.: 

“‘We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’ That connection, that ‘single garment of destiny,’ is most visible when [people wielding inordinate power try] to break it. Mutuality is most tangible when [inordinate power tries] to tear us apart.”

Ellis assures immigrants: 

“You are accepted and you are loved in an America that has been created by so many immigrants. We will continue to fight for that America every single day.”

Sources

American Rhetoric (speeches)

Dr. Martin Luther King  Jr. (speech) ”Methodist Student Leadership Conference Address delivered 1964, Lincoln, Nebraska, http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkmethodistyouthconference.htm

Wikipedia

John Donne (/dʌn/ DUN) English, poet, priest and lawyer 1572 – 1631 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne

Jay Ellis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Ellis

Rebroadcasting

Democracy Now! “Actor Jay Ellis of HBO’s ‘Insecure’ Condemns Separation of Families at Protest in Brownsville, Texas” June 29, 2018 https://www.democracynow.org/2018/6/29/actor_jay_ellis_of_hbos_insecure

Insight Beyond Today’s News, CLB