Guest Op-Ed: Atmospheric Changes Happening in Revere; Part Two

By Kathleen Heiser

We can make change happen right here in Revere. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and generations to come. Will you help “Plant Seeds for Reconciliation”?

The first major step is scheduled to take place Wednesday, December 22nd.  Happily, there are 22 newcomers to the United States preparing to share their stories. These stories will be prepared for display and in the very near future they will begin appearing in various public venues.

Might you be willing to share your family’s “Coming-to-America” story? We know that we are all immigrants, whether we or our families came over on the Mayflower, flew in on a jet, or walked across the border.

We have many commonalities. I don’t know you. I ask you to teach me. We need as many willing persons as possible to remember the reasons their ancestors left their homelands, their families, their culture, and even their language to venture to a new beginning.

Was it war, threats, political oppression? Was it hunger, poverty, and/or just endless struggle? Was it the promise of streets paved in gold? So many came: some ran with just the clothes on their backs and prayers on their lips; some died; some were turned away. All faced difficult and heartbreaking decisions for what they hoped would be a chance for a better life.

They paved the way for our lives today. Each story is different, but there are many commonalities that run throughout. Please be open enough to help make a change in these difficult times.

Kathleen Heiser is the President of the Beachmont Improvement Committee, as well as a volunteer on many other committees within the city. She is a retired RPS first-grade teacher, a published poet, and a writer.

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