Ben Meiselas
Amy from Springfield, Ohio sent me the following message I have permission to share:
“Ben, I am writing from Springfield, Ohio, where I was born and raised, and raised my kids. It's a little town in Clark County, Ohio that was named in honor of my ancestor George Rogers Clark, brother of William Clark from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. My little city of 59,000 people, consists mostly of blue-collar workers, day laborers, teachers, nurses, etc. We are the home of the silent film actress Lillian Gish, comedian Jonathon Winters, and of course, the great John Legend.
I never imagined seeing our town as the epicenter of so much conversation, discussion, and debate.
Seriously, I can't turn on the TV without hearing our city mentioned!
The truth is that no one steals our pets, let alone eats them. Our police department has verified this.
Our Haitian population is known to be hard workers, business owners, and good neighbors. One friend said his Haitian neighbors always smile and wave, and that you've never heard Brahm's Lullaby until you've heard sung in French to an infant by a Haitian mother.
My friend who is a construction worker at the Intel plant in Columbus said that many Haitian employees reside in Springfield (more affordable) and travel to Columbus to work...and that they are good people, hard workers, and always on time. Some are taking the opportunity to get training to further their skill set and employability.
What HAS happened in Springfield is an outpouring of xenophobia. There are protests by the Proud Boys on the corners and violent threats to our city hall, colleges, and schools. Our tiny downtown (honestly, if you blink you'll miss it!) has dealt with multiple bomb threats, causing several schools to be evacuated and closed. The college where I teach, Clark State, is going virtual this week (Sept 16-20) out of an abundance of caution. Thumbs up to our college president and other administrators for always making safety a priority.
Why?
Because of Trump's complete lie about our city (a sarcastic "thank you" also to Loomer and Vance).
As you know, Haitians are here under protective status. They are not killing and eating our cats and dogs, along with ducks and geese in Snyder Park. It has now become a running joke with an abundance of memes. But the truth is, it's sad and frightening.
Along with teaching college, I have a small Etsy business. A recent customer has been wonderfully patient as I postponed shipment because I hesitate to go downtown to the Post Office (a request of my kids who live in LA, I told them I'd find a different shipping location).
The lies from Trump and his allies are being perpetuated in the city. But fortunately, people are coming to Springfield to support our Haitian businesses!
I can only hope that this little town, which typically leans red, will wake up and see what is in store without a blue wave.”
