A Humble Valentine’s
As we all begin to celebrate love and life with Valentine’s Day approaching, we must keep in mind exactly what it is we are celebrating. To be a free human being, to be in good health, to have a home and loved ones to celebrate with—these are things not to be taken for granted.
You may recall an article HPR ran a few months ago called “Catch 23” - a story that chronicled a group of Indian men who were conned into indentured labor. Barry Nelson, one of the area’s most prominent voices on the subject, sums it up: “Indian workers recruited for their job skills find themselves in an inhumane situation in Texas and Mississippi; they call upon the U.S. justice system and Congress for help. Two years later, with travel around the country, jailtime, further indebtedness, they still wait for their justice and the company that continues to exploit workers from around the world continues to operate with impunity.”
23 of the original 290 Indian workers ended up in our area; incarcerated for working without legal status in our country. Their criminal proceedings are over, but their fate remains uncertain. These men paid to get into this country under the promise of citizenship, and were apparently fooled. Allegedly, some of them paid their way into the U.S. with black market loans, and they fear for their lives should they be forced to return home. If they stay, they cannot work and support themselves.
(hpr1.com/feature/article/catch_23_you_dont_have_to_go_home_but_you_cant_work_here)
Hear the story from the men themselves at Nativity Catholic Church this Tues, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. (1825 South 11th St., Fargo).
On another note, our hearts go out to our peers at the Forum. It saddens us to see the flagship of our region’s news fall on hard times, and we sympathize with those who have lost their source of income. Should we take this as a sign that the economic collapse is at hand? If we gauge our economic status through publications, then technically, it’s been underway for some time. The Chicago Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection, the Christian Science Monitor went strictly web, and a number of dailies nationwide are discontinuing home delivery. The signs of economic distress are all around us. Let us hope that bailout plan #2 works better than its predecessor. If not, we may all be in dire straits indeed.
Is HPR Schizophrenic?
Last week, we ran a cover story that criticized America’s obsession with beauty. Now this week we celebrate the American notion of beauty? One must remember the ideals at the core of the Reader. We are an omnium-gatherum of ideas; an open forum in the truest sense of the word. We exist to amplify the voices of the community, whatever their point of view.
To stress this point further, we are overjoyed to announce that beginning next week, we will be publishing a Latino affairs section called “¿Qué pasó?” To our knowledge, HPR will be the area’s first publication to offer bilingual news. We are humbled to step up to the plate as a voice for the Hispanic community. We also invite Spanish-speaking readers to send us their letters in English, Spanish, or both. Whether you have something to say about Hispanic affairs or not, we are looking forward to accepting bilingual letters of all kinds. It is our hope that this new section will help further unite our wonderfully diverse community.
On a More Somber Note…
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Laura Williams Jaffe. At a prayer service for Laura, Rob Bye of Valley Water Rescue said he isn’t a writer, but was inspired to write the following poem about Laura:
I Never Met Laura
I never met Laura, but I knew her,
I knew her sisters that stood in the cold, That huddled together,
That shared stories of gardens and beaches and flowers, Sisters that hugged and prayed,
Sisters that hoped and sisters that wept,
I never met Laura, but I knew her,
I knew her brothers’ who stood so strong,
That started the search and would never have quit,
That supported the others and spoke when she couldn’t, Brothers that hugged and prayed,
Brothers that hoped and brothers that wept,
I never met Laura, but I knew her,
I know her Father in Heaven that carried her home, That huddled together and watched over the search, All the while holding her close,
A Father that counted the hairs on her head,
A Father that promised a mansion with her very own room,
I never met Laura, but I knew her,
I knew the love that brought us together,
The community that embraced Laura and her family, How we will miss her and never forget,
And the healing that will come,
I never met Laura, but I knew her.
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