Medium - Not Who We Are

Op-Ed

By Jahana Hayes

Muslim bans. Separating children from their parents at our border. Demonizing people who are coming to the U.S. for a better life.

It's hard to believe that these things are happening in our country at this very moment. It's not just the fact that these acts are profoundly immoral and inhumane, which they are. What's also jarring is that, at their core, they're un-American.

As a longtime history teacher, I tried to bring to life the democratic values that make our country so unique. I wanted my students to know that the same country whose founders proclaimed the self-evident truth that all people have an inherent right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," also pleaded with the rest of the world to "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free."

I wanted them to hear these words and believe them because, in my own experience, I know they're true. And I also know there are many countries where a story like mine isn't possible.

I was raised in a housing project and got pregnant during high school. My family has dealt with addiction. I was close to becoming just another statistic, another part of a long and oft-told story of someone who grew up poor and stayed that way but that's not what happened to me. And one of the reasons I'm running for

Congress is because I believe that, when we have elected leaders who share our values, we can make sure that the doors of opportunity are open to everyone.

Our country's current immigration policy is an abhorrent injustice designed by thinly veiled racists to inflict pain on people who have risked everything to come here for a better life.

The Supreme Court which is supposed to serve as a backstop to reckless policies has instead scrapped its independence and fallen in lock step with the far right wing of the Republican Party.

As a parent, the thought of being separated from my children causes unbearable heartbreak. More than a pain that I can't imagine, it's a level of pain I don't want to imagine.

As a teacher, policies like the Muslim ban are a cause for outrage because I've seen firsthand what happens when young people from different backgrounds come together. They learn from each other and celebrate the beauty of their differences.

As I travel around the district, I hear over and over again from people of all walks of life that this the headlines and constant barrage of unhinged tweets is not who we are. I agree.

We need to restore a basic sense of decency in our politics. We need a government comprised of people who are going to stand strong and defend the values our country was founded on.

The problems at the border may seem a world away from Northwestern Connecticut, but one thing is absolutely clear if Republicans are successful here in November, every last one of them will support the

President's disastrous immigration policies. We can't let that happen. I'm running for Congress because I believe the founding principles of our country have guided us forward in the goal to create a more perfect union.

Do we have more work to do? Absolutely. But it's not the work that stands in our way. It's the backward, zero-sum gamesmanship of political insiders who have had their day for far too long.

We need new voices in Congress. Voices that will stand up for the core principles that made it possible for a story like mine to become a reality. This is our history, even if some folks in Washington might need brush up on it.

Fortunately for them, I've got a lesson plan already written up.

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