Do you know who wrote these words: “GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, YOUR POOR, YOUR HUDDLED MASSES YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE, THE WRETCHED REFUSE OF YOUR TEEMING SHORE. SEND THESE THE HOMELESS TEMPEST TOSSED TO ME. I LIFT MY LAMP BESIDE THE GOLDEN DOOR.” Yes….It was Emma Lazarus; little know except for this poem which is called “The New Colossus”. While she lived in the late 1880’s she was a well known, socialite, advocate, and activist. A WRITER: because of her many poems and articles; A SOCIALITE: because she came from a wealthy family and mixed with the other well-to-do and the famous. (Her father was a rich sugar merchant.) AN ADVOCATE: because when she saw things that were not good…she was outspoken…and wrote about them to expose this harmful behavior. And finally AN ACTIVIST: because not only would she write about the objectionable behavior, she personally made the effort to bring about a change. |