I’ve always rooted for the underdog. My Catholic parents raised me to practice compassion toward those in need. This was the 1960s and the birth of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and our nation rose up to the challenge. I was an 18-year-old eager to lend a hand and was thrilled to be … Continue reading
Category Archives: Immigrants
The stranger becomes a friend
People who look and speak differently than me have had a profound influence on my life. As an 18-year-old, I was a VISTA volunteer in Nebraska for one year. I worked closely with Latino migrant workers who picked the crops and struggled to make a living. I learned a good deal of Spanish and managed … Continue reading
Welcome to America: Signs say it all
by Ron Cooper Refugees and immigrants moving to our communities may often feel like a duck out of water. They may be greeted, not with warm embraces and welcome, but instead with glares and ill-chosen words of intolerance and bigotry. Compassion demands that we respond to these newcomers with open arms. A simple way to … Continue reading
Ron Cooper 