Our country’s longest running war is over. I didn’t think it was possible to say a sentence like that in such a deflated way, though.
So much of what I wish I could change is out of my control. The human sized tasks in front of me look more like filling out a form to sponsor refugees, packaging together a welcome kit, and continuing to promote the spirit of welcome.
I’ve carried around this picture of a sign saying “You’re Welcome at Our Table” on my phone for three years. I snapped this in Nashville. From the window of Woolworth’s on 5th.
That just so happens to be the site of numerous lunch counter protests in the 1960s. One where John Lewis was arrested. Technically the original establishment shut forever ago, but since then a new recreation of a restaurant emerged, paying homage to the history and serving great (and somewhat pricey) food.
A heart of welcome looks like a lot of things: a Oaxacan community preparing their biggest feast in over a year during my visit, a Karen refugee showing me his favorite restaurant during a grand tour of his refugee camp, or a conversation in Nashville where the bartender and I sat at the historic counter and joked about being the only Asians in sight.
It’s something I’ve encountered the world over, from Haiti to Tanzania to Morocco. I’ve always felt like I’ve always received much more of the welcome than I’ve given, and almost embarrassingly, I’ve received so much hospitality from many with far less privilege.
I’m still looking for a better word than ‘hospitality’ to describe this. That seems too stiff. It’s more like an enthusiastic celebration of your humanity and sacredness. And it’s taught me to outright reject any language that paints a picture of us-and-them, viewing anyone not familiar to us as a threat. Any rhetoric about why some group of people will take jobs or spots in schools meant for us based on a manufactured sense of scarcity just misses me.
Instead, I want to inhale and exhale the exact opposite vibe. One I’m still looking for a word for. Something beyond hospitality. You are welcome because you are.