Two faces of America
As America hosts the 2026 World Cup, we have a choice as to how we present ourselves to the millions of international visitors who will travel here to attend the games. What is the face of our nation our guests will see?
One flows from our Statue of Liberty symbolizing the United States as a welcoming refuge for immigrants fleeing poverty, oppression, and hardship: “Give me your tired, your poor … yearning to breathe free …” We have sewn a quilt with patches representing our multi-colored populations, including “hyphenated Americans.” One burst into the spotlight when the team from Cabo Verde, a tiny island nation of 530,000, made it to the knockout stage. Celebrations erupted in Fall River and New Bedford, home to 100,000 Cape Verdean Americans who are but one patch on a beautiful American Population Quilt.
The other face emanates from a recent decision of the Supreme Court allowing an Administration order to send thousands of American residents from Haiti and Somalia back to their countries of origin after living here for many years. Even while there is a travel warning from the State Department to Americans not to go there because of extreme safety, security, and health risks.
So while some patches on our population quilt celebrate the efforts of their countries of origin, others cower in the fear of being suddenly assaulted by hooded thugs, shipped to distant places, to be dumped in countries they left years ago and for some have never even been to.
Our Beautiful American Population Quilt has patches turning black. Can the fun and joy of the World Cup remind us of what is really at play here? Will it restore a face of America that surely all of us, upon reflection, want the world to see?