Governor Pillen: Fundraising plea, right back at you

Dear Jim Pillen, 

I got a letter from you last month in which you made a lot of assumptions about me, including that I am your friend, and I just want to clear those assumptions up, if I may. 

     

You said that serving as my governor has been a privilege. I want to think you feel that way about all your constituents. If that’s the case, why have you resorted to name calling and disrespect of some Nebraska residents? Also, by privilege, do you mean it’s an honor and you are grateful to serve as my (and their) governor, or do you mean that you think you have a special unearned advantage or immunity as the governor, and can do what you want and treat people any way you want? 

You wrote to update me on what “we’ve” accomplished. You told me you’ve been proud to work side-by-side with Donald Trump on important issues facing Nebraska and “America.” (Did you mean the United States? There are several countries in North America, including Canada and Mexico. But I digress.) You say that Trump is endorsing your re-election. 

 

I am a registered non-partisan voter. I believe it is a detriment to your re-election campaign that Trump has endorsed you. He appears to be dismantling our democracy and installing an autocratic form of government in its stead. Why are you proud to work side-by-side with a man who vilifies women? Who shares a glaringly racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama on his social media, depicting them as apes? Who is continuing to harass the city of Minneapolis with ICE and Border Patrol agents, despite their shooting and killing two American citizens exercising their constitutional rights? I could go on. 

The man you are so proud to work side-by-side with has hired as his deputy chief of staff for policy, hardline immigrant hater Stephen Miller. Common Cause, an organization that describes itself as upholding the core values of American democracy, says Miller is a white nationalist who subscribes to cruelty-as-policy tactics. He constantly denigrates immigrants, even though he is a descendant of Jewish immigrants who fled persecution abroad to build a successful life for themselves. He is the chief architect of an immigration policy that pulled a 5-year-old boy from a car and used him to lure his father, an asylum seeker, from their home. 

Your grandfather, Mr. Pillen, is said to have immigrated to the United States from Germany, yet you have decided to carry out the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda in these ways: using the Nebraska National Guard to assist ICE, designating the Work Ethic Camp in McCook as a new detention center for immigrants, and directing the Nebraska State Patrol to pursue an agreement that essentially makes local law enforcement tools of ICE.

You insinuate in your letter that your values are mine. They are not. You have signed laws to criminalize sex changes for minors and take away the rights of women to decide what happens with their bodies.

You have defended gun rights via constitutional carry, but support a president who has said people should not be allowed to carry a gun at a protest (a legally protected Second Amendment right). You have prohibited “America’s enemies (?)” from owning Nebraska farmland.

You want to do more, you said, so you want me to send you money so you can be re-elected. You say you work hard, play by the rules and stand up for what you believe in. Me, too. But your rules and beliefs and Trump’s and his appointees are not mine. By the way, you were not appointed by Donald Trump. You were elected by the people of Nebraska to represent all the state’s residents.

     

Along with my money, you would like to know my legislative priorities. If I am not your friend, will you still take them seriously? 

     

PARENTAL RIGHTS Last year, House and Senate Republicans introduced a bill to protect parental rights from government actions affecting upbringing, education, and health care of their children. Do you understand the hypocrisy of signing bills in Nebraska that take away those health care rights? 

     

VALUES You want me to support your plan to rid our universities and schools of using diverse pronouns, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and teaching about race and racism. I do not. I believe in education for all, in preschools, K-12 schools, colleges and universities. Educating our young people, teaching them true history, and showing them we care for all our residents are the only ways we come together and survive as a state. I believe in giving all families what they need, by public assistance or otherwise, to become self sufficient.

     

IMMIGRATION We also have a problem with brain drain, with young people moving out of Nebraska to states that better match their values, that support funding for higher education. Your politics and policies are hurting the state. 

     

You say in your letter to me: “You know that I’m not a politician.” You would like me to send you money “to fight for Nebraska and America’s future.” Right back at you, Governor Pillen. I am not a politician and would like you to send me money to fight for Nebraska and America’s future. 

At the top of this letter you will find my request for a donation of $174,000, which is the U.S. Senate salary of Pete Ricketts, whom you appointed to the position as the result of a rather underhanded deal. I believe you should feel lucky I am not asking for the salaries of all the Trump appointees Ricketts then voted for. 

     

Please make the check payable to 5 Women Mayhem and we will distribute the money to people of Nebraska who are suffering as a result of Ricketts’ vote for the Trump budget bill. 

 

Yours truly, 

JoAnne Young

Not a Politician, for real 

Smashing That Which We Value...and Finding a Breathing Place

 

By Marilyn Moore

It’s been a week.  On Tuesday, Coco Grauff, US tennis player extraordinaire, lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.  In sheer frustration, she smashed her tennis racket into the floor of the ramp leading to the locker room.  She thought she was in a private space.  She wasn’t…and the video went viral. 

I last played tennis decades ago, and I was never good enough to be entitled to that degree of frustration when I played poorly.  But smashing that racket was a metaphor for so much of my reaction to what happened this week.  So many actions of our federal and state government, which always acts in our name, were so wrong, so poor, so inept, so cruel, that my response was visceral.  I wanted to smash something.  (I no longer own a tennis racket, and no dishes or mugs were broken in our home this week…but it would have felt good, for a moment….

And in the same week, there were moments when I remembered, and lived into, the words from the anthem our choir sang last week, “There I find, find my breathing place….”  Confirming that yes, it’s possible for two contradictory statements to be true.  

One week ago today, Alex Pretti, Minneapolis RN and protester, leaned over to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground by ICE agents.  He was tackled by other ICE agents and executed.  Ten shots.  And, like in the murder of George Floyd nearly six years ago, a brave woman with a cell phone captured it all on video.  And the whole world could see it, could see that he was not the aggressor, he was the victim, contrary to the statements of federal officials.  Smash.

Following the murder of Alex Pretti, Vice President Vance and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller asserted that the agents who shot him had “absolute immunity” in their roles.  That is not true, but they said it, loudly and repeatedly. Smash.

Liam, the five-year-old in the blue bunny hat and the Spiderman backpack, and his dad, will be released from a detention center in Texas no later than next Tuesday, only because a judge demanded it with an excoriating order.  Liam and his dad are not in the country illegally; they entered through a border station and applied for asylum; the asylum case is pending.  That’s the legal way that asylum cases happen; they did it “the right way.”  While their release has been ordered, hundreds more are in that same detention center, a place that is unhealthy and unsafe.  As the principal of Liam’s school said, children are not meant to be in jails, they’re meant to be in classrooms.  Smash.

A nation-wide call to place candles in the window….lighting the way for those who are searching, affirming that the lonely and afraid are not alone, bringing a glow in the dark.  There I find, find my breathing place….

Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the US District Court for the District of Minnesota noted that he had identified 96 court orders that ICE has violated in 74 cases, and he went on to say that ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence. Blatant disregard by the executive branch for the judicial branch.  Smash.

Senators Ricketts and Fisher voted yesterday for the appropriations bill that separates funding for the Department of Homeland Security from that of five other federal agencies.  This allows two weeks for language to be crafted that reins in some of the most problematic behaviors of ICE, especially behaviors that violate constitutional rights.  Both senators have expressed support for President Trump and for ICE, acting at his direction.  Senator Ricketts acknowledged that an investigation should be conducted into the death of Alex Pretti; Senator Fisher has not commented on his murder at all.  Congress has constitutional oversight of the executive branch, a duty they have not been willing to exercise. Smash.

Not an easy read, but I’ve learned a lot from this book about immigration law, policy, rules, and practices over the past fifty-plus years.  Knowledge is power…and awful as the facts may be, I breathe more easily when I know them.  There I find, find my breathing place.

In a tele-town hall a couple of weeks ago, Nebraska Governor Pillen used a defamatory, hateful term to describe those who criticized his policies.  I’ll not repeat the term here, as you all have seen it elsewhere.  The word he chose is based on a slur used against persons with cognitive disabilities, a word that every child has been taught not to say.  But he said it, three times.  This week, his office issued a statement explaining that he did not intend in any way to disparage those with disabilities, that he is “a fierce advocate for the inherent dignity and value of all people.”  He was instead referring to liberals who speak out against his policies.  Evidently, they are not entitled to the inherent dignity and value of all people that was claimed in the previous sentence.  Smash.

The Nebraska legislature held hearings on three bills that would severely restrict trans people’s personal liberties.  The bathroom bill is once again up for discussion, and as it’s a priority bill, it will most likely claim time of the full legislature.  The judgment of medical providers and parents of trans youth would be discarded by another bill, with the state of Nebraska substituting its judgment.  The most vulnerable population in our state, trans youth, and it seems we cannot just let them be.  Smash.

The Venerable Buddhist monks’ walk for peace… walking eight hours a day from Fort Worth to Washington, DC, a distance of 2300 miles.  Following their trek has engaged millions of people, who are enchanted, calmed, and encouraged by their message of peace and hope.  Some people join their walk for a ways, others give flowers to them as they pass.   The monks walk with open hands.  Their message is simple…and a prayer for all…. “May all beings everywhere be free from hatred, be healthy, be safe, be peaceful and at ease in body and in mind, and may they meet no obstacles in their daily lives.”  There I find, find my breathing place….

Don Lemon, independent journalist, was arrested yesterday by the DOJ, because he reported on a protest being held inside a church.  There is no evidence he participated in the protest; he reported, because that’s what reporters do.  Two judges advised against the arrest, saying there was not a sufficient basis for it.  But the DOJ found a way…most likely hoping to frighten or dissuade other journalists for reporting on ICE activities or protests against them. A first amendment case, for sure.  Smash.

Late Friday afternoon, another three million pages of the Epstein files were released, a full month later than the deadline set by Congress.  Survivor’s names were supposed to be redacted; some were not.  While the DOJ spokesperson said all documents have now been released, those familiar with the Epstein case believe there are still millions of pages that remain.  Given the amount of misinformation, disinformation, and straight-forward lies that have been told by the DOJ regarding the Epstein files, it’s difficult to believe what is being said.  The timing of the release is also suspicious, following the arrest of Don Lemon by just a few hours.  Is one of these supposed to be a distraction from the other?  Credibility of the DOJ at a low point.  Smash

“Boots on the ground” reports from friends in Minneapolis are filled with accounts of protesters being arrested and detained for protesting.  They also report US citizens, and persons who are not citizens but who are legally in the country, are being arrested and detained. First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, and Fourteenth Amendment appear to be seen by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security as mere suggestions, but not Constitutional safeguards.  Smash.

The Nebraska air is cold today, made more so by the wind.  The sun does little to add warmth.  Still, the prairie is always there, always welcoming.  There I find, find my breathing space.  

An impossible week, a friend said.  A week to smash things in frustration. A week for deep sorrow for damage to individual human lives and for damage to the institutions of our collective lives as Americans.  A week to find, and settle into, a breathing place. And lest we forget, a week for deep, deep awe and gratitude for the residents of Minneapolis, who have stood up for, stood in for, rallied around, and protected their neighbors and the principles upon which this country is founded.  They have walked children to school.  They have delivered groceries and meals and medications to families afraid to leave their homes.  They have marched.  They have reported violations and brutality.  They have picked up the pieces where the community was broken, and they have put them back together, stronger.  And they have done it all in frigid, freezing Minnesota winter weather.  They have brought life, and their lives, to Dr. Martin Luther King’s words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  

No place to hide when raging fear invades our country … our communities

 

By Mary Kay Roth

One chilly evening last week, around dusk, my car was stopped at a red traffic light on “O” street.  Lost in thought, I suddenly became aware that the driver in the vehicle next to me was roaring his engine, had rolled down his window and was screaming at me.

“Oh my god it’s a f *%! liberal.  It’s a f*%! commie liberal.  Can you believe it, right here we have a f*%! liberal.  Look at her, a stupid f*%! commie just sitting at the light.”

I froze behind my steering wheel, picturing the Minneapolis woman who had been backing up her car and ended up dead, knowing I had bumper stickers declaring my political sentiments.

The light changed and a huge white pickup truck revved his motor, soared ahead and swerved in front of me. His vehicle had huge letters on the back, spelling out TRUMP, and he started periodically stomping on his brakes while slowing in front of me.

Getting close to my home, I waited until the last possible moment to spin around a corner off “O” street – sped home, closed the garage and locked all my doors.

My heart raced.  I was scared to death.

As far back as 2016, Trump was clear about his intentions when he said: “Real power is – I don’t even want to use the word – fear.” 

The demented leader of the free world has been sowing seeds of fear ever since, leveraging terror and anxiety for powerful political gains. And if you think you can hide – living in a red state or a blue state, peacefully protesting, trying to stay quiet and play it safe – you’re sadly mistaken.  You haven’t paused at the wrong traffic light lately. 

Or you haven’t been watching and listening to what’s happening in Minnesota.

Not just one, but now two innocent citizens – Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti – have been murdered by ICE death troopers, while hundreds of others in the Twin Cities have been beaten and dragged out of their vehicles, pepper sprayed and tear gassed – with ICE breaking windows, forcibly entering homes, terrorizing the state.

Inciting violence, city by city, our maniacal mad king is militarizing America with his demonic ICE agents (imagine Proud Boys with guns, masks and affirmation).

And don’t kid yourself, Trump and his minions are coming after anyone who dares cross them. Immigrants, protestors, university presidents, news reporters, judges, comedians, trans people, any and all political opponents … you … me.

In a recent article in The Atlantic, columnist Robert Kagan wrote: “Americans are entering the most dangerous world they have known since World War II, one that will make the Cold War look like child’s play and the post-Cold War world look like paradise.”

I’m certainly not alone in my alarm.

At a doctor’s visit recently, my physician shared he had purchased a home overseas and was hoping to move there. I’m shocked at gun-control friends who are purchasing handguns. A few weeks ago, when I was preparing to attend the Lincoln rally protesting the first outrageous murder in Minneapolis, a cautious friend asked: “Aren’t you afraid to go?”

Later, as we stood in downtown Lincoln in front of the federal building, our posters and signs held high, a few well-marked MAGA trucks circled the block and shouted profanities. And it was impossible not to envision them raising guns or turning their trucks into the crowd to mow us down.

A fervor of thuggish gangsterism has been unleashed in our country with a braggart, bully swagger.

I remember working for Lincoln Public Schools when Trump was first elected in 2016 and we had to convene at district offices – a mere 24 hours after he was elected – because students were already feeling empowered to yell nasty, virulently racist invectives at anyone of color. Many times these young people reported blessings from their parents.

One of the basic tenets of securing the political conditions necessary for the exercise of personal freedom – the exercise of basic human rights – is that citizens need freedom from fear. 

But the president and cowardly congress have turned that principle upside down with cruelty, confusion and, yes, fear.  And what’s more they seem to take joy in doing so, relishing every moment of fresh hell.

Threats of the USA taking over Greenland, Canada, undermining our beloved alliances. The invasion of Venezuela without congressional approval. Initiating inhumane and cruel policies, carrying out illegal deportations, endangering health care, food programs, public education. Ignoring court orders. Dehumanizing and demonizing wide-ranging groups of citizens.

But the nightmare crawling through Minnesota right now chills me to the bone – icy fingers of fear as cold as the state’s frigid temperatures. 

So, as I sit in my warm, cozy and seemingly safe home on this cold winter’s day, I am left to wonder: How do you stop fear from controlling you?   

The very wise Robert Reich – American professor, author, lawyer and political commentator – reminds us to stand up to bullies.  Call them out.  

At the same time, he stresses that in these times those simple suggestions must come with courage, resilience, vigilance.

I watch in awe as the people of Minneapolis and St. Paul brave bone-chilling weather to peacefully protest the siege of their cities – stand up to ICE to protect their neighbors – refuse to lie down.

Democracy has never been a spectator sport – especially now – Reich says, urging us to: Call our elected officials. Attend town halls. Join local resistance groups. Boycott organizations and corporations that have caved to Trump. Help protect those who are weaker. Stand on principle. Make noise.

I think about judges and attorneys who refuse to do Trump’s bidding.  Physicians who refuse to listen to RFK.  Musicians pulling out from the Kennedy Center. Everyone at the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. Protestors who stand alongside one another.  Local and national journalists who continue the fight.  Those who support Lincoln’s ethnic families – those who are wrapping their arms around and protecting the most vulnerable. Everyone who continues to tell their story.

You know, I’m not ashamed I ran into my house on that fateful day and locked the doors.  A few well-meaning friends and family members have gently suggested I may want to remove some of my bumper stickers.

But I think the important moment is when we decide NOT to take off the bumper stickers. 

Instead, we add new ones: “I stand with Minnesota.”

How Should Americans Eat?

1943: The Basic 7

 By Karla Lester

When I asked Jake, a 13 year old patient, why he ate two cheeseburgers, he said, “They’re so tasty and my parents were out of the room.” My response was, “Well, were you hungry? That’s a great reason to eat.” 

He’s so funny and keeps it real. Jake is trying to make some changes for his health, but it’s really hard in our food culture and with what’s marketed to him and other teens. I call that the Digital Marketing Industrial Complex and it’s powerful and drives food noise in teens. Jake’s parents are working to help him, but feel like the food police and feel like they’re causing harm. Now, we have the unveiling of the new food pyramid by RFK Jr, or what I like to call the Clip Art Inverted Triangle, and even more nutrition confusion for Jake. 

Is it low-fat or high-fat? Is protein, which seems to be everywhere, really being demonized? Or, is it the high cost of protein, specifically the rising cost of beef, that we’re all mad about?Should we all be eating keto? Should we all be eating ribeye steaks every day and whole fat dairy and high protein? What if you have a history of high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease and kidney disease and won’t tolerate a high protein diet? Should we eat only Argentine beef? 

Should Americans listen to a lawyer who has undermined experts and spread dangerous misinformation about vaccines? To a lawyer who has undermined scientific research and the evidence base and the agencies he leads? RFK Jr got rid of the experts and self-declared his. The entire country has been waiting on the Republicans to unveil their healthcare plan. And waiting and waiting and waiting. Don’t get distracted from the policy harm this administration is causing. 

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans from 2020-2025, under President Biden, focused on health equity. I guess health equity is out the window and now we’re eating like RFK Jr. and supplementing with beef tallow, his latest grift. Dr. Oz is telling Americans to drink up and party it up when he says that, “Alcohol is a social lubricant.” It seems like a joke or an episode of The Office or Parks and Rec, without the endearing characters, but it’s our actual reality. Brooke Rollins, The Secretary of Agriculture didn’t get the low carb high fat memo and is peddling a low cost meal as a way to fight the rising costs of groceries and inflation, “A piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla, and one other thing.” That literally makes me hungry and sad. 

What do we make of it and where do we go from here? Let’s take a look back so we can move forward. 

Most of us remember learning about the four food groups in school; dairy, fruits and vegetables, meat, and breads and cereals. Then, in the 90’s came the Food Pyramid. Edits were made and MyPyramid, a revised version came out in 2005. The main criticism was that the pyramid model was ineffective in translating nutritional guidance into actual dietary behavior. MyPlate has been used since 2010 and is a more helpful tool for nutrition education. 

In 1980, the U.S. put out the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for how Americans are supposed to eat. The recommendations, developed by politicians and based on farm policy demonized dietary cholesterol. Our Ultra Processed Food system and a fast food nation was built on High Fructose Corn Syrup and our bodies the dumping ground for refined carbohydrates and metabolic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease . This allowed the explosion of the statin industry. It was simple. Eating fat, specifically foods like eggs that have cholesterol, will equate to higher cholesterol in your body and cardiovascular disease. 

Americans bought into low fat high carb eating, demonized dietary fats, and Big Food and Big Pharma profits skyrocketed. It was based on calories in calories out Energy Balance Theory. And, now the U.S. is swinging back the other way. I’m not saying we haven’t had it wrong in the past or that changes are not needed. 

“The Obesity Code” by Dr. Jason Fung is an incredibly innovative book that turned calories in calories out and the Energy Balance Theory on its head. Dr. Fung talks about how a calorie isn’t a calorie and how obesity is hormonal and not simply caloric. I highly recommend it if you want to learn more about a metabolic health approach. Eating low-carb and high-fat is not for everyone and shouldn’t be recommended for each American to eat one standard diet. There is ample science that shows that eating a Mediterranean diet or a plant based diet is very healthy. 95% of Blue Zones are whole plant based diets. 

As an obesity medicine doctor and a founding member of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, it would seem I should be excited about the new Clip Art Inverted Triangle. But, I’m a pediatrician first and a child health advocate and have done a lot of work in the public health sector and I can’t sign on to it fully. It's a clinical recommendation, not inclusive or feasible for an entire population. 

First, protein has not been demonized. The cost of protein and all other groceries, is what the real problem is. In fact protein is everywhere and added to everything these days. Should we be dumping a scoop of protein powder in everything we eat and drink? 

Dr. Marion Nestle in her book, “Food Politics” lays out how food and farm policy have driven the epidemic of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic diseases. Reading the new guidelines, you would think that nutrition alone determines health. That’s just not the case. Socioeconomic factors, behaviors, and healthcare access drive health outcomes. The new guidelines shift the blame to individuals, specifically Americans who are already marginalized, which gets the administration out of addressing the root causes, the systems and structures in America that are making people sick. 

“Our nation is finding its footing again, moving past decades of unhealthy eating and rebuilding a food culture rooted in health, science, transparency, and personal responsibility.” - RFK Jr. 

Personal responsibility is really Individualism, which is Healthism, which is really You are in control of your health, which is really Your bad health outcomes are your fault, which is really "Buy my supplements and latest gadgets". The new guidelines are infused with the toxic wellness industry with lobbying interests with the beef, dairy and alcohol industries on full display. Anytime insurance companies hear personal responsibility, they hold an exec only lunch meeting to celebrate. I don’t think it’s usual practice for the Secretary of HHS to be out doing TikTok trends (AI, by the way) while promoting whole milk. Pushing whole milk reeks of nostalgia for a time that was white washed and a nod to policies that still are. 

No one is going to argue that it's good for your health to reduce intake of refined sugar and ultra processed foods. We can all agree that Americans need to eat more protein. In the end, the Clip Art Inverted Triangle is a distraction from a harmful administration continuing to cut public health funding, food assistance, cut Medicaid by $880 Billion, closing down rural hospitals, making our foods and citizens less safe and silencing evidence-based research and experts. 

Working on a local level is where policy implementation happens. The Places matter work in Lincoln demonstrates that a person’s zip code is a determining factor of health outcomes. I think back to my nonprofit, Teach a Kid to Fish, and all of the families who came to BodyWorks, a family based healthy eating and active living program, held in 20 different sites throughout Lincoln. Outcomes demonstrated increase in family mealtimes, increased fruits and vegetables, decreased screen time, decreased sugary beverages, and increased water intake. MyPlate was used as a good visual for how to eat a balanced meal with protein, grains, fruits and vegetables. MyPlate is customizable to your individual eating traditions and health needs. 

More than the positive health outcomes, I remember the families and the struggles they were facing with costs of food, cooking skills, safe places to play, transportation, housing, utilities, joblessness, healthcare access, and other health issues they were facing. There were many wins, but they needed more than that. They will continue to be left out with the Clip Art Inverted Triangle and new guidelines and blamed for their poor health outcomes. 

Registered Dietitians who work with patients and families say, “We don’t want new guidelines. We want change. An upside down pyramid isn’t going to fix the health of Americans, but will cause more nutrition confusion.”

America doesn’t have a food culture. We have a capitalistic, profit driven, politically motivated food system that benefits the very wealthy few. A pyramid or whatever you call it will not be the answer to America’s problems. It starts with policy and supporting basic human needs. 

The next time I see Jake in the clinic, I will approach the nutrition part of his treatment plan, as I have been. Jake is neurodivergent and is a picky eater and has a lot of food noise and loss of control eating, especially with sugary foods. Telling Jake to eat high amounts of protein, cut out all refined carbohydrates and transition to whole fat dairy, will likely be a big nothing burger he won't eat!

Walking With Our Newest Neighbors

By Chelsea Klinkebiel

This past May, during a long, hot graduation ceremony, I sat next to my colleague, Kristie. She is a professor in the Math department at Nebraska Wesleyan and is an all-around amazing human being. In addition to the many things Kristie does, she has been assisting recently arrived families from Afghanistan for several years, and I mentioned to her that my daughter and I could likely visit a family needing to practice English. Over the summer and into the fall, visiting one family turned into visiting four families.  

In June, I received an urgent message from Kristie about another family who had recently arrived in Lincoln and, like many fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan, arrived with little notice and few resources. In her words: “They will need everything, especially people to walk with them.” Families recently arriving in Lincoln from Afghanistan do truly need “everything,” including but not limited to assistance finding housing, transportation, medical care, employment, school registration, food, household goods, and simply navigating the everyday tasks and errands, often in a language other than English.  

It feels important to share some experiences I have had walking with a few Afghan families in Lincoln in this current moment. I will attempt to decenter myself in their stories but will describe experiences from my point of view to protect their privacy.

• Each family has a story that involves being persecuted by the Taliban. Many adults lost their fathers to this regime, their children casually telling me how their grandfathers were murdered, and I imagine stories like this are commonplace in their communities. Each of the fathers in these families assisted the U.S. government or military in one way or another, with many of them literally putting their lives on the line to protect U.S. citizens. Many fathers left behind skilled jobs in their home country. When they arrive in the U.S., they often take on the jobs that are available to them with limited English. This often includes shift work, physical labor, low wages, and minimal benefits. 

• Each family also has stories of fear and desperation as they attempted to flee Afghanistan. Some families traveled back and forth to bordering countries multiple times to obtain legal documents, moving through checkpoints with papers and photos that risked their lives. Most of us have never had to arrange flights across the world last-minute for a large family before travel documents expire, but you might be able to imagine the price of that airfare. For this reason, many families take on tens of thousands of dollars of debt (at a minimum) during this process and must pay back travel loans once they arrive in the U.S., adding to the challenges they must navigate. 

• The oldest children in these families are often the first to learn English and to navigate things that no child or teenager should have to navigate, such as the family’s finances, government benefits, and the U.S. immigration system. They end up interpreting during urgent medical appointments and procedures when no one else can, and they remain on call 24/7 to interpret for their families in person and over the phone. They must often put their own interests and personal time on hold to help their family members, and they face significant stress and anxiety. These children deserve better, but their families often face no other choice. 

• They love America and are among the most patriotic individuals I have ever met. They are tremendously grateful to the U.S., and they desire to follow the laws and regulations here. Although there have been high-profile stories recently about fraud and government benefits involving a very small group of people (I should add that some of these stories are simply not true), refugees are very vulnerable to crime and fraud. Just this week, many of the Afghan families I know had the entirety of their January SNAP benefits stolen in a skimming operation. They almost certainly will not get this money back. 

• I have learned that the organizations and institutions that support immigrants and refugees in Lincoln are nothing short of amazing. I was impressed but not particularly surprised that Lincoln Public Schools was well-prepared to welcome a newly arrived family, seamlessly integrating the children into their community. Other organizations that have readily welcomed and assisted these families include Lutheran Family Services, the Health Department, the Good Neighbor Community Center, Lincoln Literacy, the Asian Community and Cultural Center, Clinic with a Heart, and many others. However, I have witnessed firsthand that these systems are encountering an overwhelming need that will become even greater this next year. Funding and staffing cuts to resettlement agencies mean that much of the work helping families to get settled is done by unpaid volunteers who simply step up and give their time and resources. As you may be aware, there are also devastating consequences of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” and other recent policy changes from a cruel administration. 

•  Many refugee families have lost and will be losing their SNAP benefits, and many will lose their Medicaid coverage this year. Like most of America, refugees cannot afford private health insurance, and their health and well-being will suffer tremendously.   

• At the time of this writing, the recent travel ban for Afghan nationals has led to officials being instructed to refuse all Afghan visa applications, including those with a Special Immigrant Visa (those who have aided the U.S. government or military and are facing danger in their home country). I recently learned that consular officials were also instructed to destroy visas that were already awarded and printed but not delivered. This recent policy also involves a pause on all immigration applications for people in about 40 countries, which also impacts the individuals living here who need to renew their legal status and work authorizations. This is not the way our allies who risked their lives for us (or any other human being, for that matter) should be treated.  

Many days feel full of bad news and despair, but I want to end by sharing some beautiful experiences that have given me hope: 

• I got to accompany R to his first day of middle school drop-off in August. He had been in the U.S. for fewer than two months at this time. He is small for his age, and middle school seemed like such a daunting step for him. His father talked to him nearly the entire way there. I had picked up on enough Pashto by this time to understand that he was laying out his expectations for his son’s behavior at school, each phrase followed up by the Pashto word “ho?” (okay?) and R stating that he understood. When we got to the school, I watched nervously as R walked in and hesitated with the first task, stating his name. He looked back at me and his father and then confidently stated, “My name is _____.” He then smiled slightly and walked in. R is now rocking 6th grade and absolutely loves school

  

  
  

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• One evening while bringing a family a needed prescription, I walked in on the father of the family reciting the Quran, with everyone else singing in response. I hesitated at the door, feeling like I was interrupting something sacred, but they motioned for me to sit on the rug and eat (they had finished their meal). I was soon overcome by the beauty of their song and their earnest prayers and deeply moved by the family’s devotion to their faith and to one another.  As soon as they finished, they all exclaimed, “Chelsea!” and began fussing over me, making sure I had plenty to eat and drink.  

• • During a very long dental appointment for her mother, I held baby H, who is entering the age of separation anxiety. She now knows me well enough to tolerate being held by me, but this appointment overlapped with her nap time. We played with toys, walked the waiting room, and drank a bottle. As she became tired, she knew she needed her mother. She began crying, and I pulled out all the tricks I had learned with my daughter, including the many variations of bouncing, swaying, rocking, and humming. She fought sleep with one eye on me the entire time, and by the time she finally gave in to sleep and relaxed in my arms, I was sweating and had a numb arm that I didn’t dare move. As I sat down and breathed a sigh of relief, I watched her sleep and realized just how trusting she and her mother were of me. I thought of how vulnerable these families and these children are, and I vowed that I would continue to walk with baby H and her family. 

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  I know many are already working to support these members of our community. I hope we will continue to patronize immigrant-owned businesses, support non-profits that lift up immigrants and refugees, contribute to mutual aid, and directly assist these families. They deserve a community that welcomes them and walks with them during these difficult and uncertain times. If you are interested in receiving updates about policies and ways to advocate for our newest neighbors, I recommend Welcome.US and No One Left Behind (https://www.nooneleft.org) as well as the many organizations in Lincoln that support immigrants and refugees. I also urge you to contact your members of Congress repeatedly to advocate for our neighbors who have done so much for our country. I know that others who have been assisting refugees much longer than I likely have more recommendations, and I encourage you to leave them in the comments below. Thank you for welcoming and walking with our neighbors.