In the poem “First They Came”, Pastor Martin Niemoller spelled out the progression of fascism takeovers as a result of the Nazi’s ultimately coming for him. He was a man of faith and believed Hitler could make Germany strong again and return to Christian morals he thought had been abandoned. He turned away from the Jewish population but believed if they converted to Christianity they could be redeemed and felt the government should not interfere with the way the churches were run. He became critical of the Nazi regime and was captured by the Gestapo and put into concentration camps. In retrospect he knew that it was wrong of him to just focus on religion and not politics too. Post war regret set in and he ultimately penned “First They Came”. He quickly started speaking out and accepting his accountability for the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust and not speaking up sooner.
Learning from history and not making the same mistakes over again should be evident, but here we are with our government. They came for brown, black, and yellow. They came for other religions that didn’t follow Christian doctrines. And then they came for Good and Pretti. White, suburban, citizens, who were trying to build a wall of security to protect others. And their crime? Fighting for the rights of all Americans and neighbors in their community with empathy and care. Recording the injustices of ICE and Border Patrol and spreading the word to help others prepare.
What will we tell our next generation? Regret for not speaking up sooner? Don’t let history repeat again as Niemoller spelled out in his poem and post war reflection of his contribution. It’s NOT too late. We ALL need to speak up NOW! Our first amendment rights (speech), second amendment rights (right to bear arms to secure a free state), and fourth amendment rights (security of being search without a warrant) are being violated every day in America and we all should be outraged and making a plan to stop this Nazi takeover in America.
- Call your Senators and House representatives in both the Federal and State legislatures. Don’t stop at just your representatives but call others as well
- Join a protest
- Join a visibility brigade
- Make a plan for your neighborhood and build a network
- Become a whistleblower
- Join a group that you can help move forward plans to stop this takeover of our freedoms
Never forget history by first learning and recognizing the patterns from history. Make a plan to not repeat history that results in elimination of rights and lives, and build a better future for all.
FIRST THEY CAME
By Pastor Martin Niemoller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me