Right or Wrong . . . And the Concurrent Dilemma by Nuzhat Shahzadi

The public library is about a 4-minute walk from our house. It's called Patrick Henry Library. It opened at the current location in 1971. In total it has 23 branches in our county.

 

Our library encourages local writers.  Early this year, the library board reviewed and approved my both novels and now they are available for readers in all its branches. I am humbled, and pleased . . .

 

The history of "public library" in our county is interesting. At the time it was established, only whites were eligible to use its services. William McKinley Carter (1897-1977), a prominent civic activist from Vienna and a charter member of the Fairfax County NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and his wife Lillian, co-founded the "Vienna Friends of the Library" in their living room in 1958. This African American couple's continued dedication and strong community efforts later helped to open a Fairfax County Public Library––an integrated facility, which was named the "Patrick Henry Library," in 1962.  The guiding principle of this library facility was/is–– "Everyone Welcome."

 

NAACP is a civil rights organization founded in 1909. Many of its founding members were white. Out of the initial 60 members, 7 were African Americans.

 

"Can you imagine being a black child in the 1940's and 1950's in which your parents paid taxes to support the library in Fairfax County and you still could not use it?" Carter wrote. " . . . My cousins were perturbed, upset, and disappointed that this happened in the town they lived and supported."

. . . . . .

The dilemma of how much wrong is right and how much right is right is an ongoing struggle. How we portray truth versus public perception––their readiness to accept facts /information is complicated.

 

Recently I read a book (fiction––borrowed from Patrick Henry Library)––an action packed thriller  by James Patterson. The protagonist was a war veteran who levelled an entire village with RPG in Afghanistan––no proof of misdeed on the villager's part. The killings of innocent civilians, mostly women and children gave him PTSD. Nightmares tormented him whenever he managed to sleep––he mostly had sleepless nights . . . After many twists and turns in the plot and subplot, another character was introduced, a "villain" ––a brown, Muslim young man who plotted to down a commercial plane flying towards D.C. international airport to avenge the death of the villagers. His family was among the killed. After a suspenseful play of words, the author narrates how the veteran disarms the avenger who is finally apprehended as a terrorist.

 

The veteran who killed innocent civilians is hailed as a hero.

 

In the Vietnam war, 58,220 American soldiers died. "In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died."

 

During the US occupation of Afghanistan over two decades, an estimated 176,000 to 212,000+ people were killed––including Afghan civilians, soldiers and opposition fighters. 

 

Over 7,000 U.S. service members died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

We often hear the words offered to US war veterans: thank you for your service . . .

 

. . . . . .

 

People of color––immigrants are demonized in America. Immigrants are unwelcome in other countries as well. Many developed countries, including the US, are aging––challenged by declining birth rates. They depend on immigrants as a reliable workforce. Huh?!

 

Deportation is a big game changer in today's America. ICE agents in masks are empowered to arrest anyone and deport them without trials. Even (non-white) citizens are facing risks . . . Privately owned detention centers are profitable.

 

Our cleaning lady, Maria, has been working with us since 2018. Her two children were born meanwhile. During pre-covid times, she and her crew cleaned our house every month. Covid changed the world, our lives. We didn't allow anyone in the house. Izara, my granddaughter, was an infant and had to wait for 2.5 years for her first covid vaccination. Our universe consisted of only 4 of us––she, her parents and I. From mid 2022 we allowed Maria and her team in the house again––they wore masks full time while working. It was hard on them but they were committed to our wishes.

 

Maria and her crew are from El Salvador.

 

"We keep our heads down and work, Ms Nuzhat. We pray, we work," she told me last month. We don't ask anything . . . not knowing is better. A large number of Hispanics are undocumented in this country. They clean houses, work in the fields, construction sites, in the hospitality sector, food processing industries, caregiving . . . the list is really long. They contribute to economic growth, pay taxes . . .

.  . . . . .

 

Currently, our Patrick Henry library is being renovated. To honor the desegregation advocates it has been renamed as "Vienna-Carter"–– unanimously approved by the Fairfax County Public Library's Board of Trustees.