The Keene Public Library is hosting an immigration-related event Thanksgiving morning.
Organizer Mohammed Saleh hopes locals will take a moment to step away from their celebrations and reflect on how other families might be separated on this day.
It only made sense to choose Thanksgiving, he said, as a day that recognizes the coexistence of immigrants and natives.
He was inspired to organize the gathering this fall after hearing about Eleazar Lopez Ayala, a New Hampshire man who was detained after living in this country for about 20 years.
The event, titled “Faith in Humanity,” runs from 10am to noon and will feature music and discussion.
Keene State College Professor Larry Welkowitz, one of the speakers, was moved to postpone his own Thanksgiving festivities so he could be in attendance. Saleh’s vision of bringing neighbors together is a meaningful one, he said. “It’s been a tough year. We’re worried about so many things,” Welkowitz said. “We’re worried about people being civil. We’re worried about moving toward a more punitive society.”
Dottie Morris, Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity at Keene State will also speak.