Minnesota ❤︎'s Immigrants & Refugees

When President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order banning people from seven predominantly-Muslim countries from entering the United States, I felt scared, enraged, and heartbroken. I make Minneapolis my home, along with thousands of Somali immigrants and refugees, suddenly cut off from their families and targeted by the leader of the free world. For those that don't live here, it's hard to understand how Somalis help make up the fabric of our community – and immigrants more broadly – as small business owners, teachers, nurses, classmates, and contributions large and small to making this place great. Colorful hijabs are a part of the landscape of the city. In addition, as a Jew, I felt a kind of horror and historical trauma watching the blatant Islamophobia rise to this level. 

I spend a lot of time thinking about how small business owners can use their voice and their resources to lead with their values. And as a printer, I'm keenly aware that I own the means of production. So this last weekend, I opened up the studio doors for my community to come in and print/write valentines for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. 

I printed some colorful, playful mini-valentines, in the style of those little cards you used to hand out at school to everyone, and put up an event on Facebook. I had no idea whether people would come. 

And oh boy, you guys turned out! We had people through the studio all day, including many children, which made my heart happy. We printed and colored and wrote dozens of messages of love and support, and raised over $350 for Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.