In response to “Obeying the law” published Jan. 18.
I am sure that Mr. Wilson knows that no one can become a U.S. citizen without taking the citizenship test in English.
I am the child of immigrant grandparents on both sides. My grandfather came from Russia and my grandmother came from Ukraine. Both left their countries because of political unrest and each came alone. As teenagers, they each walked for two years to reach Italy, where the boats left for America. They had to keep themselves alive and earn money for passage during that two-year period.
They did not know each other when they arrived at Ellis Island in New York. They immediately got jobs in the Garment District and went to learn English at night. That is where they met. My grandparents arrived when they were around 16, but by hard work and saving every penny, they owned a building in New Jersey where they opened a general store on the bottom and lived in an apartment above by the time they were 30. They ran that store for 50 years.
Their children all graduated from college—one a nurse, one a teacher and one a businessman, who served in World War II as a decorated pilot who flew 45 missions in an unarmed plane, ferrying agents at night behind enemy lines in France. All of their grandchildren graduated from college as well.
My grandparents each spoke five languages fluently so they could communicate with all their customers. When my grandfather died at age 92, his funeral was very large. Some of the people have come to say thanks for providing their children with free shoes so that they could attend school. Another family had come to pay their respects for my grandfather, who paid their mortgage for years during the depression. This is a life well lived.
I wonder where Mr. Wilson’s family is from?
Harriet Pollon