Good news out there, too

Many New Mexicans may not be aware of an incident in Albuquerque in late November that was only briefly reported about a presumably Muslim woman. The woman, wearing a hijab (scarf) in a Smith’s grocery store, was verbally assaulted by a hysterical woman telling her to go back where she came from.

According to the news story, virtually every customer and employee in the store came to the support of the assaulted woman, and the assailant was escorted from the store. 

You don’t have to be obsessed with the Holocaust (as I am), nor well-versed in any such dark chapters of history, to appreciate how encouraging this is. Even in the current atmosphere of bullying and racism stirred up even beyond “normal” by some politicians and “opinion makers,” which has resulted in sharply increased incidents of harassment of anybody who does not look WASP — Albuquerque and New Mexico have risen to the occasion. 

We have our problems – as we who live here know better than anyone – but still there is a spirit of kindness, community and diversity in New Mexico — which I think is extraordinary and shows itself in this and many other ways.

Let’s cherish and encourage this and perhaps be an example for the rest of the country in these troubled times.