It’s a great story when we can believe that we are the shining beacon of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Superman and Captain America nod approvingly from the pages of our comics as we show the better angels of our nature, in a role we embrace as a compassionate nation, liberal with our largess and with doors open to the tired, the hungry, etc. Speaking of which, France gave us the best possible trophy to celebrate and remind us of who we should be, and it’s sitting in New York Harbor. However, that ideal is not always who we are. A lot of the time, in fact, that’s not who we are at all. Sometimes, we are anti-semitic radio host, Father Coughlin. Sometimes we are a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden. Sometimes we are the Proud Boys of the Alt-Right. Sadly, these nationalist, xenophobic impulses are also signatures of America, but should not be.
“…you’d have to be a monster to turn those people away, how could that happen?”
For decades there have been generations of Americans who could look at a story like this one, and say oh that’s awful, you’d have to be a monster to turn those people away, how could that happen? But in 2020, we know how it could happen, as it’s happening again, and we are the monsters. We are a nation of immigrants, and a young one: the ink on our Declaration of Independence is less than 250 years old. That’s nothing in the lifespan of a state. The notion that we can build a place of prosperity, promise, and safety, and then slam the door behind us is reprehensible.
This film reminds us, and compels us to do better. We can start by correcting America’s handling of immigrants fleeing oppression. What better place than here? What better time than now? (apologies to Rage Against The Machine).
With Nobody Wants Us, Seltzer-Duny documents the shameful Quanza chapter in American history, hoping to create a better understanding of the experience of refugees everywhere. The film is a succinct, moving testament to the events that unfolded, with images, film clips, and most importantly interviews with passengers of the Quanza.
"…a succinct, moving testament to the events that unfolded, with...interviews [of] passengers of the Quanza. "
