Today, April 10, should be a national holiday
Halfway between our two biggest immigrant celebrations is a great day to celebrate
The last decades have seen a proliferation of celebrations and history months and the like; though it may attract some grumbling I think it is overall a positive development to expand our list of celebrations past Columbus and various presidents. But I think a major day is missing, and it’s time we incorporated it in the name of celebrating immigration as a positive good - Immigration Day. And April 10, the day between St Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo, is the ideal day to do it.
Both celebrations have origins in the history of Ireland and Mexico, but both have exploded in popularity among immigrant communities - and among other citizens of the US. They are raucous, exciting, full of life and characterized by varying levels of authenticity and assimilation - imperfect in execution but in a way that makes them an even better illustration of the phenomenon of immigration. And the two groups of immigrants share much in common - their religion, their arrival with few assets, the panic they provoked and ultimately their ability to become fundamental parts of American life. It’s nearly impossible to imagine America without Irish Americans or Mexican Americans, and by placing Immigration Day between these two pillars of our immigrant population we can symbolically close the gap between immigration almost everyone in the country now agrees made us stronger (1848-1924) and the period that remains controversial (1965-present).
Of course, the day would be to celebrate all immigrants and the process itself, with St Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo simply as anchors for the date. And it wouldn’t replace the Lunar New Year, Octoberfest, and other celebrations American immigrant ethnicities cherish. But, together with an elevated Juneteenth and Indigenous People’s Day, an Immigrant Day would round out a trio of demographic celebrations that would then encompass everyone’s ancestors. And the parade opportunities as basically unmatched.
Debates about immigration aren’t going away. One of the many complaints against King George in 1776 was that he was “He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither”, and from essentially that point on other groups have similarly “endeavoured”. Nonetheless, the US has been continuously strengthened by immigration, and a day to celebrate that immense good fortune would be appropriate and set a positive tone for the debates of the future.