Each week members and friends of the American Waldensian Society write to share their responses to the articles AWS sends out every Monday morning. This week we would like to share excerpts from some of those responses with you. They were sent in response to AWS President Kevin Frederick’s call to “Stand and Be Counted.” The writers from the USA each asked that their names not be shared.
A Response from the USA
I am not religious, really, but I feel Waldensian. I feel like I found my tribe, both with visiting the Pellice valley and now getting to know AWS–although I have known since I was a child that I have Waldensian roots. I guess as you get older you tend to dig into your heritage more. I feel very proud of my Waldensian heritage – the bravery, the values that I share, how they help refugees because they were refugees for so many centuries. What is happening now in the US is horrific. I hope this isn’t the end of the “American experiment.”
Another Response from the USA
I absolutely want the violence to stop. I pray for our country daily – that we confess our sinfulness and repent. We need GOD. I am PRO immigrant. My ENTIRE family on my father’s side emigrated from the Waldensian Valleys and came LEGALLY through Ellis Island. I am second generation American. My dear, sweet Nana came alone as a 19-year-old, steerage class. Her ship docked a day early, so her sponsors were not there to collect her. She was detained and spent the night in a cell. (I’ve been to Ellis Island with her and saw the cell). She was frightened but determined. I thank God that she was brave. My grandfather came later (they did not know each other in Italy, although they lived not too far apart. Nana was from Colaretto, Pop was from Pramollo). Other family followed, aunts and uncles on both sides, from the Valleys.
It was my grandparents’ joy to become American citizens, and one of the sweetest memories I have is of my Nana (after becoming a citizen, and post WW2, when both her sons served) standing on the corner of our little town in NY with her ladies’ auxiliary American Legion hat on, selling poppies at our Memorial Day parade. Their desire was to find a home in America and to become part of the fabric of American life. And they did that.
So, it’s difficult for me to embrace people who crossed our borders illegally and expect a warm welcome. I want the criminal illegals gone. Thanks for listening!
Another Response from the USA
The first Waldensians came in 1893, when almost anyone who came to the United States and did not have some unusual problems would be able to come and live here. We had basic free immigration. We do not now – so the Venezuela millions who come here, many of them walking the distance – do NOT have free immigration.
A Response from South America
As Waldensians in South America, our understanding and opinions of US politics are logically marked by our point of view; we look at these issues from this very window located in this place of the world, with our own history as our background. And that is our singularity.
Here the general reception of US politics has been of bafflement and disorientation. Perhaps unwillingly, this article from the AWS has helped us see the current situation from the author’s window. The writer has shared with us his concern, he traced a parallel with other experiences from the past – such as Fascism – and he said that we must not remain silent.
I feel relieved, because this article has shown me that, in our “far North”, there are also many people who are concerned about this. It has been said that, during Fascism, the average middle-class citizens were practically dozed off or bewildered and were not completely conscious about what was going on. In fact, over 500.000 German citizens were killed by the Third Reich prior to the now well-known genocide (mostly orphans, people with disabilities, schizophrenia, or just older people who were considered “useless mouths”). Though historical comparison can be a treacherous path to follow, some signs are showing us the dangers of a State that justifies violence, that creates smokescreens, that counter-attacks criticism, or that emasculates any possible opposition.
Still, I have faith that God will show us a different path to follow; a path of justice and reconciliation; a path where no one is pushed back or silenced.
A Response from Europe
As someone born after World War II, I grew up under the long shadow of the crimes of Nazi Germany. Later, I lived for many years under another authoritarian regime, the German Democratic Republic. Because of this history, Germans are painfully aware of how authoritarian systems grow – not only through violence and ideology, but through silence, accommodation, and the gradual erosion of democratic norms. The author is right to recall how long it took, even within churches, to move from quiet compliance to resistance.
For many of us in Europe, the liberal democracy of the United States was once a moral and political role model—imperfect, yes, but anchored in the rule of law, the dignity of the individual, and the protection of minorities. It is therefore deeply saddening to witness how these foundations now appear threatened, weakened by the normalization of lies, the use of fear as a political tool, and the growing influence of powerful economic and technological actors who seem indifferent to democratic accountability.
The author’s references to ICE actions, to the instrumentalization of power, and to the dangerous rhetoric surrounding Greenland echo historical patterns we in Germany are taught to recognize early and take seriously. Authoritarianism does not arrive overnight. It advances step by step, often justified as necessity, efficiency, or strength. History teaches us that once such paths are taken, the damage – to trust, alliances, and human lives – is immense and lasting.
I am especially grateful for your reminder of the Waldensian commitment after 1945: the conscious decision to invest in peace, dialogue, and international encounter, embodied so movingly in the Agape Center. Initiatives such as Mediterranean Hope are not abstract ideals; they are lived expressions of a faith that places human dignity, solidarity, and courage at its center.
From Germany, I can only affirm this article’s call: silence is not neutrality. In times like these, it becomes complicity. To stand and be counted is not a partisan act – it is a moral one. Please know that many outside the United States are watching with concern, but also with hope that voices like yours will help awaken conscience, responsibility, and resistance grounded in faith and history. You are not alone.
