Many of you will have seen the Statue of Liberty in New York in person. Certainly, you have seen pictures. In the midst of language some use that vilifies immigrants and migrants as criminals, thieves, and murderers in America, the UK and Europe, I turn to that regal statue of hope, and the story of two outstanding woman who helped define it.

When the Statue of Liberty was delivered to America as a generous gift from France in 1885, the work of art needed to be reassembled. The statue required an enormous pedestal on which to securely rest – just as a principle of virtue needs a firm platform on which it stands. This base had not come with the French gift. This presented an enormous obstacle. It was one extraordinary woman in particular that stepped forward. Her name was Emma Lazurus.

Emma Lazurus is not a name that immediately comes to mind in the annals of US history. Lazurus was a talented and prolific writer, activist, and scholar. She had been approached to compose a poem to help raise funds for the base of the French gift. She was hesitant at first, but friends convinced her to do it. This marvellous Jewish American poet then took her powerful pen to paper.

Lazurus submitted her poem that was gratefully received by auction organisers. And while this story seems to be leading to a fact that her poem raised enormous sums of money that paid for the base, that is neither what happened nor made Lazurus memorable.

The poem was read at a small exhibit, but it was overlooked. Her sonnet played no role when the magnificent statute was dedicated in 1886 by President Grover Cleveland. The statue has a figure height of 151' (46.02m), width of 53' (16.15m), and depth of 44'6” (13.56m). The base pedestal has a height of 154’ (46.94m) giving the statue a combined overall height of 305. It is one of the most iconic pieces of art in the world. But what did the work of beauty represent, what did it mean as it regally rested in New York Harbour?

Sadly, the life of Emma Lazurus ended at 35 years of age. She died shortly after the dedication of the statute in 1886. Her gift of poetry essentially forgotten. Many years after Lazurus died, a friend of hers named Georgina Schuyler rediscovered the sonnet that Lazurus had originally submitted to raise funds for the base. Schuyler found it in a small unassuming New York bookshop. Schuyler decided to push for the inspiring words of Lazarus to represent the meaning of the statue. She advocated for a brass plaque at the statue. She prevailed.

Let history remember that it was a woman who gave lasting voice and a comforting spirit to a beacon of liberty so powerfully represented by a woman. Let history also record that it was a woman who pushed to have this spirit included at the Statue of Liberty.

Some of the moving words that Lazurus composed and Schuyler pushed to be included at the statute are these unforgettable sentiments:

“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

MOTHER OF EXILES.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tostto me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

To those who lean into words that criminalise immigrants and demonise migrants, perhaps this story will serve as a reminder of what should rest at the base of any modern nation.