When Politics and Service Overlap

Although From Hearts to Soles has had many independent successes, a lot of support from my community, and strong public relations, there are some political factors that can make running this charity a tricky tightrope to walk. For example, the current relations between Iran and the United States are quite tense, and when delivering goods raised during my first event, I could not freely and easily transport goods between the two countries. In addition, I have encountered a fair amount of instances where people stigmatize From Hearts to Soles for “aiding and abetting enemies of the United States”. These kinds of remarks are shocking to me because I had no idea that some people think the US is at war with impoverished children in developing countries and that they see my efforts as treason. I have also had people give me subtler cues that they disagreed with my vision for a better world. To be honest, I never thought that helping others would be so controversial.

Another major political issue I have had with From Hearts to Soles is that many people in my home state of Arizona are prejudiced against the Hispanic population and do not like that I support migrants coming into the United States from the southern border. From Hearts to Soles aims to help refugees and people all over the world, and southern border migrants are no exception to this. Let me put From Hearts to Soles’s role in this matter into context. When people cross the border and are detained by ICE, they are stripped of their shoelaces, and they do not get their laces back once they are released. For many impoverished Hispanics, their lack of shoelaces is a reminder of the inhumanity, prejudice, and adversity they faced. Since this was related to shoes, From Hearts to Soles decided to take initiative to help these people feel welcomed in their new home country. Too often I hear people say that I am helping out future thieves, gangsters, and security threats, but the dehumanization of the underprivileged is truly unacceptable, and it is one of the problems that From Hearts to Soles is trying to solve. It is awful that good people must deal with all the consequences of their country’s political actions, especially when those actions are in no part determined by those facing all the ramifications.