In April of 2025, my husband and I decided that we could no longer stay silent about the injustices that ICE was committing in our name, with our money, in our state, to our neighbors. We made signs and the two of us traveled to nearby Burlington, MA where the New England Regional Headquarters of ICE is located in an office park right next to the Burlington Mall.
Since our very first visit, we knew we had to continue bearing witness and exposing the reality about this terrible place - and we began inviting our friends. As our weekly numbers began to swell into the dozens and then hundreds, we chose a name (Bearing Witness @ ICE), established an organizing committee and affinity groups that focus on particular needs like direct aid, communication and language needs, and more. We have met a lot of incredible people doing incredible work through this mission.
For many months I have been mulling over an additional way to help our immigrant neighbors through my jewelry work and finally created a design I am proud to share with you: a miniature RESIST protest sign necklace. I handcraft each of these necklaces, using eco-friendly recycled sterling silver, waxed cotton cord manufactured in Pepperell, MA, and upcycled buttons.
The lost wax casting process of creating these pendants is a treat, I enjoy it thoroughly, and will share that with you in a blog post coming soon!
In the meantime, thank you so much for your support.
Take care,
Laurie
Laurie Lynn Berezin
Author