My hometown celebrates Utah’s pioneers. I see their courage in today’s immigrants.

FAIRVIEW — At 6 a.m., the fire truck sirens roar across town, waking us up to the event of the year: It is officially July 24. My hometown of Fairview has been preparing for Pioneer Day for months.

The town gathers at 10 a.m. for the parade, where the summer heat evaporates as the fire trucks in the parade spray water at us. And little kids grab candy thrown from people on a tractor decorated as a float. Current and past citizens of Fairview share their joy of Pioneer Day, including Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox, who sits on a parade float watching the people of his hometown cheer and wave.

At 7 p.m., we reconvene at the rodeo grounds to watch local and foreign cowboys put their skills to the test. To end the festivities, fireworks light up the eyes and hearts of the town.

This celebration is the most important time of the year for me, my family and the town of Fairview, as we celebrate the Mormon pioneers who settled Sanpete County in 1849.

It’s comforting to see many familiar faces celebrate their heritage. My family and I celebrate our ancestors, including Amasa Tucker, who was the first Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bishop in Fairview and a leader in helping to create the culture of Fairview that still lingers. I am glad that these pioneers, despite the intense conflict and controversy that stood in their way, stayed strong and forged a new, better life for themselves and their families.

Pioneers of the past bear a striking resemblance to a group of people in current times: modern immigrants. Both have faced hardships, roadblocks and inconveniences, but nothing came in their way of finding a better life for the people they love. With these attributes in mind, I think that pioneers and immigrants who come to the United States of America are two sides of the same coin.

But while there are programs and facilities across the country dedicated to incarcerating immigrants who are undocumented, we have a holiday for pioneers who also didn’t come to this land legally or even ethically.

People in our community, including some of my friends, are directly affected by laws and ideology even when they haven’t done anything wrong. The targeting of certain ethnic groups by organizations, like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, creates tension.

However, the Sanpete County community is mostly caring, and their kindness spreads to immigrants as well, such as bringing them food or helping them move into their communities. I am grateful for my community’s kindness to immigrants.

There are immigrants in Sanpete from various countries who came in hopes of creating a better life for themselves. One of these families is the Zulfaqhars. After the U.S. pulled out of the war in Afghanistan in 2021, this family was forced out of their home country. The U.S. pulled them out to honor their help and secure their safety. Before reaching Sanpete in 2023, they traveled to California and Salt Lake City to become permanent citizens of the U.S.

Miles from the life they knew, just like the pioneers of the past, they were finally able to reach their new home and new community in Fairview. I reached out to the Zulfaqhars because I knew their story, but I wanted to know how they felt they were being treated by their new community.

“Here in Sanpete County, [there are] pretty nice people. I love them,” Zafar Zulfaqhar said. “The most important [thing is] I’m with my wife deciding to be a part of the Sanpete County people.”

Many families like the Zulfaqhars are facing problems with immigration officers. According to thehill.com, the Trump Administration is revoking special immigrant visas given to Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. in military and government efforts. The people who helped this country in a war against their homeland are under persecution by their former allies. I wish the government would give these immigrants grace because of their aid.

I realize that not all immigrants are people who work in support of the U.S. I realize that immigrants aren’t perfect and don’t always make the right or ethical decisions in their day-to-day lives. However, no group of people has, including the same pioneers I and many others celebrate.

I recognize that my gratitude for the pioneers comes from a place of privilege. There are multiple records of terrible actions being committed by pioneers, such as the 1857 Mountain Meadow Massacre, where, according to archives.utah.gov, emigrants traveling through Utah on their way from Arkansas to California were attacked by members of the Iron County Militia and purportedly some local Paiute Indians. At the end of this multi-day attack, members of the emigrant party were lured out under a banner of truce and massacred under orders from local militia leaders. All told, 120 men, women, and children over the age of seven were slaughtered.

But despite some pioneers’ most heinous actions, I still celebrate the whole group’s journey because they are a part of who I am as a Utahn. I can learn from their history and hold them accountable while also giving them grace because I believe that more of the pioneers’ intentions were pure. I look at their willingness to find a better place for their families to live with respect.

And I give that same grace and respect to immigrants. I also believe immigrants have earned their right to be celebrated, just like the Mormon pioneers. They bring culture into our home of Utah, which can otherwise be complacent and bland. Their dedication to providing for others demands great admiration. Their hard work has granted Utah unimaginable growth. And in the case of the Zulfaqhar family, they helped the United States despite their actions putting themselves in harm’s way.

Immigrants help make the Utah I know and love feel more like home. I respect people who are doing things to better themselves and their families, and I feel that way for both immigrants and pioneers. I hope Utah and the rest of the country learn to appreciate immigrants the same way pioneers are celebrated. Fundamentally, both groups’ purpose is to build a life in a new place they feel is fit for their families.

For me, Pioneer Day has transformed into a day of remembrance, grace and love in addition to everything it was to me previously. Now, I don’t just celebrate the pioneers of the past, but I learn new ways for me to care for the pioneers of the modern age.

Note to readers • This contest was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune, Spy Hop and Amplify Utah. It was supported through a grant from the American Journalism Project.