A man who held a sign reading “You belong” in front of the Islamic Center of Irving is being lauded on Facebook after photos of his act went viral.

Justin Normand, a 53-year-old man who lives and works in Dallas, identified himself Monday as the man holding the sign. He said he had the urge to “share peace with [his] neighbors” after the election results rolled in Nov. 9., so he went out on his own last weekend and did just that.

“I have been in a malaise and turmoil since the election, as have many of the people in my community,” Normand said. “It was just an expression of mine. This happened because I needed to do something, and I had nothing else that I could do.”

Normand, who manages a Dallas sign shop, made the sign himself. It reads in full: “You belong. Stay strong. Be blessed. We are one America.”

“This was about binding up the wounded. About showing compassion and empathy for the hurting and fearful among us,” Normand wrote in his Facebook post. “Or, in some Christian traditions, this was about washing my brother’s feet. This was about my religion, not theirs.”

Normand’s post had been shared more than 6,500 times by Tuesday afternoon, less than a day after he posted it Monday night.

Read more