I guess it hasn’t gotten better
All day yesterday CNN had stories about immigrants all over the world. As SB 1170, Arizona’s ridiculous immigration bill went into effect, it was interesting to see that undocumented immigrants is not a problem inherent to the US. Hearing these stories (sometimes sad, sometimes uplifting) reminded me of a post a wrote when I first started this blog “Is it me, or has it gotten better?”. At that time, I felt that immigrants faced fewer obstacles today than they did 20 years ago. I was thinking about the many first generation immigrants like myself who held positions of leadership, were well-educated and still held a strong connection to their countries of origin. I also thought about a time when young Haitians living in the Northeast were forced to say that they Jamaican to avoid facing stigmas and/or violence. Now, it felt like more of us made a point to declare our heritage.
From afar, I’ve been watching this immigration bill unfold amongst Arizona immigrants, as well as the Federal Government’s reaction. One of things that has struck me as odd is that they have debated this issue as Latino problem. I may have missed it, but I have yet to see a black immigrant speaking about immigration reform and what it means to them. I know that Latinos outnumber us (heck, they outnumber Caucasians in some states), but why does it seem we are weak faction of this movement? Where are the representatives from the Caribbean and sub-Saharan African countries? From what I understood, they were facing just as many obstacles to obtain legal documentation.
Now, I’m not trying to divide immigrants by singling out blacks because we all have the same issues. However, I think it’s important that we fight just as hard or even harder for fair immigration reform. Otherwise, should we expect to reap the benefits?
Tags: African Americans, Immigrant Families, Immigrants, Immigration Reform, Latinos, SB 1170 Arizona, Self Image
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Immigration issues are a concern everywhere; incl Europe. Truth is, if economy was stronger this wouldnt be happening
Kiki´s last [type] ..Mein Gott
You know, I've been trying to think of what would good immigration reform look like and have not had any success. I keep thinking that if countries decided to give legal status to all those already in the country, it would not do much to deter those who are trying to enter illegally. The other way to look at it is to help (I mean really help) poorer countries so that the reasons people risk their lives to leave become a non-issue. That is the least likely solution to happen though
The appearance of this being a Latino issue is right on target. This is borne out by the national interest directed at this group by Washington and State legislators. Conversely, there is no organized representation at state or national levels for Caribbean islanders and Africans. These groups serve no political interest to the politicians on the national, state or local levels. As such, there is no fear of political consequence at the ballot box from any of these groups. Thus the issue is ideological and of a deep political nature.
Unfortunately, islanders/blacks remain passive, hoping to ride on the coat tails of those who vigorously fight for fair immigration reform.
Great points! Do you think part of the problem with islanders/Africans organizing themselves is language related?
Not at all. We are really not a cohesive group.