Whew, it's boycott day and for that I am pretty much staying in my house hoping to avoid the madness. This could either be very bad or a highly overrated event no one knows for sure. But what we do know as one can tell by the confused politicians and the silence of the usual suspects of liberal and conservative pundits is that this is a question with no easy answer...
Articles talk about how Black America is split on this issue. Some black leaders want us to push Black Brown solidarity, while others point to the fact that there are African undocumented immigrants who are also affected. However many Black Americans point to the fear that they are losing jobs and ground to Latino Immigrants who are working for less wages and are more acceptable. It is a form of internal outsourcing. Not to mention that culuturally there has not always been a close connection between Black and Brown. Too many historical tensions.
The problem of course is that this is a problem that does not have a made for tv answer or one sweeping reform tailored made for the immigrant class. It has to be less about a theoretical philosophy and more about an American philosophy and framework for governance
For Instance: I do not believe in fighting for the write for Latino children to not have to learn English. I believe that conceptually that is short sighted and ignorant. Just as ignorant as the fight for ebonics. If you are using it as a tool to get more money, fine, but the reality is that the majority of big business is still done in English, with some growth in Japanese, but basically to leave your children in America and not have them learn English is relegating them to second class citizenship.
However, I do believe that emergency rooms, 911, and similar trauma centers need to have people that speak nearly every language available to them. It would be sad to think of more people dying in fires or from treatable ailments in this country because of a language barrier.
I don't believe in deportation. I just can't figure out any humane way of doing it. I mean what would you do, go into the bronx, round people up and make them prove citizenship? Logicistically, its ridiculous and its a civil rights nightmare.
I also don't believe in the fence. Or the wall. Or the Moat. Come on, is this not the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard of?
I do believe there needs to be greater accountability. I am not prepared to give someone the rights and privileges of a citizen of the United States because they snuck in and started working. I don't believe in given undocumented people taxpayer scholarships to state universities, hell i don't agree with giving them in state tuition, or food stamps. Particularly if they are not paying taxes.
I reject the notion that they do the jobs that Americans will not do. That is absolute bullshit. They do jobs for wages that Americans will not do them for. That is a difference. The overall notion being spread, which bothers me to no end, is that Mexicans pick up the slack for lazy black people who would rather be poor that work demeaning jobs. What they don't talk about is that the reason most of these jobs are demeaning is because these business are practicing new slavery. They are paying below minimum wage, they are cutting benefits, and they know they have control over their work force because if anyone gets out of line they can have them arrested. Of course business wants to fight to keep that sweet deal. Let's see how many of those jobs would still exist, much less be filled by the same types of people if it were government regulated.
I hate the other flip statement that we are all immigrants. I am not an immigrant, I did not come here on purpose. My people were stolen. I know no one likes to talk about that as a fact but it is a fact.
I don't like the concept that at the end of all of this all that will occur is that whatever is set aside for minorities will be carved into a smaller slice. Colored folks have and will remain fighting over the 25% of the pie that they gave us a long time ago instead of trying to redistirubte more of that 75%.
And even with this I know there are so many things not covered. And I hate to make it seem that I am insenstive to the sad stories, but in the end the world is filled with sad stories, and that is what makes politics difficult, balancing human emotions with the emotionally popular, against what is right and necessary. I just have a feeling that none of this is going to end well...
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