Ben Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP
Last week, the NAACP joined the boycott against Arizona. Why? Because, apparently, black people must jump onto every “civil rights” bandwagon that goes by.
What does AZ SB-1070 – a crackdown on illegal immigration – have to do with African-Americans? And why do our premiere organizations and “black leaders” feel the need to stand on the frontlines fighting against it?
At the risk of sounding uncharacteristically callous, I have to wonder why we’re out spending resources, doing TV appearances, boycotting cities and overall fighting battles that are wholly unrelated to the progress of African-Americans when our own war hasn’t been won.
This Arizona boycott is only a good example of what we do all the time. Whether we’re talking about Proposition 8 or illegal immigration, why are we – as Black people – dragged into every fight?
Over and over again, Black people automatically, are expected to or are guilt-tripped into supporting issues that neither benefit nor harm them based on the fact that a minority group is involved. Sometimes the battles are the same, but often it seems black people are haphazardly included — especially when people are publicly discussing issues that affect other groups — in order to stir up support. (Prime example: black people justifying their anger with the new AZ bill by saying the “racially profiling” of potentially illegal Mexicans may affect black people whom the police suspect are from Africa or the Islands illegally. Support the illegal immigrants from Mexico if you want, but don’t use this quantum leap of reason. The point of this ridiculous aspect of the anti-illegal immigration bill — as well as the bill as a whole — is to stop the DROVES of Mexicans who illegally cross the border every day, NOT find the few Dominicans working in your local hair salon who aren’t supposed to be here.) Too often parallels are starkly drawn between the Black experience and other groups experience where they, in actuality, loosely exist.
I don’t want to get into a “whose experience is worse” debate, but it’s one thing to illegally sneak to America wrapped in a cloak in the back of a pickup truck only to be hired to do menial work for rock-bottom wages. It is quite another to be forced to America on a slave ship, forced to endure that lifestyle, forced to be segregated and forced to be poor because of the government’s complete inattention to the very people they forced to come here in the first place. Here’s an educational tidbit: black Americans on average still make less money than illegal immigrants.
This is why I don’t understand why “Black leaders” get national airtime yet are talking about the laws against illegal immigrants or Proposition 8 or other irrelevant topics. These communities have their own leaders. Black people with a public voice who claim to speak for Black America should use their platform wisely and not just jump into every civil rights parade that marches down their street — especially not in exchange for speaking out against more pressing issues at home. From where I sit, it seems that exorbitant incarceration rates, persistent poverty, poor educational prospects and sky-high unemployment rates all remain a sobering reality for Black America….and these things are much more significant to our future than the illogical prospect that tons of African-Americans will be negatively affected by this new Arizona bill.
Shouldn’t we keep lobbying President Obama about issues that really matter for us?
Modern day slavery
Black people are pushing President Obama for comprehensive immigration reform that largely affects Latinos, when we should be banding together and calling for prison reform that disproportionately affects African-Americans. How does twelve percent of a country’s population make up nearly half of its prisons population? (According to the US Census Bureau: The racial composition of the US prison and jail population as of 2008 was 33.44% White, 40.21% Black, 20.29% Hispanic, and 6.06% Other).
Support for illegal immigration does not help us, yet the oldest black fraternity in the country, Alpha Phi Alpha, is boycotting Arizona. My question for president Herman “Skip” Mason is: what about Alabama, Illinois, Ohio or South Carolina where black unemployment is above 20 percent? The NAACP joined the lawsuit against Arizona, yet dropped the suit against Wells Fargo and is allowing Wells Fargo to sponsor their next convention. No matter how Jealous tries to spin it, that is unjustifiable.
Where are the protests, lawsuits and boycotts of the states who incarcerate Black Americans in droves for the smallest infractions? According to the Sentencing Project: “The state with the lowest rate of incarceration for African Americans – Hawaii – maintains a rate 15% higher than the state with the highest rate for whites – Oklahoma. While more than 1% of African Americans in 49 states and the District of Columbia are incarcerated, there is not a single state in the country with a rate of incarceration that high for whites.”
With statistics like that, why should black people be boycotting Arizona? We should be boycotting California where five times the amount of Blacks than Whites are incarcerated. Five. Times. We should be standing in protest of the fact that more money is spent to keep black people enslaved by the states (through locking them away in prison) then the amount to keep them educated. We are lambasting racial profiling now on behalf of Hispanics, but black men, and increasingly black women, have been the silent sufferers of that horrid practice for decades. Why are we just now making noise about it when we’re not even the target this time?
I’m assuming this support for that which does not concern us is because of what Martin Luther King Jr said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Okay, I get that. Black people get that. But does any other racial group who doesn’t hail MLK as king, get that? Is anyone in these minority groups that we jump in the front lines for even in the battle with us? Are other minority groups speaking out on Black America’s behalf…ever? There is a constant struggle going on to improve the Black experience in this country and people fight for these causes every day. However, what issue right now is getting the focus and attention of so much of Black America at one time the way this anti-illegal immigration bill is? When did Black America become the go-to spokesperson for every irrelevant argument? Are we so content with our own state of affairs, that we have the time or energy to fight someone else’s battles? No.
During slavery, black people spent their days building White Americans empires. And what did we get for it? Nothing. And now, when we have the resources, the voice, the power to affect change, we are still too quick to ignore our own plight in the name of someone else’s. Why? And who or what will we allow to distract us from our mission next?
As exemplified by Al Sharpton, Michael Eric Dyson, Jesse Jackson, The NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and others, Black America is already too involved in this fight for illegal immigrants to draw back the troops now. However, unless it has something to do with the war we’re fighting in our own communities, I hope we let the next civil rights bandwagon go by.
Article by Alissa Christine
Alissa serves as the News Editor for theFreshXpress.com. She holds a degree in Broadcast Journalism with a specialization in both Political Science and African-American Studies and a certificate in Political Communication. Prior to attending Ohio University, Alissa spent a year immersed in Biblical Studies at Valor Christian College. Her writing has been published on CBSNews.com, WashingtonPost.com, UWire.com, NPR, The Defenders Online and other numerous publications around the country. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and a certified church girl, Alissa enjoys reading, writing, shopping, Facebooking, Tweeting and all things PINK. You can find out more at http://AlissaCGriffith.com. Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AlissaInPink.
Alissa has written 27 article(s) for us.
{ 5 trackbacks }
{ 123 comments… read them below or add one }
Are you serious with this article? I think you've already answered your own question. "An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere." If they can make it legal to harass "suspected" illegal immigrants (anybody with brown skin and/or an accent), what do you think they're gonna do to your black ass? Are you so short sighted that you cannot see what a slippery slope we are on? Between white people becoming the new minority and the election of a Black president (check his census form), (some) white people are losing their fcuking minds (I'm looking at you teabaggers and Rand Paul). I can't think about AZ's new law without thinking about South Africa's apartheid-era passbook laws – or during slavery when Black people had to basically carry a note from their owner to go anywhere off of the plantation in order to prove that they were allowed to be wherever they were found. So basically your stance is "I don't care what they do to those Mexicans, as long as they stop putting Black men in jail at an alarming rate." Really? You don't see ANY WAY that the two are connected?
In addition, where is it written that Black people, as a group, cannot fight for more than one cause at a time? The fact that we are speaking up against AZ's Juan Crow law does not preclude us from speaking out against mandatory minimum sentences, or police brutality, or any one of the other myriad of issues that need to be addressed. But as far as us fighting our OWN battles, we should definitely be proactive and recognize that if this AZ law is acceptable, it is a major lowering of the proverbial bar for what is acceptable in terms of race-relations and civil rights.
I'm not saying that the anti-illegal immigration bill and the tactics they are using to curb illegal immigration are right. I am saying that it is utterly ridiculous to compare slavery to illegal immigration. Also, I'm not saying this bill is a positive precedent, I am saying there are other waaaaaay more important things that *are* happening so why are we focusing on what *could* happen? That doesn't make sense to me. Im all about proactive problem solving, but the fact is, we have some reactive problem solving that needs to get done that is more important to our immediate future. I dont understand why we can get the NAACP, Al Sharpton and Alpha Phi Alpha to band together on this front for illegal immigrants, but what about issues that actually affects their constituents???? Where is the solidarity when it is time to make a change for Black people?
Further, my stance is not "I don’t care what they do to those Mexicans" but I don't support illegal immigration. We have to remember what the issue at hand is and not always automatically assume that every law implemented by a White person is about White Supremacy.
"I am saying there are other waaaaaay more important things that *are* happening so why are we focusing on what *could* happen?"
In America what could happen often happens unless it is stopped, the law in question basically reverses the notion of "Innocent until proven Guilty" if that is allowed to slide black folks will undoubtedly be in trouble. Some of us may feel comfortable with Arabs and Mexicans getting a lot of the negative attention lately but make no mistake NO ONE LOOKS MORE GUILTY TO WHITE AMERICANS THAN BLACK PEOPLE, and eventually they will be asking us to prove our innocence if this precedent stands and that will balloon those prison numbers you mentioned even more.
I am saying there are other waaaaaay more important things that *are* happening so why are we focusing on what *could* happen?
Because perhaps if we had paid closer attention to those mandatory minimum sentencing laws and the crack-powder disparity when said laws were passed in the 80s, then we would not be facing/fighting such a ridiculously disproportionate incarceration rate today.
Further, my stance is not “I don’t care what they do to those Mexicans” but I don’t support illegal immigration.
That is exactly my point. This law does not just affect/target illegal immigrants. This law affects anyone who LOOKS LIKE an illegal immigrant. This law basically says brown skin = fair game for crime suspect. While we know that this happens all the time anyways (Driving While Black), making it permissible by law is taking ish too far. I don't trust the police any further than I can throw them and we going to allow these mofos to use their own discretion as to who should and should not be checked for their papers? What does an illegal immigrant look like? As I wrote on another blog a few days ago, Jose Gonzalez, whose GRANDPARENTS were born in this country is gonna have to carry papers and prove who he is and his legitimacy to any a$$hole cop who asks him. Meanwhile, an illegal Canadian immigrant will NEVER (EVER!) be questioned or harassed by the police. How this does not make your blood boil, I do not understand.
I am saying that it is utterly ridiculous to compare slavery to illegal immigration I wasn't comparing the institution of slavery to the subject of illegal immigration. I was comparing the practice of having slaves carry passes from their owners (and Blacks & Coloreds in South Africa carrying passbooks) to the requirement that Brown people in AZ be prepared to present papers and prove their legitimacy on demand. Unescorted Black man in 1800 = suspected runaway slave. Brown man in AZ in 2010 = suspected illegal immigrant. That's the only comparison I was making.
Alissa, to be the devil's advocate, I have an honest question. A while back you wrote an article about blacks segregating themselves too much. You stated that even if we keep the purpose of the org., we should be inclusive in inviting non-black members. But in this article, you are saying that even though this bill may not only affect Latino immigrants but possibly even blacks, we should keep our mouth shut nevertheless. Are you sure that there is no inconsistency on this point-of-view?
Who's to say some people against this bill are not active when it comes to black issues? Some of these people could be active in both!
In all truthfulness though, I do think much of our own concern should be our own issues as well. So what we choose to get involved in should probably be on a case by case basis.However, bills have been or will arise targeting one group that have bad implications across the board and at those times, it may be OK if we are not silent! This may be one of those bills and times and if so-I see where some of blacks protesting this are coming from!
Oooh, wee, Rev. Yonnie. PRREEEEEACH! *throws dollar at the pulpit*
Yonnie3000 very well said! And the reality is that laws are often set on precedent. Florida is currently considering an immigration bill that in some ways will be mirrored after the AZ law. Does it become a Black issue then because the obvious targets will be Haitians and dark skinned Cubans and Dominicans instead of Mexicans?!
I'm disappointed in Alissa's analysis.
This is exactly why the AZ is important! I'm from Florida and O…M…G… what if this law came there?! The Cubans would get a wet foot/dry foot pass even though it wouldn't stop the Afro-Cubans from being harassed and all other islanders would STAY on guard. I would tell my own family to move because although they are documented, as we already know it's hard for us to trust the police, they would soon find ways to take even that away.
So I agree with the above and Yonnie's replies. This DOES affect us.
Every non-citizen in the United States has been required to carry their documents since Congress passed the Alien Registration Act in 1940; therefore, the law is already in Florida and in every other state in the US.
But let's pretend it's not already a federal law, still I am skeptical that this would affect any of the islanders really especially since they look African-American anyway. And if that's the case, racial profiling already takes place and no one is protesting that the way they're protesting this. Why does it have to be about another racial group before we care?
"still I am skeptical that this would affect any of the islanders really especially since they look African-American anyway."
They do?
Ummm…YES. There is no "one way" that African-Americans look, we fall on all parts of the skin color, eye color and hair spectrum. Seeing as how we all originated from somewhere in Africa, someone could easily mistake a person in the United States (that was born in St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Nigeria etc.) as being African-American.
I disagree. You could look at my LS and say "She's Dominican" you could look at one of my best friends and say "He's Haitian". Or my other friend and say "He's Afro-Cuban." I never looked at any of them and thought "they're just regular old black."
But if you couldn't tell, that doesn't make it any better. That just means ANYONE with brown skin would be stopped under the suspicion of being from a nearby island.
I think people that pay attention to nuances can tell where a person on based on their look, but I'd venture out to say that if you've got dark skin (ancestory from Africa) people will assume you are African-American. I'd think that your Florida background throws a wrench in that assumption, as there is a high population of Latino cultures, but I'd tend to agree with Alissa.
That could totally be it. LOL
The fact that you cant tell the difference further reiterates the point that no one person can tell which leads "officials" to be able to pull over every tom, dick and jane (or juan, tasha, and maria … to be frank) at their discretion.
Not necessarily, there are times when I can actually discern when black people have come from different places. There are variations in our looks alot of times.
And do't let them have an accent. That is a dead giveaway!
I'm not a lawyer, but I looked up the Alien Registration Act and it doesn't seem to say what you think it does, it basically required non-citizen adults to be registered with the government it didn't mention, that I could find, requirements for carrying their documents. (it seems to primarily focus on groups that try to overthrow the government)
Also even if it did that still wouldn't give a green light to profile as the officer sees fit, completely negating probable cause, i.e. requiring someone to have something doesn't mean you can automatically stop anyone to check if they have it.
Officially, it could be said that requiring something doesn't mean you can automatically stop anyone but on the ground it may be something different!
"But let’s pretend it’s not already a federal law, still I am skeptical that this would affect any of the islanders really especially since they look African-American anyway."
This whole notion of looking like your ethnicity stuff has GOT TO STOP. My father, when in ANY southern area of the United States is ALWAYS assumed to be Mexican. ALWAYS. He has a very light skin complexion and "Rico Suave" hair texture. It doesn't hurt that he's also able to speak Spanish. But for the record he is a Black, African-American man. With this sort of law taking place, there is NO DOUBT in my mind, that when traveling in AZ (or Florida or any other state that choses to adopt these racist laws) he will be mistakenly identified as being Latino, by way of Mexican ancestry. How disheartening!
Focusing on what *could* happen, getting hype about nothing more than *possibilities* is fine. But what about what actually IS happening???? I'm not saying that black people should support these bills. I'm saying that it is amazing to me how up in arms black people get over speculative stuff that is loosely tied to us when actual things are going on. I'm all for the boycotts and protests and all that, but are these black organizations and leaders interested in protesting anything for Black America to the same extent they're protesting this?
Maybe I'm the only one who cares.
Like Yonnie said who said black people aren't doing anything? Maybe not the exact same thing as they are for other causes but who said NOTHING was being done? Considering even on this site we've discussed how we cannot collectively point to a specific issue for us all to jump on, I'd say that's why you don't see a boycott.
IF* we were to support the LGBT we'd know exactly what to support because they have a collective issue they are heading up.
Immigrants among us have a collective issue they are heading up.
We have things going on any and everywhere that people are fighting EVERY DAY. Organizations are fighting them every single day. It doesn't make the news because it's not hot button, also because our media sucks at truth telling.
You are not the only one that cares, but maybe you should find an organization that's doing what you're asking and work to make sure they do more.
"We have things going on any and everywhere that people are fighting EVERY DAY." I made this point in the article. I never said black people aren't doing anything. That would be a ludicrous accusation.
I agree we need a cause to encircle. But does the fact that we don't mean that we should go jumping in everyone else's battles at the expense of our own?
I truly do appreciate your sentiment Alissa; I do, however, disagree. I think what Dr. MLK meant by "an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" is that we are all intertwined. There are connections and similarities between struggles. If we all come together and fight the inequalities, isn't that much more powerful than simply giving them the "I hope everything works out" side-eye. 0_o Like JG said, there is no ONE collective issue we are fighting RIGHT NOW…if there was a situation, I would hope that, in the future, we could call on our counterparts that we have served with side by side in the present to assist us in our fight. There are people working (half the people blogging on here are probably working in their own way and by their own means) and I don't think you are denying this…but it seems you are denying how are struggles are intertwined and how crucial it is for us to depend on each to help us defend ourselves against the (ignorant) powers that be.
I wasn't disputing what MLK said. I was wondering if any other group ascribes to this thinking besides Black America. Thats what really got me to write this article anyway. We are quick to pool our resources and make a concerted effort on behalf of others, but does any other minority group do that for us? And why are we pre-disposed to do that for others? Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but why. Im not saying nobody is doing anything. People do work hard for different causes for Black America every day. But can we get Al Sharpton, Alpha Phi Alpha and the NAACP to band together in the same way on something that advances Black America after this? Just wondering…
The connection IMO is clear and Yonnie has articulated it quite clearly. However, Alissa makes a good point regarding the outcry and action being taken on behalf of illegal immigration, yet we are rarely able to mobilize such a concerted effort on our own behalf. This article addresses an issue which we really need to explore. Why dont we fight our own battles with the same tactical precision which we advocate for other groups struggle? African Americans possess more buying power than any group in this country. Imagine the gains we could make if we could leverage our financial power against the litany of improprities which negatively affect the black community. This isnt a new argument, but black organizations' willingness to boycott Arizona beg the question as to why havent we instituted similarly scaled campaigns against other states with equally appalling laws directly affecting African Americans. I would argue that illegal immigration is the "sexy debate" for the time being. Accordingly, any action implicating illegal immigarion or this AZ law gains instant publicity. Publicity yields capital. As a result, action on AZ's law is an opportunity for organizations to raise their profile and increase their reserves.
This is a great point. The last time we saw such a united effort was during Hurricane Katrina. I think a major reason why we’re unable to provide such an impactful, unified front is because it requires an extreme, (and oftentimes) unparalleled event to occur that shocks us (the Black community) to our core. These factors ultimately inspire change. Hurricane Katrina did EXACTLY that. Arizona is doing that.
Alissa did touch on this point (kudo’s) but unfortunately didn’t focus on it.
I understand your point of view. The only thing I do not understand is that you lumped Proposition 8 into it. Proposition 8 directly effects our community. If you want us to look out for our own that includes our gay and lesbian brothers and sister; even though our community likes to turn their back on them like they do not exist.
Yea*…. we did not support the LGBT community on Prop 8 and our community is still using "No Homo" as if that's not hurtful to the LGBT amongst us.
That's why I use "pause." It's equally as funny and much less offensive….right?
Great point.
Pause > No Homo.
Yea* because pause is used anytime you say something sexual in a non-sexual conversation right?
Like "Sean, I'm going to make you my bitch…….#pause in this poker game"
Right?
I don't think it's about turning our backs on members of the LGBT community who also happen to be black. But every black person doesn't support gay marriage, yet supporters try to guilt-trip black people into being okay with it by saying that the LGBT experience is the same as the black experience. I disagree with that comparison.
i agree
I understand your frustration however, we cannot and should not suppress our discontent for legislation of this magnitude because like it or not, the oppression of one minority will affect all. No there isn't a coalition of Latino Americans actively protesting the alarming incarceration and unemployment rates of the Black community but that doesn't mean that we should have a monolithic agenda. Black American's unique historical circumstance has indirectly creative a hiearchy as it relates to activism, and even within its absence or inefficiency, we still remain the face or civil rights. Therefore it is our moral obligation, to speak up against these injustices that affect ALL people. I'll just leave with this quote:
"In Germany, they first came for the gypsies, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a gypsy. Then they came for the Bolsheviks, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Bolshevik. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics. I didn't speak up then because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up." – Martin Niemoller, A Lutheran Pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937
Thanks so much for sharing that quote. I've never heard it before.
Thanks for that! I love that quote!
Damn. That’s a deep ass quote. It gave me chills.
First off, nice article. I agree with most,if not all, of the larger themes you are addressing. Two points. The whole "injustice anywhere impignes my justice HERE" argument has been well-traveled and need not be re-hashed.
However, the correlary to that argument, and equally important, is the coalition building that Black people need to do with other People of Color. Collectively, people of color make up a sizable bloc and will be in the majority within the next 15-30 years if I'm not mistaken. It's important that we work together to establish a baseline foundation of issues that we all agree to support. Often when investing in something, the final gains can not be enumerated yet. It is my hope that this is the case with Black people's support of the oppression that Latinos are facing in AZ.
Lastly, it is in Black people's strategic interest to retain the moral high ground when it comes to these moral issues. Because ultimately, the tactical strategy (i think slightly erroneously actually) employed to argue against Black people's oppression is that it is WRONG, from an ethical/moral standpoint. If our leaders are "pleading our case" on moral lines, than they must be sure to be logically consistent, or attacked as self-serving hypocrites.
I don't think my comment posted. But if not, I said "very nice".
nice article and brave stance. sometimes i feel like we need to just close ourselves off and really get our own ish together, others i feel like coalition building may be the way to go. im torn. i appreciate your perspective though, its not heard enough.
I get the spirit of the article. Basically – take care of home before you take care of your neighbor. I think individually – we all need to be performing at our best and supporting those around us.
However, I do believe it’s in public figures (Jesse, Al n’ dem) best interest to take on causes that pose a threat to civil rights.
“I think individually – we all need to be performing at our best and supporting those around us.”
Ditto!
After reading this article and reading comments I must say this has sparked one hell of a debate. I can honestly say I understand where Alissa is coming from. I completely understand the fact that black American leaders are to quick to hop on the band wagon of every other issue in America and slower than molasses to discuss black problems. We can't forget that being black america is a strike towards anyone who looks African Americans. Okay Mexicans are singled out and marginalized but African Americans have been marginalized for centuries. Mexicans are pissed because they might be pulled over and harass but African Americans have been marked as criminals since slavery and anyone looking African American can be pulled over for walking while black i.e the black professor in New York ( I believe) who house was broken and he ended up in the back of a police cruiser because they thought he was criminal returning back to the crime scene. I can keep this rant going on forever, but until black issues of poverty, education (the lack thereof), and the disproportional rates of black men being incarcerated ( the new 21st century slavery) are address; black leaders need to fall back on other people problems and put their energy and focus on African American people in America who are legally here (no pun intended) and who continue to be marginalized and stereotyped as criminals.
This article has sparked a nice debate. I enjoyed reading the article and comments. I think N8te made some excellent points. I do think we need to take care of home first, but this does not mean we shouldn’t be involved in other areas. It is important to engage in coalition-building within this country as well as connecting our struggle to the larger global struggle for freedom. Malcolm X was constantly lobbying the World Court and United Nations to support domestic political struggles. In my opinion, this article is really one that’s questioning the best use of our resources. For example, I donate a portion of my income to various charitable organization and institutions I support. Would it make sense for me to donate all of my income? No, because then I would no longer be able to contribute or take care of myself. It hurts everyone in the long run. The key is to have a balanced approach with appropriate short term and long term goals. It doesn’t make sense to spend all of our financial and political capital in one area if it means we are no longer able to take care of basic needs. It seems to me that Alissa is saying we need to do a better job of taking care of ourselves which, in turn, would make us more able to take care of others. That’s my interpretation of the article.
Alissa,
I think that your article is good, but not fair or balanced. I, as a queer man of color, see my plight to be equally tied to my sexual orientation and my race/ethnicity. Proposition 8 is just as disheartening and disgusting as Black codes or segregation laws of the 60's. So, my struggle isn't simply fighting racism or homophobia exclusively, its fighting both simultaneously.
Additionally, there are many parallels to homophobia and racism, like misogyny and classism that further oppress people. For example, if we as African Americans were champions of "Equal Pay for Equal Work" many of our (Black) households wouldn't be facing the fiscal disparities we see now. So, every "ism" and "phobia" is directly tied w/ others, even if/when we can't see them.
In regards to this immigration law, I agree we can't just let undocumented people in the country. However, the ways at which we go to remove said illegal immigrants is where I have many questions. Do the ends justify the means? Are we unfairly targeting groups based on phenotypes? For example, while I was in the UK, EVERYONE had to produce ID when traveling. Decisions to question and/or detain people in regards to residency or citizenship weren't based on preconceived notions of what "foreign" meant (read: phenotype). Everyone was subject to random searches and seizures; but then again, the UK doesn't have a Bill of Rights or Constitution.
What is my point? Its not that we as opposers to the law disagree that we need to secure our borders; we want the ways in which Arizona goes about doing it to be fair and free of prejudice.
what do the rights of a gay person to marry have to do with black people?
*face palm*
seriously. im against gay marriage, but only because of its ancillary affects. personally, i dont mind gays. im trying to gain perspective here. help me out.
Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were being tongue in cheek.
IMO, considering that there are blacks who are gay, there's one way in which the interconnectedness affects our struggle. Also, gay rights is a civil rights issue and civil rights are a human rights issue and should be afforded to all of us. Perhaps I live in a world of idealism, but I think that any argument against the civil rights of another is detrimental to my own. Previously, a lot of my disdain against gay marriage was rooted in religious ideological fallacies. I even went as far to write an article for the school newspaper about it even under the auspices of a gay principal.
iDigress. Whenever I hear the fight against gay marriages, it automatically leads me to think of miscegenation laws that prohibited interracial marriages. I think any lineage of a group of people that at one time were subjected to not being able to marry who they wanted should be more understanding of this struggle.
In my different social vectors as a Black woman, heterosexual, middle class, college educated, etc etc, do gay rights affect me directly? No, but it's about removing my individuality and apathy and substituting it for empathy.
i guess i have a hard time connecting gays to black people because i dont feel like people are born gay whereas people are born black. and like any other choice in society, you are free to make them, but it does not follow there will not be consequences. it also does not follow that the state has to sanction the choice you make, or even has to look at the choice you make as favorably as other choices which are made.
Choice, in regards to sexuality, is irrelevant. By virtue of being an American citizen, I should be afforded the right to marry another person, regardless of gender. The point I was making is that many forms of discrimination are connected and hurt us all. This law is no different from Prop 8, Plessey v. Ferguson, or mandatory minimum sentencing: they affect, unfairly, already marginalized groups.
And after reading comments, I think people have FAILED to see the problem with the law. The problem is it LEGALLY allows police to RACIALLY profile people of color. Nobody is going to pull over someone who looks like an illegal German citizen, because in their eyes, as well many of ours, we'd ASSUME they're American cause they're WHITE. Adversely, we as people of color will be targeted because people COULD assume were are FOREIGN simply because of the hue of our skin. Toni Morrison said it best: "In this country, American means white. Everyone else has to hyphenate."
Exactly. The law doesn't say "we're targetting Mexicans" (I get that it doesn't say it's *targeting* anyone), but it's profiling people who don't *Seem* to be from here. Mexicans will feel the BRUNT of this because they are in Arizona in high numbers. I'm sure the few (lol) Black people living there might get caught up. We're already profiled, now in AZ it's legal.
Not sure if I'm surprised or not, but racial profiling is legal in many states:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/us-human-rights/other/r…
I need to see the laws and language (I'll look later) but your link presents states with little to no laws protecting citizens from racial profiling. Additionally these laws seem based on perceived criminal behavior not just "We saw you walking… and you don't seem to be from 'round here."
Yeah I don't know what the language is but the perceived criminal activity, I guess if it were targeted toward Mexican-Americans, is *illegal* immigration.
Oh Lord…
I quit! You have officially worn me down. Enjoy being comfortable in your blackness in this country.
I await your response to several others who have answered some of the questions you have asked.
How is this law (or Proposition 8 for that matter) *no different* than Plessy v Ferguson???? This is what I meant by "Too often parallels are starkly drawn between the Black experience and other groups experience where they, in actuality, loosely exist." And as I pointed out in my comment above to JG, racial profiling is already legal in most states. If you look closely, it's legal where the majority of Black ppl in this country live. So again, "Why are we just now making noise about it when we’re not even the target this time?"
It seems like your issue has less to do with the fact that black folks are “making noise” about the AZ law, but rather why didnt/havent we made as much noise about all these other laws/policies which disproportionately affect african americans.
Additionally, I think the AZ law provides an easier profiling law to target. Not having a racial profiling ban is patently different than passing an affirmative law legalizing and encouraging racial profiling. So, in the context of racial profiling(to the exclusion of other issues such as prison sentencing, unemployment, etc.) I think you would have to acknowledge that it might not necessarily be a matter of black folks fighting harder against the AZ law then other racial profiling policies, or lack thereof, but rather a more readily identifiable target. This is similar to the debate going on now regarding a black agenda. It was easier to identify the policies which affected black folks during and leading up to passage of Civil Rights legislation; however, now with the limited success and upward mobility some african americans have experienced the policies which detrimentally and disproportionately affect us are not as easily attacked. We have to be more sophisticated and vigilant now to fight discriminatory policies and agendas. Thats why forums like the FreshXpress are great sounding boards. We’re in a new civil rights struggle. One in which we are all learning new strategies.
Mexicans don’t even like Black people. Even the illegal ones think they are better than us so why are we losing any sleep over what happens to them. There are Mexican gangs that actively target African-Americans in LA lets protest that first.
Thats a bold statement that "Mexican dont even like Black people"….what? #cmonson
lol @ #cmonson
Um, that is a VERY generalized blanket statement.
Yes, there are instances where SOME people of Mexican descent think disparagingly of African-Americans (and visa versa) but this cannot be viewed by and large as completely or concretely factual.
Back to the original scope of this article…Although I am wholly against SB 1070 (yet feel that SOME sort of immigration reform needs to be implemented in AZ), I appreciate this discourse because beneath all the heated debate, political views, civil rights sentiment and notions of injustice still remains the question of whether if saddled with a law of similar implications, would other minority groups be as swift to action for the cause of equality for African-Americans as African-American Civil Rights Groups, power brokers and much of the population been for them?
I think that it is a fair question to ask, and in all the weeks that this topic has been debated, I don't think I've heard anyone offer an answer to this inquiry.
A great article and a great debate.
I would add 3 points:
1. Black Americans need to take care of home FIRST and foremost.
2. Black Americans need to get REAL SMART about coalition building in the 21st century and beyond.
3. Black Americans need to stop allowing every other minority to desecrate the Black American experience whenever White people target said minority. Every struggle is not akin to Slavery. Just like every struggle is not akin to the Jewish Holocaust.
We can no longer neglect our own interest to take care of those who do not support us in our time of need. It's high time the Black community put down its "super black wo/man" cape.
I'm all for coalition building and for all people of color coming together, but if Black people do not demand respect, empathy, compassion, and support of our own issues/struggles then our efforts are pointless.
When we rally around the alarming incarceration and unemployment rates, HIV/AIDS, gun violence, police brutality, etc. in the Black community, all minorities (Hispanic, Asian, women, LGBT, etc.) should rally around us with the same fervor that our current civil rights go to guy, Al Shartpton has for them.
Not to mention, coalition building is a good time to address the racist attitudes other minorities harbor against Black people.
In the case of AZ SB-1070, we need to wheel-n-deal coalition building same as a major corporate merger.
It needs to be more of:
1) "Hey you want my support in this AZ SB-1070 then you need to do something about all these Mexican cartels that are moving into the urban Black American communities, pushing drugs and killing our people."
Or
2) "Hey you want my support in this AZ SB-1070 then you need to really school your fellow racist Mexicans on the true history of Black America.
Or
3) "Yeah I know Mexicans used to own slaves and still many look down on Black American people, but you want my support in this AZ SB-1070? Then you need to stop reinforcing negative stereotypes of Black Americans in your community."
And all of this coalition building should be done with the same level of pride, dignity and understanding they have for their own; none of that "Oh those poor Black American people" or "Well I'm not Black so it doesn't apply to me" crap that is often mistaken for coalition building and good will.
After all, Black Americans have the true Civil Rights expertise, experience, and influence. We are the gatekeepers.
We are the only minority group that has been truly successful in protecting the civil liberties of all disenfranchised American citizens on a national platform. Jewish people didn't. Neither did the Irish or the Italians. All they did is use Black Americans as scapegoats in their quest to become "white". And if we are not careful a new crop of minorities will do the same.
So we need to more cautious of any minority group seeking our help and not give our support away for free just because we’re the red headed step monster.
that was pretty good. i wonder if we already do this. if we dont, we should
"How does twelve percent of a country’s population make up nearly half of its prisons population? "
We need our men out of prison and educated, ready to protect black babies from whatever wind fall comes from the rising flames in AZ. I agree that the bill is a dangerous precedent and we need to worry about our future as affected by this issue.
Likewise, I would like the NAACP to grow some and use Wells-Fargo money to stage protests against black incarceration rates and the legislation that creates a modern day slave trade. Let our 'leaders' show up for that! I haven't personally heard much about the Revs rallying for anything recently. They are not making noise. We used to make noise. I'm waiting to see if there will be a fire over the fact that one of our 7 yo baby girls was shot to death in her sleep during a police raid. The police should know who will be in a family home at the time of a raid because they would have supposedly been casing the house. My point is that a mistake like that should never happen, no risk like that should ever be taken. It was ok in a Black community though….
The AZ bill is something that just recently began compared to our African American history and present reality….Anyone know if the Panthers are in town????
Very well written article and I agree 100%. This illegal immigrant debate is truly a hot one but it is one that ultimately does not affect us specifically. Truth is we should never support any minority group that does not support us. In my experience living in both Southern CA and Northern CA the Mexican population in general and the illegal Mexican population more specifically do not look at us as equals nor do they provide us with the same support for our issues that they ask us to provide them. The fact is that we are in direct competition with illegal immigrants for certain jobs and also at war with them in certain neighborhoods where they have decided that we should go.
Personally I have no problem with anyone who comes here and goes through the process of becomng a citizen my problem is with illegal immigration. We've been profiled since the days of slavery and not a word why now is there this great outcry for the illegal Mexican immigrant?
Your thinking is utterly retarded.
Alissa — this article needs to be in Essence and Ebony and a hosts of other ‘black’ publications. I myself, am tired of fighting for everyone except people who look like me, and it’s high time we (as AA) are having our civil rights organizations pimped in the name of multiculturalism.
No offense. I agree with your general idea of not wasting time fighting the fight when we need to empower. Unfortunately without the fight, we can't move forward. Basic human rights were being infringed, and we need organizations like the NAACP to help us maintain and not take for granted the freedom we have. Not just for African Americans, we're talking Civil Rights. We need those freedoms to progress. You can't have one without the other.
I suggest a serious review of Civil Rights what that entails. Texas, Arizona, and even Paul Rand make that an obvious reminder – we cannot be complacent when empowering others.
A lot of Black organizations are poverty pimps and racial ambulance chasers so you can expect a certain amount of bandwagon jumping . But I think the average Black person in the street could care less either way. And if it was up to me we would get one of those Ringling Bros. circus canons and shoot there asses across that border.
their
This is ARE land
I need help. I burst out laughing. I'm not even sure why. LOL
I understand that the immigration issue may have implications later down the line that may affect African Americans, but we have enough issues going on right now that directly affect us and I think that is where our attention needs to be. Great article!
This is a constitutional issue that needs to be immediately nipped in the bud. It is about so much more than what you’re seeing on the face of the law. It’s about the unprecedented expansion of State and municipal authority.
Black people are at the bottom-most tier of society, and if you think for a second that what effects Americans (better-positioned to assimilate than we are) won’t eventually and exponentially effect your Black ass, then you are truly deluded. As is, we can’t drive from place to place without simultaneously inviting the harassment of law enforcement officers. The last thing Black people need in this country is for police officers to be provided yet another opportunity to harass us at home, at the mall, in the park, in the elevator, etc. It may not happen with this law, but it sets dangerous precedent.
You asked when Black people became “the go-to spokesperson” for everybody, Well, frankly, we always have been. NOBODY but white men would have anything resembling a civil right in this country were it not for us because we have always remembered where we stood in this country. Don’t forget, now.
You still eat in the kitchen when company comes, Black people. Don’t think you’re somewhere else just because they’ve moved some things around and redecorated.
Black people are at the bottom-most tier of society, and if you think for a second that what effects Americans(better-positioned to assimilate than we are) won't eventually and exponentially effect your Black ass, then you are deluded.
Exactly! My sentiment exactly.
1. Why should you pay attention to things like LGBT rights and immigration policy? Do you think there are no LGBT people of color, or that all "illegal" immigrants are Mexican? If so you're woefully ignorant.
2. If you think you should only pay attention to, and support, issues that affect people of color, why should other marginalized and persecuted groups bother to care about or support you? Selfish much?
when other marginalized groups are wringing concessions from politicians I don’t hear them go but what about our Black brothers. The Jews over at Aipac don’t say support Israel at all cost and do something about Black unemployment. La Raza doesn’t say we want comprehensive immigration reform which includes a path to citizenship and better access to health care for out Black brothers. The LGBT isn’t advocating for gay marriage and the repeal of don’t ask / don’t tell and head start funding for poor communities. No every other group looks after their own interest and we should do the same. And Arizona writing a law that allows Mexican racial profiling effects me how?
When Black people were crying against de facto racial profiling, we looked to other races to help us. Yes, it still happens, but is it legalized? No. God forbid the day when Mexican racial profiling becomes a precedent for other laws and comes back to bite us in the ass, because we supported it.
And Arizona writing a law that allows Mexican racial profiling effects me how?
Simply because if it is okay to profile them, why not us? I agree much of our main focus should be ourselves precisely we have our own issues along with the grain of truth in what you said! However, some things should not be supported based on the implication or result-the precedent it set. This is a clear example of a case like that! Laws targeting wholesale groups should never be supported because laws like this eventually expand to target other groups!
The only reason this isn’t a “black thing” is because it’s in AZ where I’m sure our numbers are slim. Anywhere else (and believe, they are trying) and we’d be showing our documents more than we do now.
The reason this isn't a "black thing" is because there are an estimated 20 MILLION illegal immigrants in this country. The great majority of which are from Mexico. It's not a "black thing" because it's not a black thing. And black people trying to make it a black thing is what is weird to me.
The defense rests.
As recent as 2006, data suggested that there were 12 million total illegal immigrants in the United States, not 20 million.
Also, I don't think Black people are trying to make it a "Black thing." It shouldn't be simplified to such measures. I think that's assumed, because Black people are interested in the fight.
Yea* and perhaps my usage of "Black thing" makes it seem as though it's all about us… not not at all. My point above was that if this was "directly" (I believe it is, but clearly many do not) affecting Black People by being in an area where we would be targeted, there wouldn't be an issue with Black people being into this fight.
what does that even mean? trying what? who is asking you for documents?
I’m saddened by the opinion, that we can’t do both. As though African American resources are so thin that we don’t have the capability or decency to worry about someone else. Furthermore, the MOST ironical part of this entire article is that out of EVERYTHING that has given Black people any type of civil liberties, other races HAVE been involved in the struggle. We did not get here by ourselves. Yes we have problems within our communities, but in my opinion those problems should never transcend our obligation to humanity.
When there were white only signs, whites worked with Blacks, to urge the government to make change. The Black Panther Party created synergies with Latinos to create The Rainbow Coalition. Black women fought with women all across the Diaspora and globe to bring the United States up on charges to the UN for crimes against humanity. THIS is our legacy. The legacy where we do work together. Have we really gotten this self absorbed into our own problem that we believe we cannot delegate our resources to help others?
Black resources are thin. We have a near self ethnic cleansing on the streets of Chicago. A prison industrial complex being stoked by the bodies of poor Black men, an AIDS epidemic, unemployment north of 20%, obesity, diabetes, stroke, poverty, wage and education gaps. And you want to worry about some Mexicans ?
I live in Chicago, so I know all about the violence. However, it’s not just black people killing themselves, and I advocate better schooling across the board and jobs. The prison industrial complex yes, affects black men at a disproportionate rate, however it’s also starting to transcend across gender and racial lines and it’s beginning to affect women of color (not just blacks) at a disproportionate as well. Fast food restaurants are located in a high percentage in black neighborhoods, healthy food for an affordable price in our neighborhood is scarce but we don’t own them and need a coalition if we want them removed. Also, eating is about choices. If you choose to to consume fatty, sugary, salty foods, then there’s an assumption of the risk. I work with an HIV/AIDS awareness organization and women of ALL races are being infected and affected by this disease. Furthermore, unless you can say without a shadow of a doubt that there is no interracial sexing going on, then I have the believe that we are infected outside races and outside races are infecting us. Which again makes it everyone’s business. But this is besides the point.
“And you want to worry about some Mexicans ?”
Do you know how offensive this is? You don’t know me, you don’t know any personal information about myself. You don’t know if I have Mexicans in my family. You don’t know if I have close-knit relationships with Mexicans. You assume that because I’m Black that I live in a bubble where only Black people matter to me. Yes, I worry about “some” Mexicans. If you feel that Black resources are thin, that’s fine. However, I feel that most people who talk about thinning Black resources do not count themselves in this struggle. We worry about why people like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and other “black leaders” are doing things yet we have not realized our own capability in being a Black resource. So yes, if we rely on the same people day in and day out to be “resources” then I can understand why we believe they are running thin. Nevertheless, I count myself as a Black resource and I am not in any shape, form, or fashion “thinning.” I recognize the interconnectedness and I adjust and inject myself in these situations accordingly.
I think that person is a troll.
Man… I haven’t had to deal with trolls in a long time. I forgot what they looked like, but I think you’re right. Definitely need to cease engagement. Thanks!
I was neither trolling nor addressing you directly and you commented on what I wrote so I believe you would be the troll.
Nope, that's not how trolling works. But shoutout to you for the 2010 "I'm rubber you're glue"… I did get confused by the lines, and the fact that you were underneath me. So my apologies on that. In any event, you do sound trollish. #KanyeShrug My mistake.
Wow at this article. The world will continue to b jacked long as we remain individualists. I cannot believe this article, really. No further comment.
“The world will continue to be jacked long as we remain individualists”
Agreed.
It's saddening when I see black people turn around and do the very same thing that has been done to them. That internalized oppression is a bitch. This post and some of the subsequent commentary proves it. Don't worry Negroes, by 2042 we'll be the smallest minority demographic and we'll still be fucked up because of this type of thinking.
Oh well, lemme go back to watching 'The Story of Jimmy Rebel'.
AGREED.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH AMERICA. Why does everything in this country revolve around "race". It's discusting. What happened to compassion? People should speak out about all injustice, regardless of race! If people actually took up for each other imagine how much better this world would be. But instead America remains segregated by nothing more than hate. People that are mad about blacks being against the AZ immigration law are the same people that get made when other races adopt African babies or when the US sends millions of dollars in aid to other countries…"What about black American babies???…what about OUR country???"… I ask 'what about compassion?' period.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH AMERICA. Why does everything in this country revolve around "race". It's disgusting. What happened to compassion? People should speak out about all injustice, regardless of race! If people actually took up for each other imagine how much better this world would be. But instead America remains segregated by nothing more than hate. People that are mad about blacks being against the AZ immigration law are the same people that get mad when other races adopt African babies or when the US sends millions of dollars in aid to other countries…"What about black American babies???…what about OUR country???"… I ask 'what about helping our fellow man?' Honestly, what kind of cold hearted person can find fault in that?
And here's some food for thought that hasn't been mentioned on this entire thread:
The economic impact comprehensive immigration reform will have on workers.
As a result of CIM, wages will increase.
Last time I checked black people aren't against getting paid more given the forever expanding wealth gap in this country. But that's not important – we need to fight our own battles (as if ours is exclusively ours that is).
EDUCATE YOURSELVES: READ HERE
We need to be in this battle with them just like other races were in the battle with us for civil rights….*sidebar*…this is the type of rhetoric that p*sses me off cause we "modern day" african americans feel like were above all reproach now and that the battle is somewhat considered over for us which is far from the case…its funny when we fall under this "illusion of inclusion" like were immune to anything now and that we're now on a equal playing field…*pardon my french now* but bullshit, honestly nothing has changed except a few laws being passed to keep us free (barely) and an allowance of a few more black folks in high places cause at the end of the day we still make up less than 1% of the contry's wealth and still make up for more than double the unemployment rate and believe me it aint by chance or luck that this keeps happening…
Good articles produce strong debates!
I am Afro-Cuban. I live in Michigan. I don't have an accent. But on a daily basis, I get asked what country I'm from. I was born here, and my family is third generation. Actually, I'm mixed with like 6 other things.
I consider myself black, by the way, and bi have caramel skin.
I've already dealt with the occasional black person calling me a "rican" or white making a loaded statement. And they're trying to pass that bill here.
Blacks SHOULD be worried about this law. Black may not equal african american, but any brown latino or west indian qualifies. Harrassment isn't cool.
I can also tell you that the majority of illegals here are canadians and europeans that overstayed a work or student visa, but I digress.
How can you speak on experiences when you've never experienced them firsthand? You may not think that someone looks "foreign", but from the white perspective, if you're not chocolate with african features, you're either mixed with white or a latino.
Besides, W.E.B. DuBois was an APhiA and a HATIAN who was for balck reform. Chicanos (American born Mexicans) supported us during Jim Crow lobbying. So why can't we help them? Our cultures are intertwined: South America was enslaved until 1888 (Brazil), and there is a HIGH concentration of African descent people south of the border. Hell, Brazil is 88 percent black.
So before you go making loaded statements, please think outside of what you know. It may not affect Pookie and Ray Ray, but it may affect the little girl with a lisp down the block.
By the way, my Cuban father is an Alpha
I'm sorry but you're wrong in your assumption that the majority of illegals in the country are European. If anything the majority of illegals are from countries that SHARE A BORDER with the United States. It is far my more difficult for Europeans and people from overseas to be here Illegally ( there are definately many illegals from overseas but they're definately not the majority, and the fact that you're American just further proves you know nothing about US immigration processes) if you fly into this country you have to go through customs it's a LONG process!! I was once turned around in ATL because I didn't know the address of the hotel my friend had booked for me and waiting 2 hours while they interviewed my friend asking her how she knew me and if I was who I said I was. Not only that but even if you try to stay here on an expired Visa the US goverment has my fingerprints, eye scan, the names, addresses and numbers of every member of my immediate family the details of where I stay in the US and any company or school I am affiliated with…so yeah it's WAY harder to be an illegal in the US wheb you're from overseas, and your comment irked me because as a 'European' I go through hell to be in this country LEGALLY. But agree with u in that I will never support the AZ bill.
Alyssa,
I am Afro-Cuban. I live in Michigan. I don't have an accent. But on a daily basis, I get asked what country I'm from. I was born here, and my family is third generation. Actually, I'm mixed with like 6 other things.
I consider myself black, by the way, and bi have caramel skin.
I've already dealt with the occasional black person calling me a "rican" or white making a loaded statement. And they're trying to pass that bill here.
Blacks SHOULD be worried about this law. Black may not equal african american, but any brown latino or west indian qualifies. Harrassment isn't cool.
I can also tell you that the majority of illegals here are canadians and europeans that overstayed a work or student visa, but I digress.
How can you speak on experiences when you've never experienced them firsthand? You may not think that someone looks "foreign", but from the white perspective, if you're not chocolate with african features, you're either mixed with white or a latino.
Besides, W.E.B. DuBois was an APhiA and a HATIAN who was for balck reform. Chicanos (American born Mexicans) supported us during Jim Crow lobbying. So why can't we help them? Our cultures are intertwined: South America was enslaved until 1888 (Brazil), and there is a HIGH concentration of African descent people south of the border. Hell, Brazil is 88 percent black.
So before you go making loaded statements, please think outside of what you know. It may not affect Pookie and Ray Ray, but it may affect the little girl with a lisp down the block.
By the way, my Cuban father is an Alpha
It seems like your issue has less to do with the fact that black folks are "making noise" about the AZ law, but rather why didnt/havent we made as much noise about all these other laws/policies which disproportionately affect african americans.
Additionally, I think the AZ law provides an easier profiling law to target. Not having a racial profiling ban is patently different than passing an affirmative law legalizing and encouraging racial profiling. So, in the context of racial profiling(to the exclusion of other issues such as prison sentencing, unemployment, etc.) I think you would have to acknowledge that it might not necessarily be a matter of black folks fighting harder against the AZ law then other racial profiling policies, or lack thereof, but rather a more readily identifiable target. This is similar to the debate going on now regarding a black agenda. It was easier to identify the policies which affected black folks during and leading up to passage of Civil Rights legislation; however, now with the limited success and upward mobility some african americans have experienced the policies which detrimentally and disproportionately affect us are not as easily attacked. We have to be more sophisticated and vigilant now to fight discriminatory policies and agendas. Thats why forums like the FreshXpress are great sounding boards. We're in a new civil rights struggle. One in which we are all learning new strategies.
Sorry everyone. I dont know how this double posted.
wow your article is actually scary, you have no facts to support your opinion, what is a black person? don't you realize that latino/a's as you refer to us are also Black? African American are not the only "Black people" in the USA. You give no historical analysis to African-American and "Latino" unity in this country since 1868. SB1070 is a racial profiling bill. Latino/'as particularly Puerto Ricans, have always had political, social and communal relationships. Every statisitc that is told to us about African-Americans are the same for Latino/a's. The Prison Industrial Complex effects BLACK AND BROWN mostly young men. The rates of HIV infections are 68% for Af-American women, 61% for Latino's. The drop out rates, lack of access to higher education, subprime mortages, lack of healthcare. WE SUFFER TOGETHER!! Alissa the question you should ask yourself: When police stop Black and Brown men, do you think the Brown men is allowed to walk away because he is Latino. When white people, racially attack us do you think that white person goes, "oh she is puerto rican, let her go?" Lastly the first Latino/a's stopped via this law in Arizona, were Puerto Ricans, and since the US invaded us in 1898 and made us American citizens via the jones act in 1917, we are American citizens. And we have been stopped explain that to me and your audience. I encourage you to read books like, Open Veins of Latin America, Arturo Schomburg, Black, Brown and Yellow Power. We are Africans too! Afro-Latino reader. and lastly HIP HOP CULTURE: created by African American, Puerto Ricans and Jamicans, 1975, South Bronx, a culture created by Black and Brown youth. At the end of the day white folks could give tww F**** whether we are Black, brown, from mississippi, or puerto rico,from the hood, from the suburbs, Chrisitan or Athesist, gay or straight, they are afraid that COLLECTIVELY we are the majoirty of this country and the world. The first tenent of White Supremacy: DIVIDE AND CONQUER, and articles like yours, which of course you have a right to write, must be challagned by us who know and see better. Rosa Clemente, mother of a proud Black Puerto Rican girl, Hip Hop Activist and 2008 Green Party VP Candidate, proud to have run with a STRONG BLACK WOMEN, Cynthia Mckinney.
"I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."
-Malcolm X
The article is extremely short-sighted and lacks real contextual insight in the history of the civil rights struggle in this country. Apparently, the author was not even born when major coalitions that were formed and supported the passage of civil rights laws in this country. Many marched and lost their lives including whites who were killed by the Klan because they supported the struggle of Black folk. The author does not mention the participation of Cesar Chavez and farm workers union from the west coast and Puerto Rican activists from New York who also marched in support. No mention of past Latino support of all major Black political candidates in major cities like Chicago, Harold Washington; David Dinkins, New York; Tom Bradley,Los Angeles etc. etc. Not to mention 80% of the Latino vote went to Barack Obama. Al Sharpton and other forward thinking leadership understand the importance of coalition building. Its laughable the author diminishes the idea of coalitions by comparing the level of current racist attitudes toward Latino oppression to the American slave trade. Doesthe author think the Atlantic slave trade ended on the shores of Jamestown , Virginia? The author does not understand that most of the enslaved Africans were transported to Latin America. The slave trade was a global issue not just an American issue. This included indigenous people who were enslaved prior to the arrival of Africans. It is the descendants of these same indigenous people who are the ones crossing the desert for employment—it is not the white elite residing in Latin America. Latinos and African Americans cannot afford to dismiss the bigger picture of White supremacy in this country as the political balance of power changes. Nuff said!
I'm staunchly anti illegals and what I can't understand is how is it perfectly acceptable for the federal government to do something and that same act is illegal when performed by the state. And please do not respond with ignorant statements like well states can't print their own currency.
And let's stop with all the kumbaya even the illegals think they are better than Black people. Univision had spear chucking Africans on last weekend in honor of the world cup. And what about the murder squads of Mexicans hunting down innocent Black people. Hell look at how Mexicans treat Black Mexicans in Mexico. Once again I can't get too worked up over bad things happening to people who look down on me.
blackchild: Univison is not owend by Latino/a's, it is owend by GE, and NBC, and over 10,000 people signed a petiion to Univsion to boycott them for that racist image(s), emitions are one thing, facts are another
Please Essence Magazine isn't Black owned either. But it is still a magazine produced by African-Americans for African-Americans. How far up the production ladder would one have to go to find a white person who had anything to do with Univision. The day to day shot callers are Hispanic.
Alissa is right on the money. The entire Civil Rights movement has been thoroughly co-opted by special interest groups who themselves were often practitoners of virulent racism in America. Those were white WOMEN standing right next to their men ,gawking and grinning at the mutilated corpses of lynched black men AND women. By far the largest group of beneficiaries of Affirmative Action throughout the last 40 years were white women, I say to(some of )you 'black' morons who are consumed with licking the butts of other races or ethnicities for acceptance rather than covering our own collective black ass*s. This is shortsighted and dangerous for Black people. Other groups ultimately have nothing but contempt for a people-African Americans and Blacks in Africa for that matter-who aren't able to look out for themselves.
Recall the scene in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing,where three middle aged idle black men are sitting on a street corner looking at a store owned by asian immigrants in their black neighborhood. One remarks, "those asians must be geniuses or you nigg*rs ain't sh*t". Or check this out:(cut and paste if the Hyperlink isn't hot)
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_3…
..those are only two of many examples…We Blacks look out for the collective number 1-Ourselves-..Or we will remain dazed , despised and misguided.
church
Other groups ultimately have nothing but contempt for our people-African Americans and Blacks in Africa for that matter-who aren’t able to look out for themselves.
————————————–
@OneBlackMan ~ Preach!!!
Black people need to wake the hell up before it's too late.
Every group of immigrant — Jewish, Irish, Italian, Asian — built their wealth off the backs of the Black community.
They follow the model that WASP Americans first laid in place with slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, etc.
And if we are not careful you will see Mexicans opening fast food restaurants, hair supply stores, nail salons, etc. in our communities, which will once again drain resources that should be re-invested in our homes, schools, and businesses.
And get this: Hispanics STILL own modern day Black slaves in Florida and the Carolinas!!!!
Hispanics (along with White people) are enslaving black migrant farm workers in the 90s and now the 2000s
(Note: I'm sure there are Hispanic and White slaves as well, but the point is they have contempt for us and don’t see us equal to them. So why should we fight for them without demanding they change their racist beliefs about Black people?)
See: http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/sl…
Look specifically at the REVISITING RECENT CASES and see all the Hispanics names of men that in federal prisons on slavery, extortion and firearms charges.
Damn shame that we are so sympathetic with out taking care of home first.
Ainjustice to one community is an injustice to all, as an activist I believe in freedom for all people, not just those who are within my own race. When it comes to the issues I care about the most, of course those of black women are always going to be a priority for me, but our progress is dependent on the progress of all women, and therefore, other issues such as reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights, and immigration are going to intersect. Oppression is made possible by intersecting factors in America built on capitalism in which there has to be losers as much as winners in order for there to be a profit. Opression uses patriarchy, racism, and class exploitation as tools, but when one community is led to believe that one tool is a greater weapon than the others (such as race), then all the oppressor has to do is put more emphasis on other tools to still dominant. Here's what's really fucked up about the whole situation: the oppressed have the ability to become the oppressors strictly by ignoring intersectional factors of domination against others that may not affect them individually, and the dominant society is more than willing to give them clearance to do so by emphasizing threats to the self, rather than threats to society as a whole. Modern day "divide and conquer" if you will, only this time dividing the oppressed by passively allowing them to focus strictly on their own issues so that the chances of them bonding together to form a larger coalition against the dominant oppressor are slim.
Simply put, there is a reason why the white upper class community are still dominating society even though they are within themselves the minority in America: as long as there continues to be a heirarchy mentality based on class, race, sexual identity, gender, and citizen status, there will always be oppression in which only the dominant society will win.
We live in scary times when black people become too accustomed to the injustices of others on the premise of "at least it is not us"
i agree with the author. we make excuses why we cant fight our equal rights.
You’ve got to be kidding meit’s so tarnpasrenlty clear now!
RNLvSw ydeioegbfcsl
Hey this is that whole wave of let's take it back to the 1950's feeling that has gotten rush all his ratings for years.
Exactly.