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WEEK OF MAY 6 - 12, 2010
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Letter to the Editor
Now is the time to stand up and fight discrimination. Again.
By Ronald W. Weathersby
There is a fight brewing in America for the heart and soul of our nation. Every day since that first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in 2008 there has been a handful of our fellow citizens who seem determined to block economic and social progress.
Why?
They are scared. Scared of an America where people of color outnumber white people. Scared of an America where white people will have to share political and economic power with people of color. Scared of an America that will truly live up to its motto: “E Pluribus Unum,” which is Latin for “One from many.” Scared of an America that is not a melting pot where everyone dissolves into an indistinguishable mass but is rather more of a gumbo where all the ingredients are identifiable as they come together in a remarkable, unmistakably rich and powerful brew.
We have heard the right wing warn us again and again about the “slippery slope.” Here’s an example: If we pass laws that mandate hand gun registration it will lead to the government taking away all guns. The preemptive war theory which led the Bush Administration to launch an illegal war in Iraq was a variation of the slippery slope argument: If we do not stop Al Qaeda in Iraq the terrorists will spread throughout the Middle East. The right wing has also preached if we allow same sex marriage eventually we will be asked to allow inter-species marriage.
Today we are confronted by what is truly a slippery slope. States like Arizona, Oklahoma and if we continue on our current path (another slippery slope theory) Tennessee and other states are passing or contemplating passing laws that enable police officers in each state to enforce immigration laws. We see nothing wrong with that. Bank robberies are a federal crime but our local police usually are the first responders. What is alarming to Hispanics and should be equally alarming to our community are individual state immigration laws that in some cases like Arizona enables local police to rip up the civil liberties of any individual they claim looks like an immigrant.
That is a slippery slope indeed. Can you imagine the confusion if every state had its own set of laws governing immigration? Would it mean each state would have to open Consulates around the world to stamp Visas allowing foreigners to enter their particular state? If you are an Egyptian who wanted to fly into New York and take a train across the country you would need to have your papers approved by at least 13 different states and additionally your train would have to stop at every state frontier where agents of the state would check your papers.
You think that law in Arizona won’t apply to you? You think “Driving while black” is bad enough? Just think how easy it will be for a rogue cop to pull you over now. Today he must show that he has “reasonable suspicion” to pull over a motorist, which is already a lower threshold and a downgrade of your civil rights from the previous legal threshold of “probable cause.”
You say that you don’t look like an immigrant? Who does and, more importantly who decides who does? The Arizona law leaves that decision to the cop on the street. African Americans have fought for a century to set standards for the professional behavior of the cop on the street for good reason. For instance in the summer of 1964, the cop on the street delivered three young civil rights workers—a 21-year-old black Mississippian, James Chaney, and two white New Yorkers, Andrew Goodman, 20, and Michael Schwerner, 24 into the hands of their Klu Klux Klan murderers. So now, if the debacle in Arizona withstands the inevitable legal challenges there will be the inevitable copycat laws across the country and once again African Americans will be in the position of seeking redress from the federal government.
Can we count on the Supreme Court stacked by George H. W. and George W. Bush with Alito, Roberts, Thomas and Scalia to protect our rights? They haven’t so far. So far they have acted to reduce our individual rights in favor of the government’s power over the individual.
Didn’t Dr. King teach us that, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere?” That must be the guiding concept we follow at this juncture. Every person of good will must stand up to the mistreatment of our Hispanic brothers and sisters for if we fail to do so this malady will inescapably infect our community also.
People tell us that black folks and brown folks don’t get along. Is that true or are we living out a self-fulfilling prophecy? Can we begin to realize that we have been duped to believe brown people have nothing in common with us? Cab we finally realize that both communities are victims of “divide and conquer?”
Now is the time to begin the process of understanding and cooperation between blacks and browns in America and around the world. No other two groups are as powerless. No other two groups are so dependent on others outside of their communities. We can no longer perceive our relationship as competitors for in actuality we are both reaching for the same slice of the pie. We must realize that collaboration will enable each of us to earn a slice.
Our coalition will not launch nor will it prosper in a vacuum. We believe in our country’s motto. We celebrate our unity all the while respecting our differences. Diversity is our greatest strength as a nation. We actively seek out and welcome the support of all Americans who recognize the injustices set forth by the far right and yearn to set them right for all Americans.
Our community is expanding. It’s up to us to accept that expansion and utilize the power in it to the advantage of our communities and our country.
I’ve written my wishes down. Will you?
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