So I went to a local immigrant rights march on Monday. It gave me a lot to think about.
Firstly, I think these sorts of events are amazing. It is powerful and galvanizing to think of thousands of people coming out just to affirm that they have rights and demand that they be treated fairly. I was especially impressed with how diverse the speakers were. "Of course" Mexican and Mexican-American speakers were well represented but other voices definitely made contributions.Young. Old. Male. Female. Latino. Muslim. African-American. Legal. "Illegal". And white allies from the labor movement.
Secondly, what gave me a bit more to think about was how ideologically diverse the people involved seemed to be. Immigration, affirmative-action, anti-war, pro-local economy, labor. Everyone had their issue. It made me wonder if the group of people gathered there would be able to continue to coordinate their efforts and agree what a next step would look like. To be hoest, the strategic/critical side of my brain was a little skeptical of what political changes would really come out of that particular gathering. But the friend whom I was with pointed out that its not really about that. It has more to do with letting people know that they are not alone, letting them feel empowered, letting them have a voice. The rest comes later.
A day without an immigrant
Immigrant Solidarity Network
No HR 4437 Network
A.N.S.W.E.R. and the Great American Boycott
Firstly, I think these sorts of events are amazing. It is powerful and galvanizing to think of thousands of people coming out just to affirm that they have rights and demand that they be treated fairly. I was especially impressed with how diverse the speakers were. "Of course" Mexican and Mexican-American speakers were well represented but other voices definitely made contributions.Young. Old. Male. Female. Latino. Muslim. African-American. Legal. "Illegal". And white allies from the labor movement.
Secondly, what gave me a bit more to think about was how ideologically diverse the people involved seemed to be. Immigration, affirmative-action, anti-war, pro-local economy, labor. Everyone had their issue. It made me wonder if the group of people gathered there would be able to continue to coordinate their efforts and agree what a next step would look like. To be hoest, the strategic/critical side of my brain was a little skeptical of what political changes would really come out of that particular gathering. But the friend whom I was with pointed out that its not really about that. It has more to do with letting people know that they are not alone, letting them feel empowered, letting them have a voice. The rest comes later.
A day without an immigrant
Immigrant Solidarity Network
No HR 4437 Network
A.N.S.W.E.R. and the Great American Boycott
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