• CIR Won’t Cure Bigotry and Hate

    September 19, 2009 // No Comments »

    I am getting to this rather late, but better late than never, right?

    Thursday was National Constitution and Citizenship Day, a day that commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787, as well as recognizes all who, by birth or by naturalization, have become US Citizens.

    Unity in Movement – Citizenship Day Mobilization 2009 hosted events throughout the day in Washington, D.C., in an effort to advocate for more responsibility and accountability among our elected officials for social change and justice.

    Today also represents a moment for all of us to reflect on what being or becoming American means, as individuals and as various interwoven communities. All residents, documented or undocumented, are a part of and belong to this narrative.

    I am not a citizen. I am actually not sure if I will ever be. Although my birthfather and my dad (who adopted me after marrying my mother) are natural born U.S. citizens, that status was never transferred to me. Long and complicated story aside, the simple answer is: 1) my parents never filed for me at the time of the adoption, 2) I never filed in my late teens, and 3) now I refuse to file until/unless the German government allows me to retain my German citizenship.

    I constantly remind myself that I am extremely fortunate that I am able to have these choices, and that I experience little to no adverse effects sans U.S. passport. I feel extremely connected to and invested in U.S. society.  I sometimes even  forget that I am not a Citizen. I am one of the lucky ones. People only know that I am an immigrant because I choose to tell them my story. As in other areas of my life, I pass!  Upon first glance no one assumes that I am an immigrant. No one questions my status or my right to be here, to seek secondary and post-secondary education, to acquire and maintain employment, or to purchase (and sell) a home – to live a happy, safe and full life. I am rarely told to go back to where I came from or that I am a leech on the American taxpayer.

    illegal immigration

    Anti-Immigrant Protester

    Unfortunately this isn’t the dominant immigrant experience, especially for immigrants of color. Various organizatons – Southern Poverty Law Center, National Council of La Raza, Immigration Equality, and others – have reported that anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise. It has been for more than a decade. It’s hard to miss, no? Just do a quick google search or check out the likes of Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck. I will spare you the long list of nativist, anti-immigrant hate mongers! Nativist voices have reached a deafening pitch in recent months, particularly as the prospect of comprehensive immigration reform. And the kicker! While CIR is necessary, vital, imperative in fact, it is not going to solve the deep-rooted ideology of hate against immigrants in this country. It’s not about being documented or undocumented.  As long as people/immigrants of color are being profiled solely based on the color of their skin or their accent, the piece of paper is irrelevant in this equation.

    Case in point – a recent SPLC Report, Climate of Fear: Latino Immigrants in Suffolk County, NY indicated that immigration status was completely irrelevent to those who use violent rhetoric and actions against ethnic minorities in this country. The report indicated that whether someone is Mexican, Ecuadorian, Columbian, Cuban, etc., the assumption is that every Latino is am “illegal Mexican”. CIR won’t change that attitude.

    And honestly, I am not sure what will. Nativists are fueled by an irrational fear that morphs into unabashed hate. I am not sure if legislating them into being descent human beings is really a viable solution. Nevertheless, stronger hate crime legislation and passage of CIR are necessary tools of defense and justice against this undeniable culture of xenophobia.

    Posted in ChangeBloggers, Politics, Racism