Adrienne Maree Brown

A Day Without Immigrants

As the march towards the mid-term elections starts to pick up speed, it becomes imperative to identify the issues by which we as young people can judge our current administration, House and Senate.

While in my mind the Occupation of Iraq, or the failure to protect the Gulf Coast, or the general lack of long-term thinking at the national level about the current Climate Crisis would each individually be enough to turn out the current band of misrepresentatives, I have to give a shout out to the events of the day!

This May Day was a Day Without Immigrants, with coordinated strikes and rallies happening all across the country. Since the inception the League of Pissed Off Voters, we have placed an emphasis for young people on shifting our local culture and building our communities in ways that deeply include those who live and work and play with us, but can't vote. This includes those under 18, formerly incarcerated folk, and immigrants. Now, that latter constituency is bravely stepping forward.

All sorts of deep boxes get opened up in this discussion, to be unpacked and examined.

First of all, we can't deny that the country exists as it does only because of the bumbling, colonizing, destructive, creative, kidnapping, terrified, brave, insistent and industrial arrival of white immigrants looking for a place in history books, quelling their curiosity about the shape of the earth, looking for places to conquer, for religious freedom, for space and opportunity.

Every single person who is opposing the right of immigrants to find a home here is the recent descendent of an immigrant.

Second, we can't deny that one of the constants we must live with is the fact the every new person who lands on this soil adds to the offense of having stolen and forever altered the land of indigenous peoples, who had established ways of living with the earth and the life on it. Brown solidarity, yes. And - how do we negotiate this question of land, home, space and opportunity?

Third, we must recognize that we have discovered no way of traveling back in time. We can only move forward from what currently exists - and what currently exists is a country in which the cultures of legal and illegal immigrants is completely interwoven. The bill which has caused all this controversy would technically implicate everyone who lives here, and the brilliance of today's actions exposed that reality.

Hundreds of thousands - perhaps millions at final count, refused to go to work today and instead gathered in streets to show their impact and numbers.

This all ties back to our upcoming elections. Where do your Senators and Congresspeople stand on the issue of Immigrant Justice? Policy is where words meet action - speaking the language of progressives means nothing if representatives do not represent justice, equality and balance in the way they vote on these issues which deeply effect our communities.

What are the issues that deeply matter to you, that you feel underrepresented on?

Might I suggest adding this to the list of issues around which you educate yourself and your community. Coming correct on immigration rights is the right thing to do to honor your ancestors, your neighbors and community, and ultimately yourself!

Adrienne Maree Brown: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 11:56 PM, May 01, 2006 in Immigration
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