Rinku Sen

Sympathetic Blacks seek a way into the immigration struggle

On the Applied Research Center website, you will find a feature on race and immigration that includes a short video, a policy reflection and a new piece by my colleague Andre Banks. Banks reflects in detail about why the current immigrant rights rhetoric is so alienating to Blacks, picking up on the themes that Adrianne Shropshire covers in her last post. It seems to me that there has been quite a lot of writing admonishing Black folk for not being supportive enough, but very little that has actually pushed immigration advocates to find inclusive ways of talking about our human rights. A friend who works in immigrant rights recently asked me for names of Black organizations for immigrants to approach. The question is, are immigration advocates prepared for the feedback that their current rhetoric will have to change if they really want Black support without ambivalence? Reaching out to potential allies requires more than a meeting and ask. In this case, it will require a rethinking of our fundamental communication strategy.

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Posted at 10:43 AM, May 03, 2006 in Civil Rights | Immigration | Progressives | Racial Justice
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