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On May 1st, Immigrants Reclaimed Their Voice
Two immigrant-rights activists, one a key organizer of the May 1st boycott, says immigrants are setting an agenda different from recent right-wing legislative attacks and liberal compromises. Nativo Lopez is one of the prime organizers of the boycott, marches and work stoppages in Los Angeles. He worked with the late Bert Corona, the legendary immigrant rights pioneer, in the Mexican-American Political Association and the Hermandad Nacional Mexicana, groups he now heads. David Bacon is an associate editor at New America Media and author of "The Children of NAFTA" (University of California Press, 2004). He sits on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Committee of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition.
LOS ANGELES--Yesterday over a million people filled the streets of Los Angeles, with hundreds of thousand more in Chicago, New York, and cities and towns throughout this country. Immigrants feel their backs are against the wall, and are coming out of their homes and work places to show it.
In part, their protests respond to H.R.4437 -- the Sensenbrenner bill -- that proposes to eliminate all social space in which undocumented immigrants can work, survive, and provide for their families.
The protests do more than react to a particular Congressional agenda, however. They are the cumulative response to years of bashing and denigrating immigrants generally, and Mexican and Latinos in particular. The protests seem spontaneous, but they come as a result of years of organizing, educating, and agitating -- activities that have given immigrants confidence, and at least some organizations the credibility needed to mobilize direct mass action.
This movement is the legacy of Bert Corona, immigrant rights pioneer and founder of many national Latino organizations. He trained thousands of immigrant activists, taught the value of political independence, and believed that immigrants themselves must conduct the fight for immigrant rights. Most of the leaders of our movement today were students or disciples of Bert Corona.
Together, these factors have produced a huge popular response, a fight-back as we've never seen before.
Read More WIth Photos:
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f10b8c4633daa9cf356819c78e40b0d9
In part, their protests respond to H.R.4437 -- the Sensenbrenner bill -- that proposes to eliminate all social space in which undocumented immigrants can work, survive, and provide for their families.
The protests do more than react to a particular Congressional agenda, however. They are the cumulative response to years of bashing and denigrating immigrants generally, and Mexican and Latinos in particular. The protests seem spontaneous, but they come as a result of years of organizing, educating, and agitating -- activities that have given immigrants confidence, and at least some organizations the credibility needed to mobilize direct mass action.
This movement is the legacy of Bert Corona, immigrant rights pioneer and founder of many national Latino organizations. He trained thousands of immigrant activists, taught the value of political independence, and believed that immigrants themselves must conduct the fight for immigrant rights. Most of the leaders of our movement today were students or disciples of Bert Corona.
Together, these factors have produced a huge popular response, a fight-back as we've never seen before.
Read More WIth Photos:
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f10b8c4633daa9cf356819c78e40b0d9
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