Search This Blog

Friday, April 9, 2010

So We Marched - Now What?

Last month hundreds of thousands of immigration advocates came to DC to march in favor of immigration reform.  On most fronts it was an inspiring show of support intended to show politicians that immigrants, the Latino community and their allies mean business as it relates to immigration reform.   Some folks even went so far as to remind the president that he had fallen out of integrity with his campaign promise to pass immigration reform during his first year in office (Since we are now in the second year and no immigration reform has been seen to date.)  


So...  We marched.  The pictures were beautiful - although the media coverage sparse.  That was March.  We're now in April.  Now what?  


Rumor has it that the same politicians who promised our community immigration reform in return for votes are now asking the community to hold off until the next election.  Go after the Republicans they say... but wait that just won't work.  It was the Democrats that had promised immigration reform.  Neither party has taken up the gauntlet for the community, though both parties are in different ways courting both the Latino community and the immigrant community for our votes.  So shouldn't both parties be held accountable?  


Over the course of the last few years we've been trumpeting the strength of the Latino vote.  If now is not the time for us to exercise that muscle then when? 


The buck is not going to stop with partisan politics.  The buck will stop with individual politicians being held accountable and the community voting for and mobilizing votes and campaigns for those who do support immigration reform in fact as well as in word, regardless of party affiliation.  


One group of immigration advocates that is ready to take action and demand accountability across both sides of the aisle are the DREAM folks.  This group of activists are phenomenal both offline and online.  They are both traditional organizers and technologists and social media leaders - oh and did I mention that many of them are undocumented youth?  These are youngsters who came to this country because they were brought here by their folks.  They did not ask to come here.  They were brought by their parents.  For many of them this is the only place that they know as home and English is the only language that they know; but our broken system keeps them stuck in limbo, unable to fully contribute their many gifts to our society and stuck in a second class level of existence riddled with unnecessary challenges because of their lack of documentation despite the many gifts that they have to share.


As a daughter of immigrants, a US born citizen New Yorker, I am keeping a keen eye on the prize as it relates to immigration reform and am hopeful that President Obama and other Democrats make good on his promise for immigration reform in 2010 - even though it will be one year later than what the original promise had been.  I am also keeping an eye on the Republicans and hopeful that they get that the time is now to step into leadership on this front away from the hatred of the nativists and back into the golden years of Republicanism as exemplified by President Lincoln.  And I am keeping candles lit for the DREAM youth.  I am praying that they are given the chance to succeed and contribute fully to this country by those in elected office. 


Many say that those are  sueños de una Mexicana - I say that they are dreams of an Estado Unidense that still dares to dream of integrity and honest leadership that ultimately is not held collectively by one party but rather by individual people who choose a career of public service to represent the U.S. people and the greatness of what we as a nation can be if we bend that arc of the moral universe towards justice.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. It bends towards justice, but here is the thing: it does not bend on its own. It bends because each of us in our own ways put our hand on that arc and we bend it in the direction of justice...."  - Then Senator Barack Obama on 4/4/08 speaking on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

7 comments:

  1. WE HOPE POTUS BHOJR the son of AN IMMIGRANT is LISTENING because as CANDIDATE BHOJR he SUPPORTED/VOWED 2 PASS a HUMANE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM(HCIR)/DREAM ACT LAW/LEGISLATION in his 1st YR as POTUS, now as POTUS BHOJR he is going BACK on his PROMISES/WORDS. SHOCKING WE THINK NOT, OTHERS INCLUDING IMMIGRANTS LIKE (HIS FATHER BHOSR) VOTED 4 BHOJR 2 ACHIEVE BHOJR'S DREAM(S), NOW BHOJR DOES NOT GIVE A D*MN ABOUT HELPING OTHERS 2 ACHIEVE THEIR OWN DREAM(S), WHAT A SAD SHAME. THIS IS SO NOT THE CHANGE/HOPE that WE THE US PEOPLE VOTED 4 & WE ALL NEED 2 BREAK THE CYCLE RIGHT NOW of ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO DO NOT KEEP THEIR PROMISES/WORDS from the POTUS 2 the LOCAL LEVEL or from the LOCAL 2 the POTUS LEVEL THEREFORE WE ALL MUST ACT NOW UNLIKE our SO CALLED DO NOTHING ELECTED OFFICIALS.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wish I had the same optimism as you, Kety. I think we're going to have to make some hard choices this summer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Helen, I really do hope they are listening. Moreover, if we act, they will have to listen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kyle, I agree. We will have to make some hard choices this summer. And for better or worse, I will always be an optimist. In the history of our nation and our world there have always been leaders that lead. No reason that this time should be different. Pero eso tan solo el tiempo lo dira.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't know if my Family will be included in the Family unity act. We were in Ciudad Juarez on the 7th. and told we could not apply again until november of 2017.I cant be optimistic, as much as I try. Im glad you are though.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We march uphill if we have to, slow down if we need to, but never hesitate to take the next step.

    Reina

    ReplyDelete
  7. We nned to follow the one day event with a more visual prescense in out government representatives. Building bridges and continuing the conversation with supporters should be our pririty. Please join this FB group, one of our goals is to provide with a variety of information and opportunity for actions, some time the best action is with the click of the mouse. http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=54137236#!/pages/OBAMA-BRING-IMMIGRATION-BACK-ON-THE-TABLE/115468108484572

    ReplyDelete