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[ Here's a short video I finally got around to cobbling together from the footage I shot at this year's May Day march in Manhattan, starting in Union Square. Nothing fancy, shaky handheld zoom and all, just a glimpse of the sights, sounds, and general vibe of that day, beginning with the heavy downpour which drenched us all but didn't prevent a strong energetic turnout, ending with the march. Mamita Mala and La Mapu make cameo appearances. Hats off to the guy selling empanadas during the march, very nice move for all parties involved. ]
The Latino/a community has had ample reason to hope that President Obama would take on immigration reform in a humane manner. While Obama is undeniably centrist in his political approach, and has long been fond of language stressing punitive solutions to the immigration issue, he certainly seems to understand that "America is changing and we can't be threatened by it." Enforcement policies are becoming a threat, not only to immigrants, but the country at large.
This week's Wire focuses on the opportunities for change that crisis can introduce. From the H1N1 "Swine" flu's declining fervor to 2009's May Day marches for worker rights and immigrant solidarity; from the tragic killing of Luis Ramirez to legislative movement on immigration, these are tumultuous times. But it is precisely such conflict and challenge that provides the best opportunities to make lasting change.
(Check the links to find out what's happening in your part of the world - promoted by Manuel)
One week from today, hundreds of thousands of people will be marching in the streets, demanding immigrant rights and calling for just and humane immigration reform. May Day, a day historically used to celebrate the the contributions of working people, has become THE day for the immigrant rights movement in recent years.
In 2006, millions of people took to the streets in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and everywhere in between to demand justice for immigrants. It was a show of enormous power and solidarity and the spark ignited by the 2006 marches is burning strong in the lead up to May 1st 2009.
I'm sharing my belated scattered observations from the May Day rally at Union Square in New York City last week.
This was the first May Day march I had participated in. It was a lot of fun, and emotionally and (in a strictly secular way :-) ) spiritually uplifting, but I kind of felt like I had missed the party. I heard about crowds exponentially larger in 2006 and substantially larger last year. But apparently, frustration in the pro-migrant community with the lack of progress toward comprehensive reform and fear instilled by widescale raids over the past year-and-a-half had combined to ratchet down participation in this year’s march. (With my own eyeballs, I estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 marchers—not something you see every day parading down Broadway, but certainly not the numbers seen in recent years.) It’s a shame, because things are about as bad now as they’ve ever been for migrants in the U.S. It’s a shame, because the “Operation Return to Sender” raids that have terrorized migrant communities across the country were a direct response to the restrictionist backlash resulting from the remarkable pro-migrant rallies of early 2006. DHS Secretary Chertoff has explained that the raids are a tool to push businesses and migrant groups towards a comprehensive solution. It’s also part of the “enforcement by attrition” policy promoted by restrictionists and adopted in recent years by the Bush administration.If Bush is a pro-migrant president, he sure has a funny way of showing it.
The low numbers, then, are a clear indication that the restrictionists—backed squarely by the U.S. government—currently have the upper hand in the public square. But that's not the whole story by any means . . .
May 1, 2008 marks the third anniversary of Immigration Day in the United States. Pro-immigrant groups across the country are conducting peaceful demonstrations to voice their support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) and to voice their opposition to Family Detention Centers and Racial Profiling.
But this isn't an indication that the Latino community has become complacent about an issue that is accelerating discrimination and racism directed towards all Latinos. On the contrary, the reduced turnout should send another signal that the fight is far from over.
Marches and Rallies on May Day. Tomorrow, May 1, there will be marches and rallies throughout the country. The marches and meetings will have different objectives - to make the country more aware of the plight of undocumented immigrants ; to protest the raids and inhumane attitude and behavior of ICE; to show support to immigrants.
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Receive information on the latest action items, media campaigns, and legislative initiatives from ProMigrant
No spam or press release dumps from DC advocacy groups, lobbyists, or politicos. No requests for donations, or re-directs to astroturf groups looking to harvest your e-mail information.
Just real action for real change from real grassroots activists.
