The Arizona Boycotts

When I first heard about the new Arizona law being proposed, I was not surprised.  Racial profiling of the Latino population in Arizona has been a public issue for years now.  However, I was surprised when it actually passed. 

Legalized discrimination is okay in Arizona.   This may be the case for few bigoted extremists, but now it has been made representative of the general public by the leading Arizona politicians. Given the uniqueness of the border states, I am always surprised when they turn on their own communities.  The rest of the country tends to view Mexicans as migrant workers or the poor laborers, rather than as a substantial part of their own community, but things are different in the South.  While the South has a long history of racism, the Southwest is also Mexican and Native American territory.  None of this information is new to anyone.  I am just always so shocked to see blatant colonizing still happening today.

I lived in Arizona for 2 years, and I loved the state.  I had hoped to move back some day soon, but as long as this law stands in effect, I can't do that.  One great thing about Arizona is the diversity in people and communities.  This law seeks to destroy that and endangers all of Arizona's community members.

Politically and psychologically, I understand the timing of this event.  Republicans are pissed about Obama and his "socialist" policies; The economy is in the shiter and people are fighting over jobs;  A general feeling of discontent and powerlessness has taken over the nation.  However, it is still amazing to me that a racist minority has managed to overthrow centuries of Americans combating bigotry and have managed to get such an non-progressive law passed!

The real reason I chose to blog about this issue is not just to rant about these jagbags, but also to highlight the small glimmer of hope and light at the end of the tunnel.  All morning long, I have been responding to petition requests, pleas for support, and boycotting proposals.  Last night, I actually saw mainstream news coverage on the backlash that lasted for more than 15 seconds!

The fact of the matter is, the general public is not happy about or supportive of this law, and they are not only speaking up about it, but they are actually taking action.  Nationwide, people are boycotting Arizona-based businesses, tourism, sports teams, and more.  They are taking to the streets and protesting outside of immigration and other government buildings. 

It's about time America truly recognized not only the contributions of Mexicans, but of immigrants in general.  Our country was founded by immigrants; Our land was colonized by immigrants; Our nation was built by immigrants; and America thrived from the labor of immigrants!  We have a long history of immigration, and it's time that immigrants and those who support the immigrant populations stop letting the general public dehumanize them and classify them as third class citizens!  After all, when it comes down to it, Americans ARE immigrants, most more so than the Mexican population that is so volatiley discriminatized.