[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Novelafemme

"I think the most effective move, however, is for Hispanics to leave the state. If the majority of Arizonans don't want them there (and a majority of voting Arizonans have given either their explicit or tacit approval to SB 1070) then they should leave. There is historical precedent for this. Google "The Great Migration" or, better yet, get hold of the book 'The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration' by Isabel Wilkerson. I suggest this because, what a lot of (white) Americans don't know is that in the middle third of the last century blacks left the Deep South in a flood. This actually had a number of effects on the culture and economy of the South which, in turn, led to the southern states progressing on racial issues. My parents left the South at the very tail end (1968) because they didn't want their kids raised in a part of the country where we would be considered only marginally human. I think it would, in fact, serve Arizona right if in 5 years finding a Hispanic resident in that state was like finding an unicorn.

Again, let me make it clear that I’m *not* saying you or Cody or any other Arizona resident here wants Hispanics out of the state. I am saying that if Hispanics are not welcome, it would behoove them to leave and to do so sooner rather than later."

While I haven't read the book you speak of, AJ, the more logistical facts behind a mass exodus are what float through my mind when pondering your recommendations. In a very simplistic manner I can say that I totally agree with the notion of not remaining somewhere I am not welcomed. Whether that be a restaurant, movie theatre, store...etc...if the majority has spoken and my presence is viewed as less than desirable, I would exit stage left post haste. However, if this departure meant a complete lifestyle change by way of finding a new home, job, community, and support system, I might take a moment’s pause. For me, a single mom raising two kids and also going to school/working outside the home full time, relocating would be a HUGE deal. The very thought of it makes my stomach hurt. Simple economics would prevent 99.9% of Arizona's Latino populous from relocating to more welcoming environments. Moving is expensive. Many of the Latino families who reside in Tucson have been here for the better part of a century - "legally" or not. They own homes built up along the Santa Cruz River. They have small businesses in South Tucson that have been family run for generations. I can't speak for the bulk of other races and cultures, but the Latino community here in Tucson is vast...and tightly knit! Rarely have I seen the quiet strength of a culture withstand the constant beat-downs perpetrated by white society as I have the Latino population this side of the border. It is something one truly needs to witness first hand in order to appreciate. No newspaper article or television account can lend it proper accolades. I am not saying that Latino's differ from African American's in terms of racial disparity...please don't infer that...what I am trying to say from purely an outside/Caucasian/privileged perspective is that the Latino community should not only NOT have to leave Arizona in order to effect change, but cannot simply because it is not economically feasible.

Here's the thing, the situation for large numbers of blacks who left Mississippi or Louisiana or Alabama, the situation was not much better. People don't pick up and leave for a better life if a best life can be had where they are. Would some people be left behind? Yes. Some of my cousins, aunties and uncles were left behind when my parents pulled up stakes and moved us to California. Now, as it turns out, my parents were in much better position to do so than some of my other relatives who also made the trek in that my parents, by 1968, had advanced degrees and were able to find professorships at universities in Sacramento. My uncles who moved did so because of they were in the military and pretty much just stayed put in the city they mustered out of. I'm not being flip when I talk about leaving. I recognize the hurdles to relocating. But Arizona is going down a path that rarely ends well. I've said it on this thread before and I'll say it now---you could not pay me to be either Hispanic or Muslim in the United States right now. If you promised me riches beyond the dreams of avarice I would take the money and buy me and mine the first ticket elsewhere.

Arizona has passed SB 1070 and is about to put into effect rules that will make teaching any kind of positive history of Mexican-Americans just this side of impossible. Oklahoma has passed a law (blocked by the courts, the last, best friend of minorities in this nation) that is a 'pre-emptive strike' against Sharia law being made legal in that state. Arizona is ALSO considering a law that would require any teachers in the statewide system to not have 'thick' accents. We've seen this movie before--each law, in itself, seems pretty innocuous particularly if one isn't on the receiving end of its effects.

Have to have your birth certificate or other proof of citizenship on you at all times (absent a national ID card)? Sure, why not? Nothing to fear if you're in the country legally, right? Can't teach any subject matter that would create racial animosity or feed a sense of racial grievance? Again, not a big deal right? I mean, who CARES how California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas came to be part of the U.S.? We're all Americans now, right? Can't teach if you have a 'heavy' accent? Well, math is a difficult enough subject without having to deal with the teacher's accent. Can't implement sharia law? What's the big deal? This is America, we already have laws! (the fact that the Constitution prevents ANY religious law being applied by the government is conveniently lost). Taken in isolation none of those seem too horrible. Taken in concert, however, they start to look more and more like the first of the Nuremberg laws. Each one--particularly the first set of them--don't hint at what was coming down the track toward Germany but with the benefit of hindsight it becomes clear that they were the beginning of the horror.