May Day
May 1st, 2006
Eagerly anticipating the events of the “Great American Boycott” (an impressive response to HR 4437), I spent all weekend checking local news sites for updates. Oh, how I wanted something big to happen in my town. But the only news I read threatened any potential excitement with article titles inspiring uncertainty such as Hispanics in military feel torn by debate, Latinos uncertain whether to protest, Fear of raids, roadblocks has Latinos anxious, and Students in boycott won’t be excused.
This morning, the Times-Dispatch announced that only 70 hispanic-owned businesses had closed in the Richmond area. My dad reported only one of his more than forty hispanic employees unaccounted for. So far, today is a day just like any other. Did the media frighten the immigrants into abandoning the boycott? Or was there merely not enough interest in the issue in the first place?
One local hispanic was quoted in the paper saying “We came to America to work and we are going to work” – and many others seemed to concur. The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, as well as other immigration organizations from around the country, shared the attitude that the boycott is “an extreme measure that could lead to job loss and a backlash” and urged their members not to participate.
Would the boycott have been a success if it had full cooperation of the immigrant community? Would a one-day strike have been enough to reveal the economic power of this population? I am interested to see the film A Day Without A Mexican for a fresh perspective on these issues.
How do you make the invisible, visible? You take it away.
One morning California wakes up to find that one third of its population has disappeared. A thick fog surrounds the State and communication outside its boundaries is completely cut off. As the day goes by we discover that the characteristic that links the 14 million disappeared is their hispanic background.
“California is in shock. The economic, political and social implications of this disaster threaten the Golden State’s way of life. We delve into the lives of four characters: Mary Jo Quintana, teacher and housewife; Senator Abercrombie, suddenly upgraded to Governor; Louis Mcclaire, ranch owner and agribusiness representative; and Lila Rodriguez, reporter and apparently the only Latina left behind. For all of them, “the disappearance” forces the cracks in their private lives wide open.
Check out the National Immigration Forum for information on immigration legislation, as well as resources and statistics related to the immigration debate.
