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HEADLINES FOR WEEK OF MAY 6 - 12, 2010
National and Local Hispanic & African American Organizations Rebuke Arizona Immigration Law
      
(L TO R) Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, ACLU-TN Executive Director Hedy Weinberg, Marc H. Morial, State Representative Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville), Herman Mason, Jr., Professor of Law, Dr. Carol Swain, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera
By Ronald W. Weathersby
Last week Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed what many consider to be the most discriminating state law enacted since Jim Crow was deemed illegal nearly 50-years ago. The bill which President Barack Obama denounced as “misguided,” is said to be an ill attempt by the border state to regulate immigration policy from the state level. The measure which has been deemed the, “show me your papers please law” by opponents authorizes law enforcement officials throughout the state to stop and check the documentation of any individual inside the state of Arizona if “reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the U.S.”
Nearly every Republican in the state Legislature voted for the bill, SB 1070
The Department of Justice said they “were reviewing the bill” and Immigrant rights groups have vowed a court fight, arguing that regulating immigration is a federal matter. The president also hinted that a showdown might be possible in the courts saying his administration would “examine the civil rights and other implications” of the law. Unless opponents can stop it with lawsuits, the law will take effect 90 days after the legislative session ends this month.
Several opponents including most national civil rights organizations believe the law cannot be enforced without police singling out Latinos and other nonwhite individuals including African Americans. A provision of the law prevents police from using race “solely” to form a suspicion about someone’s legality, but the law does not prevent race from being a factor.
In Nashville the Arizona law coupled with yet another attempt at limiting government services to non-English speaking people is a source of concern for civil rights advocacy groups, immigration reform activists and, Hispanic community leaders.
Elias Feghali spokesman for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) says economic and cultural fears are fueling the current eruption of antagonism against Immigrants in general and Hispanics in particular.
“Today I think there is a movement to isolate English as the only language in this country,” said Feghali. “A small minority of people feel they can maintain their way of life which they feel is threatened by outlawing foreign languages and harassing people who do not look like them.”
There is a history of intolerance of immigrants both legal and undocumented in this country which usually raises its head during economic bad times. Immigrants were believed to have taken jobs and opportunities from Americans. They also brought with them languages and cultures that were new and in some cases frightening to many people in this country and today’s episode of intolerance appears to follow that pattern.
“What we are witnessing now with Hispanics we have seen before with the Irish, Italians and others,” Feghali explained. “Often times when confronted with something new some people begin erecting walls.”
Boycott Arizona talks heating up.
Shorty after the law was signed several nation civil right groups and prominent individuals across the country called on Major League Baseball -- a league filled with Hispanic players – to move the 2011 All Star game which is scheduled to be played in Phoenix. A move to another location will cost the state millions of tourism dollars. Additionally there is pressure building on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to move college football’s BCS Championship Game which is schedule for to be played on January 10, 2011in Glendale, Arizona. The boycott could also affect the Fiesta Bowl and Insight Bowl. Furthermore opponents of the bill are lobbying businesses to cancel conventions and meetings in the state.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity the oldest African American Greek Letter organization recently announced it has moved, “The Summit on the African- American Male Leadership Conference” their annual enclave which will be held from July 21-25, 2010 from Phoenix, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada.
The troubles for the state did not end there. Late last week Phoenix was caught off-guard when the National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial announced the organization had suspended consideration of Arizona’s Capital city to host its 2012 Annual Conference.
“The passage of Arizona’s ill-considered immigration law has forced us to suspend consideration of Phoenix,” Morial said. “We will not consider holding our conference anywhere in the state as long as this unfortunate law remains in effect.” Phoenix had submitted a bid to host the National Urban League conference. The location will be announced at the League’s 2010 Conference in Washington, D.C., during the last week in July. Morial said the League is open to consideration of Phoenix should the law be repealed or overturned.
Tourism is a lucrative industry in Arizona. The state’s Tourism Board spends approximately $20 million annually on advertising aimed at increasing tourism. The state hosted more than 37 million domestic and international visitors in 2008, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism. The tourists spent $18.5 billion and generated $1.4 billion in local and state tax revenues in 2008, the last full year for which statistics were available.
Boycotts and controversy are not new to Arizona. In 1991 and 1992, during the controversy over Arizona’s refusal to observe the Martin Luther King National Holiday the state lost an estimated $340 million in tourism business. Because of that lesson tourism officials in the state are attempting to turn back the possible boycott.
However Gov. Jan Brewer dismisses the threat of an economic boycott saying she doesn’t believe the law is “going to have the kind of economic impact that some people think it might.”
Meanwhile in Tennessee the fight against mandating English only driver’s license test is heating up with the bill expected to reach the floor of both houses soon. Battle lines have been drawn and many civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Tennessee are opposes the bill.
In a strongly worded letter to supporters and the media ACLU-TN Executive Director Hedy Weinberg spelled out the reasons the for the organizations opposition to the bills.
“They [the bills] target and unfairly discriminate against Tennesseans who can’t read English. These bills only affect immigrants who are here legally, because undocumented immigrants can no longer get driver licenses in Tennessee… Translated driver exams do not threaten road safety, as the Tennessee Department of Safety has repeatedly testified. This is a myth propagated by the Virginia-based organization ‘ProEnglish,’ which is trying to interject itself into dialogue in our state, and whose leadership has ties to the Ku Klux Klan.”
Vanderbilt University Professor of Law, Dr. Carol Swain has a different take on the issue. She says the states including Arizona and Tennessee, are only doing what they believe is good for their citizens.
“The American public has wanted illegal immigration to be curbed for more than two-decades,” Swain argues. “Politicians have ignored their wishes. States and localities bear much of the cost of having to provide services to undocumented persons and their off-spring. Given the reluctance of the Congress to address the issue, it is only natural that states and localities would be forced to take action. Any actions that force Congress to act on immigration are probably good for the country.” Her statements are nothing new to the African American and Hispanic community in this diverse nation. Each morning as she looks into the mirror she must know she will never be white or even Hispanic but always a black woman no matter how distasteful she finds it.
TIRRC spokesperson Feghali says Immigrant rights groups, African American organizations and other progressive groups are planning massive rallies to fight the proposed English only law and show support to the people in Arizona that are fighting the law.
“Building a working coalition with the African American community is a priority of the work we are doing,” he said. “We are all in this together.” That message is echoed by State Representative Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville) who is against the bill because it is, “a safety issue.” She also believes the bill that is currently in committee will eventually pass the Legislature but predicts that Governor Phil Bredesen will veto the measure.
“I would not think the governor will sign it,” said Gilmore. “He has worked hard and has been successful at bringing businesses to Tennessee. Most of these companies are multinational and have diverse workforces. He does not want to send a message to the country and beyond that Tennessee is unwelcoming and intolerant to people from other cultures where English is not their native tongue.”
In Los Angeles, a city councilwoman introduced a resolution calling for America’s second-largest city to end all contracts with Arizona-based companies and “stop doing business with the state.” It followed similar calls by San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera.
With the continuing efforts in Tennessee to discriminate against non-English speaking people many Tennesseans including the State Tourism Board may have to answer this question: Will the Volunteer State be next on the boycott list?
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Soles4Souls to Offer Shoes and Work Boots to Flood Victims and Workers
Shoe charity offers 20,000 pairs of new shoes and work boots to people in need
NASHVILLE, TN – Soles4Souls, Inc. is accustomed to sending thousands of pairs of new shoes around the world in response to natural disasters. Today, the charity that provides free shoes to people in need is focusing on its friends and neighbors in the greater Nashville area, as the Cumberland River, which flows through downtown Nashville, has spilled over its banks and flooded thousands of homes.
“Nashville is our hometown and we are shocked and saddened by the amount of flood damage caused so far,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Inc. “We’re coordinating with other agencies and the Sheriff’s Office to help as much as needed. We encourage everyone who is able to step up and donate to their local charities and shelters to our neighbors in need,” he said.
Soles4Souls is delivering 20,000 pairs of new shoes and work boots to residents directly and through local agencies, including the Old Hickory Community Shelter (1050 Hadley Avenue, Old Hickory, TN 37138). This coming Sunday and Monday, Soles4Souls will be working with the local Sheriff’s Office to provide new footwear to people who need it.
Elsey and some of the Soles4Souls staff were already handing out shoes and bottled water to people leaving flooded neighborhoods, even while many of the charity’s own staff were forced to evacuate their own homes.
“We are praying for the safety of local families and we’ll be doing everything we can to help in the days and weeks ahead,” Elsey said. “If you would like to join our efforts in handing out shoes and other supplies, visit our website at www.giveshoes.org to find out where and when we’ll be setting up distributions,” he said.
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Putting a Real Face on a Disaster: “Rescued”
This Saturday at 7 pm CNN’s Soledad O’Brien revisits Haiti to remind us of the island country’s plight after a massive earthquake in January.
Soledad O’Brien with Haitian children
By Ronald W. Weathersby
Nearly four-months after a devastating earthquake overwhelmed Haiti and left in its wake buildings and infrastructure completely destroyed in this hemisphere’s poorest country CNN, the first news operation to reach the country in the quake’s aftermath revisits Haiti in a very critical special this Saturday night at 7:00 pm, “Rescued.”
In this gripping and thought provoking one-hour special hosted by Soledad O’Brien who is rapidly claiming a place as one of the best journalist of her generation, CNN successfully brings our attention back to our neighbors in the Caribbean Sea.
O’Brien focuses her reporting on the most vulnerable part of the population, children. She visits a foster home that was devastated by the earthquake.
“Rescued” epitomizes what the founders of TV news must have had in mind almost 60-years ago, the ability to bring a story directly to the viewer in bold moving pictures. O’Brien and her CNN crew expertly fuse video and audio to tell a story that is at times spell-bounding, horrific, frightening and uplifting.
If you think you have crushing problems like not being able to afford the entire premium channel package on your cable or satellite or perhaps you have to cut back on your trips to Tunica from six times to four times a year, take a look and get a feel of the challenges the children of Haiti contend with and overcome on a daily basis. After watching this program I can only hope you take a little time out of your day and say a prayer for these children and then skip a cup of Starbucks once a week and send the money to a charity of your choice… One that is doing all they can to rescue the children of Haiti.
I had an opportunity to ask CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien a few questions about the documentary:
Tennessee Tribune: Tell me about CNN’s commitment to telling the story about the the country of Haiti especially its children.
Soledad O’Brien: I came into Haiti to cover the earthquake and it became apparent to me immediately that the story of Haiti’s children was largely untold. And when it was told there was often little context--why were so many kids orphans? What was at the core of the problem? We had a young photographer we worked with, who’d been shooting at the Lighthouse for years--since 2007. We thought a good way to look at the opportunities for children post-quake, was to start pre-quake, at the Lighthouse and follow their story, through the quake and in the aftermath, when many tough decisions were being made. We focus on two orphans--6 year old Cendy and Marc Kenson--who’s aged out of the orphanage--so examine their opportunities in a country that has struggled so hard, and so long. CNN is clearly committed to telling the story of Haiti—Anderson (Cooper) and Sanjay (Gupta) have been back since the quake, and I went back to report for this documentary. As journalists I think the most powerful thing you can do is to keep telling stories from there.
TT: How long were you in the country? Did you take more than one trip to complete the story? Is there a working government there? What about international aid operations.
SO: There is a fractured government. There are efforts to decentralize it--one big problem has been Port au Prince just cannot support the millions who live there. It wasn’t made for that. But everything pretty much goes through port-au-prince, so it makes sense that people who are desperate for work, go there. International aid organizations were on the ground early--we saw Chileans, Canadians, Americans, French troops, Sri Lankans, Italians--all working in immediate aftermath and search and rescue. And the big aid organizations like UNICEF and the UN and World Food Program. And many, many church groups, who had been in country prior to the quake. I was there roughly a week the first time, after the quake hit. I went back for six days (the second trip) in mid February.
TT: What were your personal feelings during your visit? On a few occasions I heard and a few times observed your personal reactions during the story. Has this piece changed the way you will approach stories in the future?
SO: I didn’t feel anything changed. I always (when ask) will give the perspective of someone who’s reporting on the ground. It frustrated me greatly that food wasn’t getting through to people who were starving. It irked me that babies had chronic diarrhea because there was nothing to feed them but rice and milk, which by the way gives them diarrhea! So I pointed out the inherent contradictions and the overwhelming sadness. I think I’ve always sort of done that. Especially in these types of stories--disasters--part of what people want to know is--what’s it like to see a truck full of bodies roll past you.
TT: As a mother I know it was hard for you to file this report. (As a Father it was hard for me to watch at times.) What message do you want viewers to take from Rescued? Are you seeking direct action from viewer or are you just trying to educate?
SO: I think my goal is to get people to not forget. To be educated and thoughtful and concerned and involved. Unfortunately in Haiti, and most disasters, it’s not as simple as writing a check and all is fixed. It’s a very complex problem--I hope we’ve showed that. Any solution will be equally complex and take some time to fully be realized. I hope peoples’ compassion for the people of Haiti doesn’t fade over time. As a mother--it saddens me. What’s more awful than recognizing the best way to save your child is to give him away? Even to a total stranger?
The desperate poverty makes some decisions that we could never understand, seem perfectly rational.
I’m bringing my daughter to Haiti next month. She’s 9 and she’ll come work in an orphanage as a volunteer with me. Her other siblings are a bit too young. But she’s mature. I want her to frame a perspective about the world that includes all people--not just kids around her whom she knows. It will make her a better informed and, more compassionate citizen. And 9 years old is a good time to start.
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National Association of Hispanic & Black Journalists Cry Foul Over Boston Herald’s Images
Boston, Mass. - Editor Kevin R. Convey said he saw nothing wrong. Arizona’s new law targeting immigrants who are in the state illegally drew protests and other outcries this week — including calls for a boycott of the state — but it was a Boston Herald front page on the immigration issue that alarmed the national associations of Hispanic and black journalists.
The tabloid ran a front page Tuesday with the headline, “Mass. Cracks Down on Illegals,” with a photo showing “No Tuition” stamped on the head of an apparent Hispanic man, “No Medicaid” on an Asian man and “No Welfare” on a black woman.
“Not only do such depictions unfairly single out minorities as recipients of such services, but it also gives the impression that only people of color are undocumented immigrants,” the National Association of Hispanic Journalists said in a statement.
“We disagree with the Herald’s assertion that the photo illustration and accompanying package has no racial or anti-immigration undertones. While a sidebar did focus on the struggles of a single undocumented immigrant, we find the overall racially-charged imagery and language tied to this package unacceptable.”
The assertion that the illustration and package had no such undertones came from the paper’s editor in chief, Kevin R. Convey, according to NAHJ board member Maria Burns Ortiz, a soccer columnist for ESPN.com. She told Journal-isms that she spoke to Convey on Tuesday and “he didn’t see anything wrong with it. . . . It just seemed like a lot of insensitivity there.” Convey did not return a telephone call Friday from Journal-isms.
Kathy Times, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, said she protested to Convey as well and followed up with letters to Convey and his publisher.
The NAHJ statement continued, “Federally restricted from receiving Medicaid or welfare and not afforded in-state tuition in Massachusetts, undocumented immigrants are not receiving any of these government benefits as it is. We are concerned that such images and headlines send false messages to the public and contribute to the heated rhetoric that encourages people to use Latino and immigrant communities as scapegoats for the many economic challenges the country faces.
“Our objections with the depiction of immigrants did not stop with the Herald’s cover. To justify a headline on the inside pages touting ‘No habla ingles? No welfare’ and the use of terms like ‘anchor babies’ as simply reflecting the views of a columnist does not change the fact that it is racially derogatory language.” The columnist was Howie Carr.
“We appreciate the Herald responding to our inquiry on this issue and invite Herald management to sit down with representatives from both our national board and our local NAHJ New England chapter to further discuss how to accurately depict Latinos and people of color in the media. We believe instances like this one highlight the importance of diversity within newsrooms.”
The Boston Herald did not participate in the American Society of News Editors’ annual diversity survey, but Burns told Journal-isms that Convey said a page designer of Venezuelan background helped create the package.
“That does not change our position on this issue,” NAHJ replied. “The fact that others involved in the newspaper’s editorial process did not perceive how offensive and unfair the cover would be for many surely points to a lack of diversity of backgrounds and perspectives among the publication’s decision makers.”
Meanwhile, the Arizona law gathered protests and commentary.
“Civil rights leaders are urging organizations to cancel their conventions in Arizona. Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks are encountering protesters on the road. And the AriZona iced tea company wants everyone to know that its drinks are made in New York,” Bob Christie reported Friday for the Associated Press.
“Arizona is facing a backlash over its new law cracking down on illegal immigrants, with opponents pushing for a tourism boycott like the one that was used to punish the state 20 years ago over its refusal to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday.”
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