The New Civil Rights Movement

Today we celebrate the birthday of César Chávez, one of the most influential labor leaders this country has ever known. In the 1970s, when undocumented workers crossed the border and went to work in California’s fields for lower wages than employers had to pay union members, the United Farm Workers began to call the migra to have them deported. Eventually, César realized that a much better solution was to organize those immigrants into the union.

An unprecedented alliance between labor unions, immigrant support groups, churches, and Spanish-language radio and television has fueled the burgeoning civil rights movement.

The demonstrations were triggered by the confluence of a draconian House bill that would make felons out of undocumented immigrants and HBO’s broadcast of Edward James Olmos’s film, “Walkout.” But the depth of discontent reflects a history of discrimination against those who are branded “illegal aliens.”

Since September 11, 2001, immigrants have become the whipping boys for the “war on terror.” Calls for enhanced militarization of the southern US border – including a 700-mile-long Sisyphean fence – reached a crescendo in the bill passed by the House of Representatives.

Under its terms, three million US-citizen children could be separated from their parents, who would be declared felons and be subject to immediate detention and deportation. Those who employ them, and churches and nonprofits that support them, could face fines or even prison.

Cardinal Roger Mahony called it a “blameful, vicious” bill, and vowed to continue serving the undocumented even if it were outlawed.

Immigrants comprise one-third of California’s labor force. But claims that immigrants take jobs away from Americans are overblown. Last summer, California suffered from labor shortages in spite of the high…

Posted by ShiftShapers
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