comment on www.600words.com April 29, 2008
Marching to a Different Drummer
By Esther J. Cepeda
It’s that time of the year, folks.
The time when thousands of mostly-Hispanic defenders of immigrants’ rights will declare to non-Latino America how much they love and want to stay in the United States by marching around major cities bearing the flags of their homeland.
Yes, the time when the same people who will press you on the myriad ways immigrants thanklessly toil for this country, working endless hours in fields, restaurants, and factories, will skip work to parade through the streets en masse to call attention to their very existence.
Yep, the time when the same parents who look you in the eye and tell you they came to the U.S. to give their children hope for a bright future through the benefit of an American education will pull them out of school to stroll down crowded streets chanting “Si se puede” in the name of federal immigration law reform.
Yes, “yes they can.” But they shouldn’t.
In 2005 hundreds of thousands of Hispanic across the country, infuriated by the proposal of the Sensenbrenner bill which would have criminalized any one aiding illegal immigrants, rose up seemingly out of nowhere to say: “we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore!”
It is two years later; nothing and everything has changed, but the usual suspects are at it again – minus the fanfare. And actually, some of the usual suspects are nowhere to be found this year.
“Luis Gutierrez, he’s hiding, he says he’s going to be in Washington ,” march mastermind Jorge Mujica of the March 10 Coalition, told me yesterday after a pre-manifestation press conference. “No Hillary, no Barack, either.” Mr. Mujica didn’t want to get too specific but did add, “Some Democrats told us not to march because it’s an election year, and we shouldn’t interfere with the democratic process.”
Really? After an unprecedented amount of hype was given to the effect of the “Latino vote” on the never-ending presidential race? Interesting.
Still, not to be denied, and despite America’s collective yawn on the immigration issue because of the tanking economy, the organizers of this year’s May Day marches have decided the show must go on.
This year’s indifference is what we would have seen last year had the Feds, in their infinite wisdom, not decided to raid a discount mall in the heart of Chicago ’s extremely Mexican Little Village community, offering a national stage for activists to literally weep and gnash their teeth in the streets and on camera. No such luck this time.
Fast forward to 2008: march fatigue has clearly set in. Let’s face it, after the swift failure of immigration law reform last July – now dormant until well after the next American President is in place – it’s time to be more constructive.
Yes in 2005 the sleeping giant awoke, people came out of the shadows, and everyone who hadn’t noticed that their Chop Suey, escargot, and sushi is cooked by Mexicans paid attention. But it’s time to give it a rest.
This Thursday, making sure the kiddies don’t miss any reading time at school and demonstrating how much you want your job by actually showing up should be the order of the day.
Making Bob and Jane Smith burn several gallons of four-dollar gas while idling in their SUV as a few thousand rabble-rousers clog intersections yelling “march today, vote tomorrow” slogans isn’t going to change the laws any time soon. It’s been proven time and again.
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“Esther J. Cepeda writes the “600 Words” &“Pregunta del Dia” columns, and is also a Director at the Chicago-based United Neighborhood Organization. “600 words” is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eeja...@600words.com
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