| Thoughts on immigration (Part 2) By Paul Kusuda |
| In the previous month's issue of Asian Wiz, I gave examples of my looking for, finding, and quitting a couple of no-skills-required jobs in Chicago in 1943. After a few more tries, I found one I kept for many years before and while attending the University of Chicago. The pay started at 50 cents per hour, then after a while, I got pay raises more often than once a year. Sometime I'll write about other non-skilled work I had. Also in last month's issue, I wrote, "Oh, oh, I ran out of space ... " That's what happens when I ramble. Anyway, I was thinking about the fact that when jobs are not plentiful, some people become concerned about potential problems resulting from competition among people of color vying for jobs requiring little prior experience or education. Some people wonder about how African American leaders reacted to the possibility of conflicts between African Americans and Hispanics in the same job market. The July-August issue of CRISIS, a publication of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), had featured "The Crisis Interviews: Immigration" by David C. Ruggin. Ruggin conducted interviews with a human rights and civil rights lawyer, an executive vice-president of the Service Employees International Union, a University of Maryland professor of government and politics, the NAACP President and CEO, and a U.S. Representative from Texas. The accompanying photographs showed that all interviewees were African Americans. Persons interested in reading the excellent article may write to the Crisis Publishing Company, Inc.; Office of Publication; 4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215. One response included: "It must be really rich for Native Americans to hear European decendents talk about proper immigration. I mean, the Europeans came over here and basically did grand theft and genocide. If you think about it, the only folks who have a right to be here are Native Americans -- " That was a lawyer who is Co-Director, Advancement Project (Los Angeles), "an equity advocacy organization focused on making big public systems better serve low-income residents." The union executive vice president pointed out that his union is " ... trying to build a movement that lifts people of color and the poor out of poverty. A significant chunk of the poor people in the country are immigrants of color from various parts of the world. We can't figure out how to deal with poverty and race unless we figure out a way to deal with the issues around immigration ... At the moment, employers can hire an immigrant to undercut other people's labor standards. The way to handle that is not to block the immigrants from coming in ... African Americans and immigrants (should) team up to try to make sure that they have the right to advocate for the best possible wages for the labor they provide." The University of Maryland professor noted: "The voices of undocumented workers have been relatively silent ... " After a proposal was made in the House of Representatives " ... that would make felons of immigrants for being undocumented ... a critical mass of the immigrant community, mostly Latinos, became political and began to mobilize around the issue. They are now forcing demands for legalization of their rights, the right to work and human rights." He also noted that low-wage jobs were the fastest growing part of the economy " ... in the restaurant and construction industries ... Immigrants contribute to economic growth and they keep the prices of goods down. That's an ironic effect of their expansion of the low-wage labor sector. They purchase cheap goods which helps keep prices down for everybody. This is especially beneficial to low-income African Americans." The comments by the NAACP president were also interesting: "It is suggested by some that the employment conditions affecting Blacks are substantially damaged by the presence of more Hispanics in the country. And I would suggest that we not fall into that trap. We have dealt with and faced employment disparities in this country for years ... have preceded the current discussion around immigration ... We should be thinking about it in terms of a multiracial, multicultural country ... I think America is strong because of the diversity of population." The Congressional representative thought that America's immigration policy is "broken. It is an unequal and unfair system ... The fact that African Americans are made to compete for some low-paying jobs certainly gives the appearance that the single biggest problem has to be the undocumented immigrant." To address the question, he suggested that people should "acknowledge the equality of work." You ensure that there is a fair minimum wage that all workers are paid so that no employer can undermine the value of a worker by suggesting that they will hire someone who is undocumented, (so that) they can pay less. And you must confront the issue of unemployment which is raging in America, especially in certain African American communities ... Fix the employment and wage opportunity issues and I believe you can fix the immigration problem." I believe the responses from the African American leadership group cited in the article should move us to think about issues raised in considering social, economic, and other results of the recent increase in Asian and Hispanic immigrants. It's true that the increase in immigrants resulted in a variety of effects, some more positive than others. The impact on employment has been felt by many. The impact on health and social agency service loads has meant scrounging for funds to meet needs. It should be clear that minority groups must join together to reduce any misperceptions. The larger community in which we live must be aware of how people's issues should be viewed so that fair, just, and equitable solutions may be developed. The challenge is a continuing one; prejudice and bias will always be present; understanding and cooperation are keys to solution. Our goal must be that all ethnic groups be recognized and our actions and dealings with one another must reflect it. |
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