Below, Robin is usurping the blog. She joined the immigrant march last Monday in Seattle, and wanted to post her impressions.
When I saw the marches on TV, I felt proud of my country. Here were people demonstrating that they belong here, that they identify as Americans, regardless of whether the rest of us think so or not. It was a uniquely American moment. We have been through this cycle in our history again and again, with the same degree of tension, and it is this kind of renewal that gives our society such vibrancy and moral force in the world. That this group is so visible in such numbers in our body politic, for the first time, is a watershed moment.
Robin’s entry:
"On Monday I took a walk through downtown Seattle with 30,000 people. 95 % were Latino. Some white people. Fewer black people. Very few Asians, most walking behind the Asian Counseling and Referral banner. The crowd was safe, easy, and joyful. I encountered a few jerks on the side, but none that I saw on the streets, while I walked from the front to the back, about 20 blocks of curb-to-curb people. Lots of young men, many families, cute kids. Lots of cheering, especially under overpasses (because of the echo) and when anyone waved.
Chants, in Spanish:
- Si, se puede! Yes we can.
- The people united will never be defeated.
- The people united will always go forward/proceed.
- We love the United States.
- America! Viva! Guatemala! Viva! Dignity! Viva! Mexico! Viva!
Some signs, some in English some in Spanish:
- If you don’t want me here, pick your own damn apples!
- Who’s undocumented, Pilgrim? (Picture of an Indian and a pilgrim)
- We are not criminals, we are here to work.
- A people united, will always go forward.
- My Irish grandparents were immigrants. (Held by a pale lady dressed in green)
- Human beings are not illegal.
- Fair pay for everyone.
- Don’t split up my family with a guest worker program.
- If you’re not Native, you’re an immigrant.
- Proud to be an American.
- I love this country, too/ This is our country, too.
- We are human, too.
Reasons I went:
- I am appalled at the passage of the Federal House bill that turns all undocumented workers and all who help them into felons. Including social workers, health care workers, and church people.
- I don’t understand borders very well, nor differences between kinds of humans.
- Joe, from Mexico, worked at my father’s business for 45 years, and was one of the most respected people there. I’ve felt at home with all Mayans since I was about 6, because of Joe. Trips to the south of Mexico and Guatemala confirm the connection.
- My grandparents on one side and great-grands on the other were immigrants. I see myself as an immigrant’s kid. My father, while born in Iowa, didn’t speak English until he was in grade school. My step-father was an immigrant. Fifteen years ago, seven of my Ukrainian/Jewish cousins immigrated to Bellevue. More followed after that. It was only our sponsorship, Jewish Family Service, and some political pull that got them the refugee status they needed to get here, despite the discrimination and death threats that they experienced as Jews in the Ukraine.
- I wanted to be white in that crowd, showing the mostly Latino/Hispanic crowd that they had support from outside their communities. With all the roles I have in life (therapist, teacher, consultant, wife, daughter, friend, American, female), this was the first time I showed up anywhere simply to be a white body, to be counted.
"I had a good time. The crowd felt safe, easy, and fun to be with. The police behaved. The crowd behaved. There were no counter-demonstrators. The organizers and the police were shocked by the enormity of the turnout. I ran out of my meager Spanish during the speeches. What I think I heard were words about dignity, work, humanity, solidarity, and not being afraid to be seen. There were some shy country people in the crowd, staring up at the big buildings. (People were bused in from Spokane, Yakima, Olympia, Centralia, and all over the state. Some may have never been in a city.) It reminded me of the first few gay pride parades in Seattle in that people looked surprised to be "out" after years of hiding. As the march went on, those people looked prouder and happier. I hope that our country is truly ready to absorb this group of Americans as it has taken in the rest of us."
Such a great piece to read! Watching the States (and, to some extent, my own country, Canada) grow increasingly xenophobic over the past few years has been so depressing, it's truly heartening to read a piece from a sensible, compassionate, reasonable human being. In fact, it's nice to know that such critters still exist!
Posted by: stephen connor | April 18, 2006 at 08:31 PM