Perhaps one of my biggest questions about the current rallying for the rights of illegal immigrants in the streets of major Ameircan cities, aside from my questions about the issue itself, is where are the old guard civil rights groups that have normally fought on behalf of the disenfranchised and underrepresented? I have to admit that I’m by no means settled on the issue myself, although I agree with the central principle that if someone wants to come to the United States, settle down, work, and pay taxes, they should be able to, legally, without going through the hoops and hassle that current immigration laws require from people, and that new immigration laws would impose (along with the other draconian measures that Congressional Republicans want to add, like a massive security wall between the United States and Mexico, or criminalizing both illegal immigration as a felony as well as helping illegal immigrants-and that’s not helping them get across the border, that’s helping someone dying of thirst in the desert find water, that’s criminalizing doctors and nursesn, churchs and charity groups as well) but luckily the Senate has pushed back on the more horrid and Anti-American legislation that’s been proposed and instead has brought up some more civil and comprehensive legislation that addresses both the security issue, the illegality issue, and extends the opportunity of citizenship for the illegal immigrants already here in the United States:

[ Full Senate to Take Up Immigration Debate ]
Source: Associated Press (courtesy of Forbes.com)

But even so, good old Senator Frist, true to the most conservative and racist elements of the Republican party, has tossed the bipartisan-agreed initiative aside and wants to bring to the Senate floor his own bill, which focuses only on controlling the borders and progressing his xenophobic agenda.

But I’m getting away from my point again. I’m curious where the civil rights groups, who could do so well if they made allegiances and forged relationships with Hispanic groups in their time of crisis, are to be found on this issue. Where is the Congressional Black Caucus, or the NAACP (the C does stand for Colored, after all, not just Black.), or the Black churches and community groups?

Admittedly there is a sense of xenophobia in the Black community against Latinos for the same old “taking our jobs” line that the radical conservatives like to dangle in front of the people, but there has to be more than that. For example, take an article posted at BlackAmericaWeb this morning:

[ Blacks in Los Angeles Have Mixed Reaction to Massive Immigration Rallies ]
Source: BlackAmericaWeb.com

In commentary from the Pacific News Service today, Earl Ofari Hutchinson takes those old guard groups to task for their inexcusable absence from this debate, and tries to examine some of the reasons why they might potentially have gone missing. Being a black man myself, this article piqued my interest particularly, since I can’t help but wonder why the protests in the streets haven’t been a rallying cry for all those who have been disadvantaged in one way or another, or oppresed, or discriminated against somehow, and that all of those groups, even if they have differing agendas, could accomplish so much greater social change together than apart.

But at the same time unfortunately, it shows that most minority groups in America, whether they’re minorities in race, equality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or political standing (where are the Democrats on this, by the way-this should be a rallying cry to bring American Hispanics under the tent. Democrats have always been the party more willing to look out for the interests of racial and economic equality and justice…why are they content to sit back, let the Republicans self-destruct, and work behind the scenes to come up with a consensus measure? They should be in front of the cameras!) we still stand more divided than united, and that will prove to be a hindrance if we cannot overcome it.

[ Old Civil Rights Groups Missing-in-Action As Immigrants Hit the Streets ]
Source: Pacific News Service