From November 3 – 6, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Southeastern Immigrant Rights Network, and the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice convened grassroots groups from Arizona, Tennessee, New Orleans, Georgia, Florida, and new leaders from across the state of Alabama. We’ll be publishing a series of blog entries from participants throughout the weekend.
What do you think when you hear the word “fear”…
Some might think ghosts. Panic. Heart beat racing. Running through dark woods, sweaty palms. Danger. The dark, the unexplainable and well many other things.
Fear for me is a grim announcement of caution, a warning to be alert, fear is what has allowed the human race to survived. In other words fear for me is not for cowards or the faint of heart . Its hard to put into words what my experience has been here in Albertville. Well, at least to put them in a way that make sense. But I will try my best to do so.
HB56 was drafted for many reasons. Corporate Greed, Racism and Exclusion and many others that may even be too analytical for Governor Bentley to realize. He like many others have been puppets managed by bigger entities in this whole mess. But because of their lack of courage to live up to their own fundamentals and principles, they have been easily swayed and have learn to do as they are told. If Governor Bentley really was a man of courage and of medicine, he would have lived up to his oath as a physician to “consecrate …his… life to the service of humanity” and veto HB56. Yes, Mr. Bentley is a coward. A coward for being easily punk’d into doing harm and choosing to desecrate the humanity of his fellow man by allowing racism to become law so that he may retain his sorry votes. And with this action, Mr. Bentley has sealed his own fate. A fate that many past cowards have sealed only to realized that those who crumble under pressure, or take the easy way out never actually succeed.
And since Mr. Bentley won’t succeed, our communities will continue to resist.
Because of hate legislation, as migrant communities our realities are harsh.
In these past two days I have stared into the eyes of out future generations that at a very young age have understood what cowards don’t. It is to say that fear isn’t for cowards like Mr. Bentley, that fear, can only be mastered by the greats, by those that have faced it time and time again and are not swayed. Fear has been conquered by their parents, fear is what drove them to risk their lives in order to provide for their families. And Fear is now what they face again with determination as they say “This is my home, and I am not going anywhere”.
It is a saddening experience that our children have to live thru this. However, it is rewarding to see that as tough as things have gotten, our children have also experience what the word determination is and it is through this that I know our children will continue on.
Our communities will prevail as they have for more than 500 years. Our humanity will prosper and unlike Mr. Bentley our children would look back and know that fear is not for the faint of heart and they have survived.
- Eva, GLAHR.
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) was very happy to participate in this Barrio Defense Training in Alabama. Opal Tometi, the BAJI National Organizer led a workshop on building alliances with African Americans. Opal also met with African American faith leaders, civil rights activists and student leaders to establish relationships and work with them to respond to Alabama’s repressive HB56. She was invited to be a part of leadership summit on Nov. 19 sponsored by the Alabama New South Coalition, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, the Alabama AFL-CIO and Alabama Arise. For more information about the gathering, go to:http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/11/alabama_civic_groups_plan_summ.html. BAJIw ill continue to support the struggle in Alabama and to assist in building alliances in African American communities.