The customary Dartmouth color palette of Hanover Co-op greens, J-Crew blues and Lily Pulitzer pinks came together with neon oak-tag banners and Mexican flags to create a rainbow of color at last Monday's rally where hundreds congregated in solidarity of the immigrant community in the United States. Combining pastels and neons normally leads to fashion disaster; on May 1, however, such a jarring collection of colors brought attention to an important issue. That issue being immigration rights.
Monday was the national "Day Without Immigrants," and Dartmouth students, faculty and community members raised their voices and banners along with millions across the country. The collective cry of the protestors across the nation -- a cry of disapproval -- was meant to raise awareness about the proposed legislation that would severely reduce the rights of immigrants in our country. M.E.Ch.A. (Movamiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), La Alianza Latina, many African-American groups, several Asian-American groups as well as other members of the Dartmouth community rallied behind the cause. Such a diversity of groups is rarely seen supporting the same cause on campus. Perhaps the understanding that most Dartmouth students are, as many banners stated, "all immigrants" united the disparate populations.
The proposed legislation affects all immigrant minorities, even though much national attention has focused on the Latino/a community. At Dartmouth, as demonstrated by the diversity of the crowd at the rally, it is understood that the legislation has far-reaching ramifications and does not impact lives in just one racial or ethnic community. The Latino community, currently around 7 percent of the student body, has rallied behind the cause of immigrant rights because the implications of the changes, which among other things threaten deportation without a fair judicial process, could affect them personally.
On the national level, the likes of CNN and FOX have put emphasis on the southern border between the United States and Mexico, and the immigrants in that region, but these laws pertain to all immigrant minorities as well as all the citizens of this country that thrive on a market economy that exploits cheap, immigrant labor. The Dartmouth campus is essentially the "U.S. writ small" in terms of diversity, and the affected communities are represented in our student body.
Though much emphasis is placed upon the southern border, many of the undocumented people in the United States enter into the country through the northern border or have stayed beyond their visas. Tina Catania, an '03 alumnae who helped organize the rally for Tuesday remarked that, "There is so much emphasis on the southern border and the potential for terrorism there, but people forget that the Sept. 11 terrorists entered the country though the northern border into the United States."
Catania also remarked on the means of publicity used by the members of the rally and of The Dartmouth Review. "There is so much dehumanizing and criminalizing language being used right now in relation to these immigration issues," Catania said. "Legality and illegality are terms that have just recently been used to describe the situation for immigrants in the United States."
When asked why the Latino/Latina community has been so featured in this struggle for immigration rights, Catania expressed that "there has been a form of racialization occurring and a set of vocabulary being drawn upon that wasn't used until President Reagan." She felt strongly that there was a strong, negative connotation to the word "illegal" and that it was offensive. She expressed her anticipation that just as the racial slur "wetback" became inappropriate, the demeaning term "illegal" will as well.
During President Wright's speech on immigration, he similarly brought up the same issue with the language framing this issue on campus, as well as worldwide. This focus on criminalizing language, Catania proposes, creates an adversary relationship between felons and accomplices and the authorities trying to control them. This, seemingly, is the approach that the Bush administration is taking in relation to the immigration laws, choosing to alienate those with invalid visas and all illegal immigrants instead of working with them to legitimize their standing as U.S. citizens.
Though much of the focus is still being paid to the southern border of the U.S. and "stemming the tide" of Latino/a immigrants, there has been much less attention paid to the northern border where an equal number of, if not more, immigrants come into this country. The U.S. market economy, as Catania points out, supports and encourages cheap labor and immigrants often are the sole providers for this. She states that while U.S. businesses are "willing to rely on immigrant labor, they are still quick to criminalize them." This unwillingness to make any concessions, Catania asserts, will certainly prove troublesome for many of the business owners that rely on cheap, immigrant labor while still denouncing their "illegal" status. The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Rights, of which the United States is a signatory, Catania points out, includes within its myriad of inalienable rights the right to movement and residence, the right to seek and have work and the right to equal pay.
The question of information dissemination at Monday's rally was raised by some, pointing to the fact that while the force of the rally was felt, the lecture in Dartmouth 105 was difficult to get into and busy students did not have the opportunity to engage in the debate. Catania's response was that there was ample opportunity to hear speakers and skip class to join in the rally, as well as plenty of on-line information accessible about the issue.
With the advent of Cinco de Mayo, the Latino/a community is faced with the decision of whether to politicize their celebrations by condemning the immigration laws or to carry on as normal. This is a possible forum for political and social statements to be made and the Latino/a community will choose to utilize this or not. This year's celebration, though, does look to be more widely publicized and celebrated in honor of the immigrants fighting for their rights. Looking to the future, Catania speaks about the palette of organizations on campus that will continue to be involved. She encourages all members of the Dartmouth community to get involved, stating, "You don't have to be Latino/a to be part of MEChA or African-American to be in their organizations!"
Catania promotes the message that this rally, as well as future debates over immigration rights, illustrates the beauty of a liberal arts education. Questioning values and laws, challenging assumptions and critically examining information and the media are all essential parts of being an active student and a well-informed citizen. This rally demonstrated the beauty of a kaleidoscope of colors coming together to create change.
Whoever said that our generation doesn't protest should look around. We are passionate. We have voices. We are ready to take a stand to fight for our beliefs and our ideals.
