The discussion of hate groups today
led me to do some further browsing of the Southern Policy Law Center’s website
to explore the prevalence of hate groups, especially those in Illinois. I found
that my hometown, Rockford, hosts the headquarters for four different hate
groups, two of which are anti-LGBTQ, and the remaining two are black
nationalist groups. The website’s discussion of black nationalist groups was
extremely interesting, because it highlighted the presence of these groups as a
response to white racism. Unfortunately, I have observed the effects of racism
within my hometown, which is very much segregated by race and class divisions.
If black nationalist groups are a product of white racism, it is fathomable
that two black nationalist groups have created their headquarters in Rockford,
where there is likely a considerable level of white resentment.
***
The Legal Production of
Mexican/Migrant “Illegality”
I
am really glad that this article was included with our readings for this week,
as immigration, especially the migration of the people of México, is an issue
that hits very close to home for me. Many of my family members are immigrants
from both México and Panamá, so when talking about the controversies regarding
the migration of these groups of people, I feel very humbled and moved because
I know I would not be in the position I am today without the movements of my
family members.
***
Immigration Tribal Indians
The
concept of Indians as citizens of the United States is not something that I
have ever taken the time to think about. In fact, Indians within our history
classes are a limited topic of discussion, if not omitted completely. This has
by far been one of my favorite articles because it was so enlightening on a part
of the history of the Indians during the building stages of the United States.
***
Can Asians Assimilate in America?
The article reminded me of things I’d
heard from friends of mine who are people and especially women of color who
grew up with me in Chicago. One of my closest friends is Filipino. She was born
in the Philippines, emigrated to Canada and then to the United States. She grew
up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood near mine and is very conscious of how her neighborhood
and her background worked together, in a way, to influence who she is today.
The reason I bring this up is because she always talks about her perpetual
crisis of confidence: whether to embrace American culture as is very easy to do
or to work to retain her Filipino and urban roots.
***
Is The Constitution a Racist Document?
The Constitution is well loved in
America. In both my Political Science and Law classes, whenever the
Constitution was mentioned my professors said that it was a great document,
being the oldest and shortest constitution in the world which created an
effective form of government and stopped the young United States from falling
apart. The question is, should it be as celebrated as it is?
My answer is no. The Constitution
should not be hated, as it is a good legal document that set up a government
that has lasted more than 200 years. However, I think a lot of people gloss
over the darker parts of the Constitution. For example, the first line is a
lie. “We” the people. Does this document really represent the common people?
None of the people who drafted the Constitution were a part of the common
public, they were the elite landowners of American society. Can the
Constitution really describe itself as representing the people if (at the time
of its creation) you couldn’t even participate in its democratic institutions
if you were female, poor, black, or Native American?
***
What Is Race?
During class we asked the question
“What is race?”, and it is my personal perspective that race is something that
is mainly socially based. It is something that is arbitrarily defined by ruling
classes (usually whites) and used to exploit and divide populations. It is true
that there are genetic differences between people from Africa and people from
Europe, but in the scale of the human genome these differences are extremely
minor.
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