By J. Guerrero
The current topic on my mind is the legislation that was passed in Arizona a few fun weeks ago. Who knew that racial profiling could be encouraged during this day and age? But then again, it would be naïve for me to think any differently. Racism is so embedded within our society today that it is only natural for us (or me at least!) to think that this legislation came out of nowhere. This particular issue has struck a chord with me because of my identity as a Mexican American, as well as the family experiences that I have had.
For those of you who do not know, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed a bill which allows police officers to stop people who they suspect are in the U.S. without “authorization”. It also gives officers the power to charge illegal immigrants with a state crime if they are caught without immigration documents.
Both of my grandmothers are from Mexico, but they were privileged enough to have legal status. One of my grandmothers became a U.S. citizen in her 70’s, and has voted every year ever since. However, I still cannot help but notice the way that people treat her sometimes, especially since she only speaks Spanish. Although my grandmother has faced prejudice all of her life, she nonetheless became an American citizen because the U.S. has been her home for over 40 years. Doesn’t she deserve to be treated like any other “U.S.-looking” citizen? She has faced enough questions and weird looks for a lifetime.
“If a cop says ‘papers’ and I say ‘scissors’…do I win?” This is actually the name of a Facebook group, but I think that it reflects a lot of what I am feeling right now. I was watching the news a few weeks ago, and I was surprised (and quite proud) to find out that the San Diego Unified School District talked a great deal about this legislation during their meeting. However, I was more surprised to find out that some woman from Arizona (I forgot her name) was infuriated by this, and believed that the San Diego School Board should not waste their time with something that does not concern them. Well I am here today to tell you that it does concern us. It certainly concerns me, not only as a woman of color, but also as a person who grew up next to the U.S.-Mexico border. It concerns me because I have relatives in Mexico, friends from Mexico, as well as relatives and friends who are not from Mexico but are tired of being hassled because of the color of their skin. If you don’t want us to concern ourselves with “your” problems, then don’t create laws which affect all of us.
