Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Sadly, a few days ago, a restrictionist group released an ad invoking the legacy of Dr. King in an effort to build opposition among communities of color to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. I respectfully disagree that Dr. King would not side in teh fight for equality and freedom for immigrants. As Jennifer Chacón has written in an important article on immigration, civil rights, and Dr. King,
“Dr. King’s broad mind and inclusive agenda remind us that the fight for justice is not about picking battles. Instead, it is one battle against violence in its physical, political, social, and economic forms. The struggle of immigrants in our society — and indeed, the struggle of the poor around the world — was Dr. King’s concern. Dr. King counseled that the struggle for social justice would not allow us to ignore the oppression of our `brother of the Third World;’ we certainly cannot ignore that oppression when it takes place in our own country.”
KJ