Immigration Article of the Day: Politics of Belonging: Anti-Black Racism, Xenophobia, and Disinformation by Karla McKanders
Politics of Belonging: Anti-Black Racism, Xenophobia, and Disinformation by Karla McKanders, Harvard Law Review Blog Essay (2024)
The essay begins:
“Racialized and xenophobic disinformation reinforces an anti-Black and anti-immigrant vision of America where powerful actors intentionally promulgate false information that becomes the norm defining who belongs in this country. Historically, these norms have been codified into U.S. citizenship and naturalization laws privileging assimilation and defining who has the right to reside in America. During political campaigns, the pervasive use of disinformation is so normalized that people dismiss anti-immigrant rhetoric as political theatre instead of language that is part and parcel of a racially stratified society. The use of disinformation to influence mainstream societal norms is not new. For example, in the 1870s and 1880s, rising anti-Chinese sentiment led to laws excluding Chinese nationals from naturalizing to become citizens and laws preventing them from immigrating to the United States.”
McKanders is Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute with NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
KJ
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