May, 2010

Henriquez: Protect Our Families Against Arizona’s New Anti-Immigration Law

Roll Call, 05/04/2010 –

With Mother’s Day approaching, in many immigrant communities, it begins to feel like every woman in the neighborhood is having a birthday at the same time. Strangers proclaim, “Happy Mother’s Day!” to every woman who passes on the street; colorful balloons and roses are ubiquitous: tied to strollers, purses, wrists and canes.

What’s happening in these ethnic enclaves on Mother’s Day is an outpouring of appreciation for the central role immigrant women play in their families and communities, a role reflected by the recent data. The U.S. Census Bureau indicates more than half of all immigrants are women, and the New America Media identified a trend of immigrant women as primary breadwinners and family caretakers. In addition, while 90 percent of Hispanic children in the U.S. are American citizens, 62 percent of Hispanic children in the U.S. have at least one immigrant parent. Data also show that immigrant women are often the ones to initiate the citizenship process for their families.

Read more »

Is Arizona Immigration Law a Feminist Issue?

Utne Reader, 05/04/2010 –

Over at the Bitch blogs, Jessica Yee has a short burst of analysis on the fight over Arizona immigration law. Here's the nugget that caught my attention:

What's been happening in Arizona is horrific on so many levels to so many people and communities – but it has really had me reflecting. When do certain issues get considered "feminist" and when do they not? And when do they require a real feminist response in action?

There have been several excellent female responses to the situation in Arizona by way of intersecting the impacts to women and children, sexuality, and even religion (read all of the amazing stuff the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is posting here), yet so much of the mainstream media we've been hearing is of course way too predictably patriarchal in nature; people making excuses for enacting racist legislation, utilizing fear-based tactics to legitimize white supremacy to "protect" the women and children, etc., etc. Read more »

So when does an issue become feminist?

rabble.ca, 05/05/2010 –

We've all heard about the continuous saga of human rights violations in Arizona, from legalizing racial profiling, to eliminating ethnic studies, to preventing anyone with an "accent" from teaching English (read: anyone who doesn't sound like an old white man from the eastern/northern states since I'm pretty sure we ALL have accents) and this extremely racist, oppressive, colonial and cultural genocide list goes on. Read more »

Why is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on Cinco de Mayo?

Feministing, 05/05/2010 –

Today is Cinco de Mayo. It is not, contrary to popular belief, Mexican Independence Day. It's actually a celebration of the Mexican victory over the French in a battle in 1862. Many also point out that the holiday is more celebrated in the US than in Mexico. But either way, it's a day that is associated with Latinos, and often celebrated through cultural appropriation and eating things like guacamole and drinking tequila. But that's another post. Read more »

Is Immigration A "Women's Issue"?

Jezebel, 05/05/2010 –

Is the Arizona's new immigration law — wherein officials can ask to see an individual's papers based on the individual's appearance — a feminist issue? And what does that even mean?

There are two ways to answer this question, which Jessica Yee posed at Bitch yesterday. First, there's the fact that many of the Arizonans affected by SB-1070 are women, who under enforcement of the law, are at risk both in the general sense and in the risks particular to women. Then there's the more theoretical issue of what it means to critique power structures.

Let's start with the first one. Census data shows that more than half of all immigrants are women, and many of them are the primary breadwinners for their families.

From the beginning, these women are more vulnerable than their male counterparts, particularly if they lack documentation to enter this country. For example, a recent Amnesty International report found that six out of 10 Central American women are raped in Mexico, a passage they make on the way to the United States. Read more »

Citizenship Law Fans Women's Fears in Arizona

Women's eNews Inc., 05/06/2010 –

Arizona's new law on checking immigration papers rings special alarms for women whose new names after marriage or divorce might not match electronic records. Others in mixed-status relationships fear their families could get torn apart.

Arizona's new law on citizenship documentation is expected to take a heavy toll on immigrant women, particularly those with children and those in mixed-status marriages.

"This law will drive immigrant women deeper into the shadows by subjecting immigrants in Arizona to racial profiling and other civil liberties violations," said Connie Andersen, a leader of the Valley Interfaith Project, a nonpartisan organization of congregations, schools and other nonprofit organizations in Arizona's Maricopa County. "Simple acts like walking to a store as well as life-changing decisions like taking refuge in a domestic violence shelter will be more complicated because immigrant women are required to have their papers on them at all times in case they are stopped by police."

M. Elizabeth Barajas-Roman, director of policy at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Rights, a New York-based nonprofit organization, echoed that concern.

"Verification laws take a disproportionate toll on women, who make up more than half of all immigrants according to census data," she said. "Studies have shown that as many as 32 million voting-age citizens and immigrant women in the U.S. lack available proof of citizenship documents because electronic record-keeping systems often fail to keep track of changes in women's names."