Arizona’s Immigration Law and its Effect on Education
This is just a sneak peek of my first post at Equality 101 after our break. To read the whole article, go here!
I do not live in Arizona. In fact, I’ve never even been to Arizona. When I was in undergrad, though, it seemed like Arizona would be an oasis for teachers. There were superintendents and principals at job fairs that were offering contracts to teachers right then and there, without the strenuous interview process that teachers applying in the Chicago suburbs faced. How easy it seemed to be to get a job teaching in the Phoenix area, and how wonderful the weather would be without the stifling humidity in the summer and the snow in the winter. Now, however, I wonder if Arizona is the same sort of haven it used to be for budding graduates from teacher education programs. So much is going on in that state that it’s hard to believe anyone would move there now, in this climate.
I am the eternal optimist, or, at least, I really do try to see the best in situations. I have been told that Arizona legislators had reasons for passing SB1070. I have been told that the state of Arizona is in such a bad economic situation that they had to do something. I have been told all of these things, and more, but I can’t see any positive side to a law that creates such a culture of hatred and racism that people are comparing Arizona police to the Nazis. And now, this law and the culture surrounding it has opened up avenues to effect the education of students in the state and, by extension, the country and the world.
To read the rest, go here.
I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. All of us ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated, but this is not the case.
I know the proponents of this law say that the majority approves of this law, but the majority is not always right. Would women or non-whites have the vote if we listen to the majority of the day, would the non-whites have equal rights (and equal access to churches, housing, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, schools, colleges and yes water fountains) if we listen to the majority of the day? We all know the answer, a resounding, NO!
Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics and do what is right, not what is just popular with the majority. Some men comprehend discrimination by never have experiencing it in their lives, but the majority will only understand after it happens to them.