One of us is an immigrant, who was born in Honduras, moved to the U.S. at the age of 2, received her citizenship in 2008, and voted for the first time in a U.S. election the same year. And, one of us is the first person in his family to be born in the United States, and now over half of his family members are U.S. citizens. Although like in most "anchor baby" cases, being born in the U.S. played no role in family members becoming citizens.
This November 2nd we will both head to the polls to take advantage of our right to cast a vote.
Immigrants of various religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds have a long proud history in the United States. Yet, anti-immigrant rhetoric in this country is escalating, and being translated into anti-Latino sentiment. As a result, proposals and policies that are based on racial profiling are being promoted and implemented, which is an assault on all people of color in this country.
The vocal minority who champion anti-immigrant positions will continue to spread hate. Their hate, however, will not change the fact that we are voting this November 2nd in the midterm elections, and so will millions of other Latinos, African Americans, Asian Pacific Islander Americans, Middle Eastern Americans -- native born and naturalized citizens of color. In fact all the hate we have been enduring of late is emboldening our communities' get out the vote efforts.
The Hip Hop Caucus' national campaign, Respect My Vote! is educating young people of color and mobilizing them to the polls for the midterm elections.
Young people are not waiting for change. They are pushing to make change happen. Over the past two years young people have been the most outspoken for real immigration reforms like the DREAM Act, as well as comprehensive federal reform. Moreover, young people have been the most active in pushing back against racial profiling laws like SB 1070 in Arizona. Young people are at the forefront of these movements today.
As a co-host on BET's 106 & Park, and the President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, respectively, our jobs are fun, but at the same time we take our business seriously. This is real. Respect My Vote! is a serious and powerful message, because we see young people fighting for change every day and we want them to succeed, and we want our country to succeed.
To remind us why we must vote, people often invoke the memory of the courageous leaders who lost their lives fighting for our voting rights. We should always remember the struggle for voting equality in this country, but in all reality, we also have our own current-day reasons to get out and vote.
To name a few reasons: Racial profiling initiatives are being adopted by local law enforcement in different parts of the country. The unemployment rate for African Americans last month was 16.1 percent and for Latinos it was 12.4%, compared to 9.6% for the nation as a whole. Over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from High Schools in the U.S. every year and are financially blocked from pursing college because of outdated immigration and education laws. The national High School graduation rate for African American males is at 47 percent. Recent indiscriminate immigration raids have traumatized thousands of families, and violated basic civil and human rights of immigrants, including legal permanent residents. These are just a few examples.
Young people have the power and the will to stop this madness. Young voter turnout has increased in every midterm and presidential election since 2000. In 2008 more young people voted than in any other election in U.S. history.
If we keep the movement growing by voting in higher and higher numbers, and being more and more vocal and active on the issues that matter most to us, like immigration, health care, jobs, education, and the environment, politicians have no choice but to respect our votes.
So pledge to vote today, and join us on November 2nd, 2010 at the polls. Respect our vote, we respect yours!
Rosci Diaz is Co-Host of 106 & Park, BET's flagship show. She is heavily involved in the community and creator of Rocstar Foundation which donates money to public schools in her native New Orleans to help rebuild public schools. Follow her on Twitter @Rocsidiaz.
Rev Yearwood is the President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus Education Fund. He is a minister, community activist, and organizer, and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life. For more information on the Hip Hop Caucus visit HipHopCaucus.org and follow him on Twitter @RevYearwood.
The Latino Americans, whose family came into this country via our Immigration Process feel as I do about illegal immigration and are offended that they are being lumped into the same category as illegals.
The Latinos that I have spoken with, whose parents snuck into this country illegally, feel as the authors obviously do and do not support any type of border security or immigration enforcement.
Notice the difference in opinions!
Young people want change? Young people always want change. Yet young people lack the experience to know that not all change is good. And they lack the experience to know that change which has caused problems in the past will cause similar problems if repeated. George Bernard Shaw once said "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."
But the most shameful of acts is to prey upon the lack of experience of the young to achieve selfish change that benefits a few at the expense of everyone else.
It's those sneaky Canadian illegals you have to watch out for. They take the good jobs, and they're so hard to spot because they LOOK JUST LIKE US.
It's easy to dislike an anonymous group of people, but more difficult to dislike a member of the group once you get to know them. What we really need is to get to know our neighbors. Too bad that so many people out there have made it clear that they have their fingers on the phones, ready to call the cops the minute they see someone who appears "illegal"
http://nationalrepublicantrust.com/25_minutes_Breaking_Point.html
VOTE
We want the interpretation of the 14th to exclude the millions and millions and millions etc, of children of illegals from obtaining citizenship as we believe that this has and continues to be one of the biggest incentives for illegals to sneak into this country.
I would definitely NOT support a REPEAL of jus soli just a modification.
2. and the majority of Latinos in this country want us to accept the illegal immigrants
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1. Yes, I completely agree regardless of of the fact that "Some" might want us to believe otherwise. The majority of illegals are coming in via Mexico and are either Mexican or they are from other Central American countries
2. Regarding Latinos wanting us to accept illegals, it depends upon which Latinos you are speaking with. Latino Americans whose families came to this country the right way, LEGALLY, feel as we do about illegal immigration and definitely do NOT appreciate being lumped into the same category as illegals. Latino **Americans** whose parents are ILLEGAL feel as you stated, they will NOT EVER support any type of border security or immigration enforcement and believe that anyone who wishes to come to this country should be granted automatic citizenship.
I am hoping that the 14th is re-interpretated to exclude all children of illegals from EVER obtaining US Citizenship, I sincerely believe that this will definitely stem the tide of illegals crossing our borders.
In 2009 there were 4 million anchor babies born in this country, each one represents a vote, in 2008 there were 2.7 million anchor babies born in the US. Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in this country and no one seems to question how this is happening, It is definitely NOT from Legal Immigration.
But if you want to bring up Latinos, please explain why it is in the interest of African-Americans to open the gates to millions of job competitors who will be voting Republican as they rise in socioeconomic status.
Finally, African-Americans decided long ago they were going to relinquish the right to complain about racism, slavery, and segregation---indeed, African-Americans run away from any African-American who has a backbone---so they can't now blame anybody else for their low graduation rate.
African-Americans should form no alliances with other groups unless those alliances benefit African-Americans. And, if African-Americans aren't going to form a Black Panther Party, then they should at least hit the books like Booker T. Instead they do neither.
What I'm trying to say is that we must also celebrate diversity of thought as well. We will all only grow if we can accept others as being different then us in many ways even if they seem outwardly similar. So if a moratorium on all immigration would be good for blacks (I have no doubt it would) it would also benefit many other groups, while being against the best interests of still others.
I would however like to try to have those more narrow focused interests take a back seat to the best interests of the country as a whole and it's future citizens, no matter who they are.
mean they are totally anti immigration (not sure why writers use haters in article). We should have a
direct relationship with employment. When unemployment is below 8-8.5% the US should allow
250,000 immigrants to become citizens if the do not have criminal records.
If illegals are here working and it is not a job an American will take they should be given a work visa.
We must close the borders however as people may cross that are not innocent people looking for
better lives.