Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2006 > April > 01
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Protesters’ flags send mixed signal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In America, protests are a way of life.
We can march, chant and sing songs about overcoming whatever ails us. Last month, an example of the freedom to express ourselves was on full display.
Thousands of demonstrators in numerous cities took to the streets to protest proposed federal and state legislation that would crack down on the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. Expect more protests as controversial measures concerning immigration move forward.
Something struck me as odd when I watched the TV news and read articles about protests two weeks ago in Los Angeles and other cities. Many participants waved and wrapped themselves in their ancestral flags. Mexican flags were prominent, as were those of other Latin countries.
Protest organizers had implored demonstrators to show up with Old Glory. And yes, U.S. flag carriers could be seen. There just wasn’t a preponderance of them, and that’s a shame, as well as a turnoff.
It sends the wrong message to everyone. To folk like me sympathetic to the plight of illegal immigrants, and who take issue with their being made political scapegoats. To those, especially, who want to blame them for low wages, crowded schools and the changing cultural cadence in their neighborhoods. And to those straddlers who haven’t formed much of an opinion, one way or the other.
When Latinos embrace their ancestral flag, it suggests that they’re willing to come here for a piece of the American dream. They just don’t invest in it hook, line and sinker. It hints that there’s more love for the social, economic and political turmoil left behind than the opportunity afforded them here. It makes people think that, perhaps, there’s no willingness like immigrants of past eras to learn English and study civics. To assimilate. That maybe all they are interested in are the dollars they can send back to Mexico.
It’s one thing to stand up and speak out. When you wave or wrap yourself in the flag of another country, then march down an American street, you don’t appear aggrieved. You seem arrogant. Pompous maybe. And if you’re a student protester, misguided, perhaps.
In December, a poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed more than 80 percent of respondents thought it was important for the Georgia Legislature to deal with illegal immigration. The General Assembly has done just that.
Senate Bill 529 would require state and local government agencies to verify the immigration status of adults applying for taxpayer-provided benefits. It also requires companies doing business with the state to check the legal status of new employees. Illegal immigrants arrested for felonies or DUI would have to be reported to federal immigration authorities. The legislation awaits the governor’s signature.
A “National Day of Action” is being organized by labor, immigration, civil rights and religious groups to take place on April 10. Julian Herrera, a Norcross pastor and spokesman for a local alliance, has told AJC Gwinnett News that a local protest march will be held; the location hasn’t been determined.
An immigration overhaul has just about reached the boiling point. Symbols are significant. They can either help or hinder the cause of the protesters.
American dreams and foreign flags don’t mesh. Decide which one is the most important.
• Rick Badie’s column appears on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Contact him at 770-263-3875. Or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
Services »
