QÜNE: The Report

Embracing Immigrants

Immigration has been the topic of choice over the last handful weeks. Spurring numerous protests and astoundingly simple debates, it seems that immigration may become America’s latest wedge issue. At issue- how the government should deal with the scores of undocumented immigrants who work for paltry wages at the benefit of homeowners, corporations, and small business owners.

Even more interesting are the varied opinions of black folk on the matter. Spend time in any barber shop, church, or cramped plastic covered living room couch and you’re sure to find yourself confronted by the viewpoint that immigration is the new obstacle impeding the progress of the black community. Common wisdom presents as follows:

Undocumented immigrants are taking the low-skilled jobs that normally go to African Americans, thus greatly diminishing the earning potential of many working class blacks, blah, blah, blah… 

To be sure, there is plenty of empirical evidence that shows that the decades long influx of low skilled laborers does negatively impact the wages of America’s native-born workers. In fact, the latest report by Harvard researchers, George Borjas and Leonard Katz shows that Mexican immigration diminishes the earning of native born high school drop outs by 8 percent. Small beans considering the myriad of other factors that impact black employment (such as multi-syllabic first names).  Nevertheless, the common assertion that blacks are impacted negatively by the influx of undocumented does indeed have some merit. 

However, the Bush administration’s “guest worker” proposal should be viewed as the larger threat to black progress. Situated as a compromise that would allow currently employed undocumented immigrants the opportunity to work legally, the compromise has been openly supported by business leaders. And rightfully so, considering that the measure would allow businesses the opportunity to continue to employ recently immigrated manual laborers at little cost without any worry of breaking the law. Moreover, (and here’s where things should begin to sound familiar) the law would give currently employed undocumented immigrants the right to work for low wages, but would strip them of the ability to become full citizens. That is, the 8- 20 million illegal immigrants (depends on who you ask) who toil daily on America’s farms, suburban yards, and take care of your bourgeoisie a@@ kids will not be allowed to vote - thus, creating a permanent underclass of temporary non citizen-workers. If you’re not humming Go down Moses yet, you’re missing the point. The guest worker program would allow another minority group to replay our post-emancipation past. Black support and/or silence in regard to this proposal would strip us of any moral high ground in the continuing struggle for equal rights.

Undocumented, brown, white, and black (big up to Haiti) immigrants stream into this country daily looking for work because they lack opportunities in their home countries. This is due in part to tremendous disparities in employment prospects and income across national economies. Today’s global economy benefits those with the ability to participate in information-based markets (your cousin who surfs the internet all day doesn’t count). Deregulation and free trade has expanded the number of democratic countries and the freedoms of their citizens. But make no mistake, the rise of neoliberlism and the dominance of multinational corporations has not raised the living standards of low level workers in most countries. In fact, its done the opposite- increasing the disparity between rich and poor classes. As a result, black, brown, and white low skilled workers across the world have been forced to find work by any means necessary- even if it means risking life and limb to exist in the shadows of the American labor market.

Granted, this is a very simplified explanation of a very complex global circumstance. There are a number of additional factors that have led us to today’s immigration employment dillemma and black Americans' unemployment dillemmas. However, for African Americans, even the simplified version should serve as a clarion call to reframe the next decade of civil rights work. The position of laborers across the world should move us to more overtly connect our ongoing advocacy for economic justice with the struggles of laborers across the world. Moving away from the seductive and divisive rhetoric of the “20 button black clergy clique”, hip hop drunk academics, and neoconservative ideologues, we should seek to develop even more coalitions with civil rights organizations in economically deprived countries. We must assume that the dilemmas of undocumented immigrants represent the new civil rights landscape. Any temporary guest worker program would diminish the collective voice of American laborers, giving corporate leaders even more political influence (be patient, most immigrants eventually come to embrace the pro-labor politics of unions, the NAACP, La Raza, and other justice oriented watch groups). The tenor of this proposal should move black leaders to think beyond the too often narrowly defined African American body politic and strategically engage discourse and policy concerning multi-ethnic economic interests at home and abroad.

We think Barack Obama has the right idea.  Read his book or visit his website to find out why.  Read more about African American perspectives on immigration here, courtesy of the New York Times.

Seeing Beyond McKinney's Forest

We appreciate the work that many Black Congresswomen and men have completed on behalf of the African American community and the country. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has, for years, spoken truth to power in a manner that is necessary, despite the ever-expanding criticism from certain members of the “impatient” (and often conservative) class of African Americans.

 Cynthia McKinney has been a valiant CBC advocate, co-sponsoring a number of important policies including H.R. 2178, The Student Bill of Rights, and H.R. 3000, better known as the Universal Health Services Act. Unfortunately, her latest stand taken against the Capital Hill Police has left us wondering if her 13 years of service have impacted her ability to see the forest for the trees.

 According to published reports,  upon entering her Capital Hill office, McKinney was stopped by Capital Hill Police because she was not wearing her congressional lanyard. She then exchanged words with a guard before striking him after he physically cautioned her not move forward. The incident seems trivial considering the rising sea of pressing international and domestic issues currently in play.  Yet, it has vaulted to the top of the headlines, engulfed by the usual political dichotomies (and curious discussions about McKinney's new hairdo- see pic above)

 We’re ok with Rep McKinney defending her position, and take no issue with her finding fault with the officer that attempted to subdue her. However, her use of the phrase “racial profiling” to describe the incident has elevated the impasse to an unfitting level of social and political relevancy. So much so, that many blood-starved republicans have seized the opportunity to use her statements to deflect attention away from their Capitol Hill Poseidon Adventure. To be sure, racial profiling is real. Unless you’re afflicted with Clarence Thomas disease, if you’re “of color”, we’re sure that you’ve had a white person mistake you for a Wal-Mart clerk at some point in your life.

 But McKinney’s use of the phrase has allowed conservative pundits and politicians to shift attention from larger political and social issues relevant to minority and majority Americans (see Delay’s comments for more evidence). While we don’t believe that there’s such a thing as “using the race card”--  racism is too real to admonish minorities that are courageous enough to name racism when they see it-- we do think that some battles (even those involving race) should be left to expire in preparation for more pressing and exhaustive conflicts to come. To be more specific, McKinney and other members of the CBC have much more pressing matters to be concerned with, and thus should move quickly to shift attention from the Georgia Rep and the Capitol Hill Police.  Of course, this would require that McKinney issue a show of humility and deference to needs of her constituents that most representatives are unwilling to offer. Her issues with the Capital Hill Police are, likely, of little relevance to the citizens she represents.

 Despite her recent mistake, we think she’s up to the task. Afterall, the trees are but one part of the forest.

 Read more here. And donate to the CBC here.

Bad Company

We find it interesting that so many conservative African American blogs have popped up in the last year. Please don’t get us wrong, we have no problem with diversity of opinion. The only issue of significance that writers at The Report agree on is that Cornel West should never produce another rap album.  Regardless of our democratic ideals, we find it strange that so many black folk have suddenly felt the need to proclaim their allegiance to the Republican Party, despite the party's laughable inability to engage non-white audiences.
 

Undoubtedly, we’ve all, at some time or another, felt disrespected by Democrats. The NAFTA and welfare legislation signed during the Clinton years brought us to our highest degree of ‘pisstivity’.  As a result, we considered siding with the Green Party in subsequent elections. Unfortunately, their far-fetched environmental promises, annoyingly self-righteous supporters, "herbal" staffers, and sickly presidential candidates gave us the political bends.  Despite the inadequacies of the Democratic Party, we know too much about past and present conservative leadership to assume that the GOP has our best interest at heart.

For example, we've never had to worry about a democrat making a rediculously insensitive comment on national television.  Which is exactly what Mary Matalin-- a very high profile Republican strategist-- did on Fox last week. Referencing speakers at the Coretta Scott King funeral, Matalin remarked,

 “I mean, you know, I think these civil rights leaders are nothing more than racists. And they're keeping constituency, they're keeping their neighborhoods and their African-American brothers enslaved…”

 Last time we checked, Lil Jon didn’t speak at the service. But Maya Angelou, Mayor Shirley Franklin, and Dorothy Height did. And we’re positive that they’ve had nothing to do with any form of ‘enslavement’. Never mind the fact that Saddam Hussein would have a better chance of becoming a Whitehouse strategist than Mrs. Matalin, if it wasn’t for the work of such courageous Civil Rights leaders.

Our words of advice- If you’re considering coming out of the political closet to declare your allegiance to the Republican Party, be clear about the company you’re claiming.

Watch the interview here and send your complaints here.

Hip Hop VP

We’re sure that the hoopla surrounding Vice President Cheney’s “hunting accident” will grow to conspicuously gigantic proportions this week. For pundits, it’s just too easy to connect Cheney’s affinity for all things destructive, to his weekend shotgun mistake. Conspiracy theorists will explode with implausible ‘hypotheticals’ that portray the event as proof positive that Cheney is a crazed bogeyman with a vampire-like thirst for blood, power, and oil. And the comedians? Well, let’s just say that Al Gore can finally rest well.  Cheney’s blunder will move us to forget that Mr. Gore ever chose to French kiss his wife on national television or wear earth tones to score votes. For years to come, Cheney skits will be all the rage on Comedy Central.

 But what will we [black folk] do with Cheney’s fodder? The people at The Report have a theory. Considering our community’s puzzling appreciation of iconic gangsters (doesn't every black person have a framed Scarface poster on their wall?), we have a feeling that Vice President Cheney will become the latest white Mafioso to become immortalized by the lyrics of hip hop’s most ‘hood’. Its pretty hard to find words that rhyme with Cheney- zany is the only one we could think of- but considering how quickly rappers normalized the use of ‘Osama’ (not Obama), we expect to hear Cheney’s name mentioned in at least three to four songs in the next 5-6 months. And since hip hop has become an exercise in unnerving repetition, we expect this number to quadruple over the next 5 years. T-shirts, murals, and some form of ‘crunk juice’ will, surely, follow

 As such, we predict that Cheney will emerge as our first Hip Hop Vice President. Sound ‘gangsta’? Well, we’re sure that some kid from Shaker Heights will think so. Consequently, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be able to buy a poster of Vice President Chaney (complete with shotgun shell inlays) to hang over your mantle-- right next to your framed picture of Al Capone.

Bill Clinton may finally have to compete with someone else for our undivided adulation. Can you imagine? Ridiculous as it sounds, we can.

 Read more here.

They Love Me

Whether it was his touchdown catch in the AFC championship game against the Oakland Raiders or his MVP Super Bowl X performance, Lynn Swann has provided true sports aficionados with plenty of fond memories.

However, the recent announcement that the ‘Cantonite’ may make a run for the Pennsylvania’s Governor’s mansion in 2006 as a Republican makes us worry about his health. We're afraid that Mr. Swann may be suffering from a case of "they love me disease”. You’ve seen the symptoms before. They reside in the psyche of those always jolly black gfolk that seem to appreciate the attention of white folks just a biiit too much. Common symptoms- one too many pairs of khakis in the closet, the removal of all facial hair, and consistent absence on cultural sensitivity training days at the at the office.

We have to wonder if years of persistent majority adulation have made Mr. Swann more susceptible to this common ailment. Simply embracing the president’s quixotic party politics is enough to make us question his mental stability.

Mr. Swann- didn’t you hear Kanye’s message?
Read more here.

Apocalyptic Confession

In a prophetic move, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently admitted that racism is not a figment of the African American imagination. That’s right- in a rare stint of consciousness, he admitted to being called the 'n-word'- once. Considering that he’s voted against Affirmative Action programs whenever presented the opportunity, this acknowledgement is quite foreboding. Ladies and gentlemen it's official- the apocalypse is in full effect.

Read more about the harbinger’s confession here.   And we'’ll keep an eye on The Justice here at The Report.

Judging Ignorance

African Americans should hold varied perspectives on issues of political, legal, and social significance. Race, after all, is a political construct that has no correlation with our physiological functions.

But race does have a history in the US that is deep and complicated. As such, it is common knowledge that there is a significant relationship between one's melanin and the likelihood of being poor, suffering from hypertension, or being mistaken for a janitor in a professional work-setting. Yet, every now and then you find some person of color that didn't get the memo.

George Bush, a connoisseur of aberrant black brahmins, unearthed another such outlier. Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the California Supreme Court was mentioned as a possible Republican nominee for the nation's Supreme Court. And her views on all things legal are more imbecilic than the Ying Yang Twins Whisper Song. Not only is she staunchly opposed to Affirmative Action, but she also believes that the First Amendment allows employees to use racial epithets in the workplace, and that administrative agencies should not be forced to award compensatory damages in race discrimination cases.

We appreciate variation, but detest this kind of ignorance.

Read up on Justice Brown's judicial angle here and figure out what you can do to raise awareness of veiws here.

Doubting Cosby

With all the controversy surrounding Michael Eric Dyson's new book, you'd think the fate of the black community hinges on whether Cosby is Right or Wrong.

Well, the folk at The Report are agnostic. We have no more faith in the respectability politics of the black elite than we do in the dutiful aptitude of Shaquisha and Ki Ki. Ignorance abounds in all spaces. Hence, like Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, our charge is to illuminate all counter-productive behavior in our community and beyond.

We are watching.

They're Still Multiplying

As an addendum to a story offered earlier [see They're Multiplying, January 24, 2005] we'd like to inform you that Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC) is gaining more fiscal support for its notably conservative agenda. It seems that the Heritage foundation has taken special interest in BAMPAC's comedic antics. Supporting their February conference (sane black folk were not invited), it is likely that this connection will lead to a much larger and, assumably, more annoying BAMPAC presence in the coming months.

On the bright side, this may mean that we'll have access to more pics of our favorite moderate madcap- Alan Keyes.

Read more about BAMPAC's February conference here. Send more prophylactics here.

They're Multiplying

Remember the three African Americans they showed over and over again at the Republican National convention a year or so ago? Well, they're multiplying. In fact, they have started their own Political Action Committee to raise funds for the next conservative black political candidate. Prophylactics anyone? ...oh and why the pic? We could never pass up a chance to post an Alan Keyes shot at The Report.

Read more here.  Learn who's contributing to the BAMPAC here.