I have always admired Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, and his devotion to his causes. He has always been politically active and not afraid to really fight for what he believes in. His newest call to action is encouraging artists to boycott Arizona until this law is off the books in a movement he calls Sound Strike. A boycott of the state successfully worked in the 1980s when Arizona tried to resist the MLK holiday. (How did Arizona become one of the most racist states in the Union?). Joining Zach de la Rocha in this boycott are Kanye West, Sonic Youth and a number of smaller less known bands. Many of the bands that are part of the Sound Strike campaign are Latino bilingual musicians that have a huge market in Arizona, and there is not doubt that the state will be losing revenue without their performances. We'll see if this makes an impact on the state government.
Shakira is another artist bringing attention to this problem in Arizona. Soon after the law was passed the Columbian singer flew to Phoenix and met with the mayor who also opposes the legislation. Shakira pointed out that this is a "violation of human and civil rights". Linda Ronsadt is also a Arizona native and has spoken out against the new law. Also has anyone realized that all these white legislators in Arizona, and many of the citizens of the state who support the law are themselves descendants of immigrants to the state. I'm pretty sure the Hopi and the Navajo were there before Jan Brewer. Hopefully the music community will continue to come together to rally against the blatant racial profiling that is happening in the Grand Canyon State.
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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.