COLORLINES: OBAMA, BTW THE “ILLEGAL” WORD FUELS RACIAL HATRED

September 10, 2009 ColorLines Direct. News and commentary from ColorLines magazine and RaceWire blog.

Everyone needs health insurance — undocumented immigrants tooWhy is our conversation around immigration so often driven to extremes, both of language and of policy? Perhaps the most talked-about moment of President Obama’s address to Congress last night followed the dismissal of rumors that the new health care plan would cover ‘illegal immigrants.’ The “Accidental American” book shows why it’s wrong and self-defeating to deny rights and services to immigrants. Visit “The Accidental American” website and read the discussion guide.

Rinku Sen: “Illegal” Word is a Gateway to Racism and Exploitation Rinku Sen takes the term ‘illegal’ to task, showing how it’s been used to make us comfortable with the suffering and exploitation of millions of undocumented immigrants.

Sept/Oct 2009 Issue Online Now!

Tim Wise on Racism 2.0 The author and activist chats about his new book, white denial and gay rights. Soldiering Against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Dan Choi on becoming the public face for the fight against DADT policies. .

Say It Ain’t So, Joe: Shouting Down Immigrants and Healthcare Reform
Just who was that shrill voice heckling the President from the gallery at last night’s healthcare reform speech?High School Latina Drop Out Rate Reaches 41 percent
“Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation” reports that 98 percent of Latinas want to graduate, but 41 percent end up not completing high school in four years or drop out all together.

Glenn Beck Names His Next Targets
Glenn Beck has announced that Cass Sunstein, Mark Lloyd, and Carol Browner are his next targets and asked his followers to dig up all the dirt they can on them.

Obama’s Post-Racist Presidency: Is ‘Socialist’ the new N-Word?
Obama is (take your pick) a Muslim, not to be trusted; a foreigner, illegally holding the office of President; a stealth leader of world domination by the UN; and simultaneously a Fascist and a Communist. More recently, he’s been called a”socialist.” But is racism lurking underneath these charges?

ColorLines Direct is the weekly news update of the Applied Research Center (ARC) sent to subscribers, supporters and participants in ARC’s activities. ARC publishes ColorLines Magazine, Racewire.org and most recently hosted The Compact for Racial Justice Phone Forums.

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