Posts Tagged ‘immigration’

Reposting for friends at VACLAA. Immigration and May Day are incredibly intertwined, and the connections between labor struggles and immigration struggles really can’t be emphasized enough. Come out on First Fridays (May 4th) to meet with folks from VACLAA and tie these struggles together and make some art! This is going to be awesome.
Our Copwatch First Fridays Patrol will be meeting basically across the street from this event at 7pm.

From the Virginia Center for Latin American Art:

VACLAA’s back at First Friday’s Artwalk on May 4th with a new live mural project about words and power and we need your input!

Messages about Text

Some of the most amazing writing on the topic of work, struggle and human dignity was created in Latin America. From the political discourse of Che Guevara to the poetic innovations of Cesar Vallejo, the word has always been a respected tool in Latin America for attaining a more just society and ennobling the efforts of women and men as they seek a sense of personal dignity. In honor of these efforts, VACLAA is producing a mural with components of relief and collage that challenges Richmonders to seek a deeper vein of discourse in a world in which words carry such little weight they drift away in text bubbles.

We invite members of the Richmond community to bring their own favorite quotes from artists, poets, political activists, grandmothers, or their own dog-eared journals on the subject of the power of men and women through work to attain a sense of self worth.

In addition to the live art event, our site at 401 W. Broad St. will be alive with readings from Latin Youth Poets from Huguenot High School, music from Underwater Seacreatures, handmade crafts from a group of Mexican artisans, savory food from Ken Ticos Cuban Restaurant and VACLAA coffee tastings.

Location: 401 West Broad Street – Moore’s Auto body parking lot

VACLAA regresa al First Fridays Artwalk el 4 de Mayo con un proyecto nuevo. Es un mural hecho en vivo acerca de las palabras y el poder. ¡Para completarlo necesitamos su participación!

Mensajes sobre Texto

Algunos de los escritos más increíble sobre el tema del trabajo, la lucha y la dignidad humana, fue creada en América Latina. Desde el discurso político de Che Guevara a las innovaciones poéticas de César Vallejo, la palabra ha sido siempre una instrumento respetada en América Latina para alcanzar una sociedad más justa y elevar los esfuerzos de mujeres y hombres que buscan un sentido de dignidad personal. En honor a estos esfuerzos, VACLAA está produciendo un mural con estos elementos. Esperamos que el collage desafía la gente de Richmond a buscar una vena profunda del discurso en un mundo en el que las palabras tienen pesan tan poco que se alejan en las burbujas de texto.

Invitamos a los miembros de la comunidad de Richmond a traer a sus citas favoritas de escritores, poetas, activistas políticos, sus abuelas o sus propias revistas de sus diarios personales sobre el tema del poder de los hombres y mujeres a través del trabajo para lograr un sentido de autoestima.

Además del evento de arte hecho en vivo, nuestro sitio en el 401 W. Broad St. también tendrá las recitaciones de poetas jóvenes de América de la escuela secundaria Huguenot, música de Seacreatures Submarinas, artesanías hechas a mano de un grupo de artesanos mexicanos, la comida sabrosa de Ken Ticos Restaurante Cubano y pruebas de café hecho para VACLAA.

Localizado en el 401 West Broad St.- En el aparcamiento de Moore’s Auto Body

Yesterday, August 2, 2010, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli passed a legal opinion saying that police in Virginia should check the immigration status of people they detain or stop. This law does not require police to ask about immigration status, but it does give them approval to go ahead and do so. This is clearly another step in the process of increasing racism, xenophobia, and classism in Virginia.

Apparently Prince William County is the county that is the most anti-immigrant and avid about searching out ‘illegal’ immigrants. Hopefully other areas will not be choosing to enforce this new approval. However, it might be a good time to remind your local politicians that you are against this change in policy. Many jurisdictions have said that the drain on resources and time required to check immigration status would be too much, and so they probably will not enforce this policy.

As anarchists we are avidly against this increase of anti-immigrant sentiment in Virginia and nation wide. We are against nations,  borders, militarization of borders, and criminalization of free movement. We support the free movement of all people. We are against racial profiling and any increase in the role or power given to the police. We are for dignity and autonomy for all people.  We do not believe that people can be ‘illegal’.

We believe that in this time of increased racism and hostility towards immigrants and people perceived as immigrants it is important for anarchists and others to make their stances clear and find ways to be allies in this struggle. These are incremental changes in policy which add up to huge changes in peoples’ lives. We need to stop this before it is too late, before it gets worse.

For more information on the background of this situation in Arizona and Virginia- and the connections between the two- please check out our friend Kontra’s blog! http://kontradictions.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/home-to-roost-why-virginia-might-be-the-next-arizona/

We will be doing our best to stay on top of this and related issues. Any news of other information or developments would be appreciated. You can contact us at wingnut_collective@yahoo.com