Black leaders declare solidarity with immigrant workers

On April 13, the New York Committee for a May 1 Boycott for Immigrant Rights held a press conference/rally on the steps of City Hall to announce support for the nationwide protests in solidarity with immigrant workers, especially those who are undocumented. May 1 is being viewed by immigrant rights leaders and their supporters as the next important step in consolidating a civil rights and workers’ rights movement in the U.S.

New York, April 13. WW photo: Heather Cottin

The press conference gave the opportunity for political and community activists and leaders, especially those of African descent from all five boroughs, to express their wholehearted solidarity with immigrant workers, who are facing racist laws that seek to criminalize them. The majority of the speakers raised the importance of building a rally at Union Square on May 1 at 4 p.m.

Councilperson Charles Barron, the initiator of the press conference, called on leaders from around the country to support unity to put an end to divide-and-conquer tactics. “For those in the African-American community or the Caribbean community who think that immigrants are taking away their jobs, there was double-digit unemployment in our communities before Mexicans came here. The only time there was full employment was during slavery and we have had problems with unemployment ever since that time,” stated Barron.

He went on to say, “America is changing. The white male-dominated power structure is afraid of the browning of America. We say ‘no’ to deportation and ‘no’ to felonies for those who are here undocumented. The only felonies that should be given are to those corporations that don’t pay a living wage or health benefits or pensions. Globalization, monopoly capitalism, imperialism and free trade are causing immigrants to come here who are fleeing from corporate exploitation. Every one of us should ask the Native Americans if it is okay for us to be here.”

Larry Holmes from the Troops Out Now Coalition and press conference emcee, told the press, “Barron has always been the friend of the downtrodden, oppressed people, working people. We stand with our undocumented sisters and brothers as they are rising up in the hundreds of thousands to demand legalization and the right to defend themselves on the job with unionization. Blame layoffs, budget cuts, downsizing and plant closings—not immigrant workers. We are demanding jobs for everyone at a living wage and a right to a union. Together we will be stronger.”

Chris Silvera, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 808 and chair of the Black Teamsters Caucus, called for freedom for Roger Toussaint, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, whose three-day strike last December shut down the entire subway and bus system. Toussaint was recently sentenced to 10 days in jail for carrying out the strike, considered illegal under the repressive Taylor law.

“I call for a strike of all workers if Toussaint goes to jail, because what Roger is fighting for is something that we are losing—health coverage and pension plans. Labor should have the same right as capital to flow freely across borders. We need a global solution. Undocumented workers are not to blame, corporate America is to blame. We support the call of immigrant workers to exercise their power to show the world that they do have power.”

Nellie Bailey from the Harlem Tenants Council stated, “This is a civil rights movement for all workers. This is a struggle for all workers. As our immigrant sisters and brothers wave the American flag, you are waving the flag for not only a job and meager wages, but for decent public education for your children, for health, for all of those things that make up a viable community. As long as immigrant workers are being exploited, all workers are being exploited.”

Norm Taylor, AFSCME Local 215 and District Council 1707 president, declared, “A job is a right and health care is a right. I stand here in unity with undocumented workers.”

Brenda Stokely, a leader of the Million Worker March Movement, stated: “We are not separate from people because they speak a different language or come from a different land mass. People should have the freedom of movement to go wherever they need to go to take care of their families. On May 1, we are not just talking about immigrant rights as if it’s a separate issue, but it’s a human issue and working person’s issue. It’s ironic that the people who are being focused on the most are Mexican, because these are people who are coming back to their own land that was stolen from them by the colonizers here in the U.S., who thought it was okay to steal the land from the Native Americans in order to expand westward. These are issues that tie us together against forces that deny people their humanity. Come out on May 1 to defend human rights for everybody.”

Omar Henriquez, New York Committee for Occupation, Safety and Health and founder of the Day Laborers Union, remarked, “We are workers who happen to be immigrants. We want the freedom to be able to move, to join unions, to go to our countries and come back. Immigrant workers put $90 billion into the U.S. and only get $5 billion in benefits. Who is taking from whom? Who is winning? Immigrant workers responded to clean up after 9/11 and were paid only $60 a day. Immigrant workers have the highest incidences of injuries and deaths.”

Bernadette Ellorin with the Justice for Immigrants/Filipin@ Coalition stated, “There are more than 4 million Filipin@s in the U.S. and we have one of the largest undocumented populations. Migration was never a choice for us. We were forced to leave our loved ones back home because our home countries can’t sustain us. Home countries cannot provide jobs. We can’t carry out self-determination due to the racist, anti-foreign, anti-immigrant U.S. policies. The struggle of immigrant workers is one with all working people. Immigrant rights are workers’ rights.

“May 1 is an international day of action. In our home countries, it is a holiday. It must be a day of national action in the U.S. Change only happens when we are in the streets, not passing laws. We say yes to everything that Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X stood for.”

Chuck Mohan, president of the Guyanese-American Workers Association, said, “We have the right to be here. Immigrants are not struggling in a vacuum but are tied to the struggles of African Americans, Latin@s and Native Americans. The May 1 rally will serve to bring us together.”

Vicente Alba from Day Laborers Union 108 stated, “I work for a union that fights for immigrant rights. We are determined to support the undocumented of all nationalities. Many employers are begging undocumented workers not to leave on May 1.”

LeiLani Dowell, representing Queers for Peace and Justice, ended the press conference with these words: “I stand here as a queer person, as a person of African-American and Hawaiian descent, as a person whose communities at some point in time were all considered ‘illegal’ by the U.S. government. The slogan ‘No human being is illegal’ resonates very strongly with all my communities. All of our communities will be out in force on May 1 to demand full rights for all.”