VivirLatino

This past weekend, when I received an email announcing that the National Council of la Raza (NCLR) was declaring the economic boycott of Arizona over, I admit that my first reaction was confusion.

I was confused because I didn’t remember the boycott solely being “owned” by any one organization. I was confused because I thought that the boycott (which I have been following and respecting as have my children) was supposed to remain in effect until the anti-immigrant law SB1070 was repealed. Did I misunderstand?

So I went back.

Various organizations and localities called for boycotts. No one can own an act of resistance.

The demand of the boycott was that SB1070 be repealed.

That hasn’t happened.

According to reports in the media, NCLR is cancelling the boycott because they feel that they have successfully discouraged other states from enacting similar laws (never mind not so successfully discouraging the president from his enforcement/deportation party). NCLR and other orgs are pointing the millions of dollars lost because of the boycott including the cancellation of conferences and conventions in the state. Additionally, The Arizona Republic says Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s office sent NCLR letters last month asking it to end the boycotts and work toward immigration reform. Based on the official press release announcing the calling off of the boycott, it’s all about the money honey. Both the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau are quoted in the official release, talking about the importance of “getting back to business”.

I know I am not the only one confused by this decision. Certainly the boycott in and of itself is controversial. There is debate as to the effectiveness of such an action, just like there is debate as to the effectiveness of civil disobedience. What both boycotts and cd’s share in common is that on their own, they are useless. On a small scale, people not buying a Stone Cold Creamery ice cream cone or blocking a highway are meaningless unless they are connected in a real way to work on the ground for a long time. The work of protest is not supposed to be easy. That is why it is called struggle. And to clarify, work on the ground does not just mean funded policy promoting as is currently happening with across the board in the immigrant rights advocacy world. The immigrant “movement” at the moment has been completely co-opted by non-profit orgs and their funders. There is no direction while on our blocks deportations rise.

And then we wonder why we are unable to find a Latino “leader”.
And then we wonder why Latinos are criticized for being unable to create sustained actions.

I’ve gone from confusion to cynical anger at the state of “movement building”.

Does NCLR’s backing off the boycott mean their national convention will be in Phoenix next year?