Hannah Lozon Coordinator of Social Justice Education

The University of Arizona

James WagnerArea Coordinator

The University of Idaho

Kevin TaylorAssistant Director

Western State College of Colorado

The Vote to Move AIMHO 2011: Recent Legislation, Campus Impact, Social Justice,

and What it Means for Our Field

Learning Community Guidelines Common Language – Definitions SB 1070 & similar AZ legislation Similar Legislation Nationwide AIMHO Executive Board Panel

BREAK

Activity – “Change Game” The Forensics of Hate Being an Ally/Advocate Taking Action

Today’s Flow

• Be fully present and participate at your own comfort level – challenge by choice.

• Listen respectfully, share air time, and encourage others to participate.

• Respect and maintain privacy.

• Trust that dialogue will take us to deeper levels of understanding and acceptance. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

• What others do you need?

Learning Community Guidelines

• Social Justice = The process of social justice involves an equitable distribution of resources, equal access to those resources, and participation from all members of society. The goal of social justice is the full and equal participation of all groups in a society shaped to meet their needs.

Important to note: Social justice is both a process and a goal.

• Privilege = Unearned, unasked for, often invisible benefits and advantages only readily available to dominant groups.

• Oppression = The systematic subjugation of target groups by those with social power (privileged groups). Privilege + Power = Oppression.

Definitions

What is SB1070?

Signed into law on April 23, 2010 by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer

Otherwise known as the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act

“Makes it a state misdemeanor crime for an Alien to be in Arizona without carrying the required documents, and requires police to make an attempt, when practicable during a lawful stop, detention, or arrest, to determine a person’s immigration status if there is reasonable suspicion that the person is an illegal alien (SB 1070, 2010).”

On July 28, 2010, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the most controversial components (mentioned above) of the law from going into effect.

What is SB 1070?

Purpose Requires officials and agencies of the state and political subdivisions to

fully comply with and assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws and gives county attorneys subpoena power in certain investigations of employers.  Establishes crimes involving trespassing by illegal aliens, stopping to hire or soliciting work under specified circumstances, and transporting, harboring or concealing unlawful aliens, and their respective penalties.

Provisions Enforcement Trespassing by Illegal aliens Unlawful stopping and solicitation of work Unlawful transporting Investigations of employers

SB 1070

House Bill 2281 Signed into law May 11, 2010

“Public school pupils should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent other races or classes of people” It prohibits courses that:

promote the overthrow of the U.S. government promote resentment toward a race or class of people are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals

Courses provided for Native Americans (required by federal law) are exempted as are courses that deal with “the holocaust or any other instance of genocide, or the historical oppression of a particular group of people based on ethnicity, race, or class”.

Specifically targeting Tucson’s Mexican American Studies Program – a program proven to improve retention and graduation rates of Tucson’s Latin@ students

Independent audit found the program to be in compliance with the law – the State Superintendent of Public Instruction is continuing to push for the program to be shut down

Former state superintendent who tried to push this through is now AZ Attorney General

Ethnic Studies Protests in Tucson (April 2011)

Arizona’s HB2281

Arizona Civil Rights Amendment Passed November 2, 2010

“This state shall not grant preferential treatment to or discriminate against any individual or group on the bases of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting.”

Outlawed affirmative action

Proposition 107

States that have passed similar legislation Alabama (House Bill 56) Georgia (House Bill 87) Utah (House Bill 497) Indiana (Senate Enrolled Act 590) South Carolina (Senate Bill 20)

In all of these cases, judges have blocked the most controversial provision - one that gives law enforcement officers the right to investigate a person’s immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe the person is undocumented

Similar Legislation Nationwide

Alabama’s HB 56 is the harshest law of them all It expands law enforcement officers’ powers to enforce immigration laws,

as well as bring together every restrictionist provision that states and localities had considered or attempted to pass in recent memory

Barred undocumented immigrant children from attending K-12 schools by forcing schools to record and verify the immigration status of anyone who wants to enroll in Alabama public schools

This seems to be a clear violation of the Supreme Court’s interpretations of the Constitution

No undocumented immigrant can enroll in any of Alabama’s public colleges or universities

Primary and secondary schools are required to verify the immigration status of students and parents, who will be required to go to their children’s schools to provide an affidavit

Made it a crime to rent property to, employ or even give a ride to an undocumented immigrant

Undocumented immigrants who enter into any kind of contract would not be able to have the contract enforced because of the immigration status

Similar Legislation (cont.)

Hearing from the AIMHO Executive

Board

The Change Game

STOP THE HATE! Fighting Bias & Hate Crimes on Campuswww.stophate.org

How many people guessed all three things? 2? 1? None?

Did anyone feel uncomfortable when asked to stare at each other?

Did anyone refuse to participate?

The Change Game

STOP THE HATE! Fighting Bias & Hate Crimes on Campuswww.stophate.org

How many of you have now changed back all three things you changed?

Why did you change back?

Was it uncomfortable to feel different? Why?

What would it be like if you felt different or odd every day and could not “Change Back”?

Bias Incident vs. Hate Crime

STOP THE HATE! Fighting Bias & Hate Crimes on Campuswww.stophate.org

Bias Incident = is an act of conduct, speech, or expression to which a bias motive is evident as a contributing factor.

Hate Crime = is a criminal offense against individuals or groups or property based on the real or perceived race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, or ethnicity of the victims.

Forensics of Hate

STOP THE HATE! Fighting Bias & Hate Crimes on Campuswww.stophate.org

The UNKNOWN

How do you define… Ignorance, Fear, Anger, Hate, and Violence

How can Hate manifest from Ignorance?

The significance of Education and Awareness

Social Justice Change Process

Awareness (What is

SB1070?)

Knowledge

(What is the impact? Who is

it targeting? Where is it

coming from? Do you have an

obligation to know?)

Skills (What resources do you have on this topic? How to find out more

info? Educate others)

Action (Educate others,

Campus Dialogue –

Connecting w/ Cultural Centers)

Ally – "a person who is a member of the dominant or majority group who works to end oppression in his or her [sic] personal and professional life through support of, and as an advocate for, the oppressed population." (Washington and Evans, Becoming an Ally)

Advocate – “someone who speaks on behalf of another.”

There are a variety of ways to be an ally/advocate to marginalized communities.

You must define this label for yourself.

Being an Ally and/or Advocate

–

1) Actively Participating: Telling oppressive jokes, putting down people from target groups, intentionally avoiding target group members, discriminating against target group members, verbally or physically harassing target group members.

2) Denying, Ignoring: Enabling oppression by denying that target group members are oppressed. Does not actively oppress, but by denying that oppression exists, colludes with oppression.

3) Recognizing, No Action: Is aware of oppressive actions by self or others and their harmful effects, but takes no action to stop this behavior. This inaction is the result of fear, lack of information, confusion about what to do. Experiences discomfort at the contradiction between awareness and action.

4) Recognizing, Action: Is aware of oppression, recognizes oppressive actions of self and others and takes action to stop it.

Created by P. Griffin and B. Harro, 1982

5) Educating Self: Taking actions to learn more about oppression and the experiences and heritage of target group members by reading. Attending workshops, seminars, cultural events, participating in discussions, joining organizations or groups that oppose oppression, attending social action and change events.

6) Educating Others: Moving beyond only educating self to question and dialogue with others too. Rather than only stopping oppressive comments or behaviors, also engaging people in discussion to share why you object to a comment or action.

7) Supporting, Encouraging: Supporting others who speak out against oppression or who are working to be more inclusive of target group members by backing up others who speak out, forming an allies group, joining a coalition group.

8) Initiating, Preventing: Working to change individual and institutional actions and policies that discriminate against target group members, planning educational programs or other events, working for passage of legislation that protects target group members from discrimination, being explicit about making sure target group members are full participants in organizations or groups.

Created by P. Griffin and B. Harro, 1982

Ally for Self-Interest• Seeks to be an ally to an individual with whom one has a

personal connection rather than to a group or an issue

• Sees oneself as a protector who intervenes on the target’s behalf, and often without consulting them.

• May or may not identify with the term “ally” but instead will see one’s behavior as simply being a good friend or sister, for example.

• May be unlikely to confront overt acts of oppression when the person one cares about is not present

Aspiring Social Justice Ally Identity Development

Adapted from: Dr. Keith Edwards

Ally for Altruism• Guilt is the primary underlying, often unconscious, motivator for doing ally

work.

• Vilifies the dominant group and distances oneself from them. (“I’m a good ______ person”)

• Seeks to empower members of the oppressed group• Maintains credit and some control in the person doing the empowering, rather than encouraging and

supporting members of the oppressed group to empower themselves.

• Need for continued acceptance from marginalized communities

• Does not see how members of the dominant group are also hurt by the system of oppression

• Views her/hir/his efforts as self-less and altruistic efforts that should be welcomed with praise and approval from the marginalized group.

Aspiring Social Justice Ally Identity Development

Adapted from: Dr. Keith Edwards

Ally for Social Justice • Motivated by love and compassion - for others and for self.

• Accepting the reality and influence of privilege

• Connects and takes responsibility for working with others from the agent group, rather than seeking to separate from them, in an effort to bring about justice in the interest of all.

• Dismantling oppression as liberation for both the oppressor and the oppressed.

• Seeks to develop systems and structures to hold oneself accountable without placing the burden for accountability on the oppressed.

Aspiring Social Justice Ally Identity Development

Adapted from: Dr. Keith Edwards

Spheres of Influence

Self

Close Friends and Family

Social, School, and Work Relationships

Community

Adapted from: Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. (Eds.) (2007) Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice 2nd Edition

Action Planning

STOP THE HATE! Fighting Bias & Hate Crimes on Campuswww.stophate.org

As a result of my (our) awareness to the VOTE TO MOVE AIMHO 2011…. I can / will: We (the group of people I associate most closely with) can / will: My college / university campus can / should:

Worksheet

YOUYOUR

INSTITUTION

STOP Doing

START Doing

DO Differently

“If you are here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you

are here because your liberation is bound up with

mine, let us work together.”

- Australian Aboriginal Activists, 1970s