I’m cool. I have friends who are illegal aliens, and friends who don’t know English. I tell myself that maybe it’s all cultural. Maybe what I’m seeing is not racism but the fear that occurs when one is in a strange place among strangers who might be resenting one's presence. Maybe it’s shyness or feelings of inadequacy. Maybe the Ecuadoreans are closing ranks because they want to create an enclave of protection.
Then there is this strange tension in town. The demographics have changed. A town that was once a rare little haven free from racism is now tense. When old-time townies walk past the new immigrants, they don't talk to them. Even the Chinese people are complaining.
It doesn't help that Ecuadorean families are buying up houses and — because they do not follow the American laws of fair play and racial fairness — they are refusing to rent to blacks. They are hiring only each other and businesses that once had black people now only have Hispanic people because once the Ecuadoreans get into the hiring position, they simply refuse to hire blacks.
Okay, I’m used to all this. Many people come to the United States who don’t share our ideas of fairness and equality. A Jewish friend of mine from France — a socialist and liberal — was actually getting fearful that the United States would become very anti-Semitic soon. She had made the mistake of returning home to her hometown in France and was surprised at how many anti-Semitic comments she heard from some Arabic French people. One’s hometown can change in many ways and one has to accept it. The United States has a talent for remaining itself no matter what cultures enter it, but the change in my neighborhood and the new immigration law does get me nervous.
When I think of illegal immigration I find myself in a horrendous state. This is a state we Christians call double-mindedness. I suspect it’s because I’m black. We Blacks are always in the middle when it comes to politics. Yep, we’re often conservative and liberal at the same times — very conservative Democrats or very liberal Republicans — but one would never guess that from the America media because the American media doesn’t care about all the various shades of a question and it never asks our opinion.
So then, because I’m black, one part of me is very anti-Conservative. I know I shouldn’t, but I often equate conservatives with racists or rich multi-national corporations who are all out to serve their own interests. I don’t like white folk who think they can take riches from other countries but who refuse to take the poor from those same countries. So, I want the illegal aliens to come. I want the illegal aliens to get Medicaid, Medicare, everything a citizen is entitled to - even if they aren’t citizens. Because I’m black and because American history is notorious for always making blacks a permanent underclass, I’m also pretty worried - especially against racist immigrants.
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