All Politics is Local
By Albert B. Kelly
There’s an old saying that all politics are local. That’s
certainly the case when it comes to DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of
Americans). A month ago, the U.S. Supreme Court split 4-4 in trying to render a
decision on President Obama’s executive action that would have put the brakes
on deporting undocumented parents of children born here and students who were
brought here between 2007 and 2010.
In the case of a SCOTUS tie, the thing gets kicked back to
the lower court and whatever they decided ends up being the law for the time
being. In the case of DAPA, the lower court ruled to suspend the program. So
what happened- or didn’t happen- at the highest levels gets played out on our
streets.
Even with the echoes of Cleveland- “give us Barabbas”; it’s
all still as local as it can be in the lives of the families and extended
families that live and work in our community- including the children and
students that are very much a part of our community.
That we need some type of comprehensive immigration reform
there can be no doubt. But whatever we decide as a nation and however it gets
done, that reform needs to be guided as much by compassion and decency as it
does security or economic protectionism.
In some ways we betray the very qualities that have made us
the strongest, most generous and righteous nation on Earth if our resting
position is a policy that separates parents from children, shatters families, or
takes children raised here and deposits them into goodness knows what type of
setting.
But there’s more. It’s easy to forget the impact if it’s all
in the abstract so that we don’t see people and families, just nameless
faceless hordes. If a whole contingent of people were to disappear from among
us there would be some economic consequences.
That was part of what came through as I read through a
Hispanic business survey courtesy of our County partners. We know the
demographic changes; namely that Hispanic residents are 30% of the County’s
population; 41.6% in Vineland, 49.8% in Bridgeton and 17.5% in Millville.
What gets easily forgotten in terms of Hispanic-owned
businesses are the numbers. As near as can be determined ahead of the next
census, Bridgeton has 229 Hispanic-owned businesses, Millville has 272, and
Vineland has 1,012. Together, these three communities host 1,504 Hispanic-owned
businesses- this translates into an 84% jump between 2007 and 2015.
They are part of us so that their success is our success.
Likewise, their failure or lack of success directly impacts everyone’s economic
prospects. This is no big revelation; it is much the same whether we’re talking
about African-American business owners, female business owners or whatever.
That we’re talking about Hispanic-owned businesses today is
tied to the growing numbers of families, fathers, mothers, students, and
children that call Cumberland County home. That growth is real and getting more
so every year. So it’s worth asking at what point it stops being perceived as
“them and us” and just becomes a matter of “us”. I’m not sure; everyone has to make that
decision on a personal level.
I know for some, it will always be “them and us” and that
goes for some in the Hispanic community as well. For these ones, nothing will
change that separation; not more dialogue, not more data, not breaking bread
together- nothing. But those of genuine good will, there will come a time when
it’s simply “us”.
There’s real opportunity here if we can get to “us”. In
terms of the street, it starts with acknowledging the impact and value of our
Hispanic-owned businesses to our local economy. Then it’s the work of
mitigating the language and cultural challenges that separate us, providing
assistance, trainings, and building networks and associations. It will also
take a lot of listening and learning.
DAPA, immigration, the impact to our local economy; none of
these are easy or clear cut issues. We don’t have the luxury of hiding, nor do
we have the luxury of pursuing segregation through gentrification that comes
with wealth. Our diversity means that what happens in DC impacts our local
business base and economy.
Much will depend on whether we choose to see masses and
hordes and aliens that we can easily label as threats; or whether we see
families, mothers, fathers, students, business owners, and opportunity that are
part of our wider community.