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HUMAN RIGHTS
Why We Can’t Leave Black Immigrants Out the Conversation
Our social problems are not as separate as some suggest
Quiet as it is kept, Black immigrants are the group most likely to face arrest, deportation, and solitary confinement. This may not align with the image that many Americans have of immigrants, as news coverage frequently focuses on the experiences of Latino communities affected by these policies. As a result, the injustices they endure rarely reach the forefront of discussions about immigration. Black immigrants experience not only racism but also xenophobia, an irrational fear or hatred of foreign individuals that limits their access to resources and opportunities. Yet, they are often further marginalized by the indifference of many citizens, who assume that the challenges they face are isolated instances of injustice. This perspective stems from a fierce individualism that overlooks collective well-being. But, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “all men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” Therefore, we cannot afford to exclude Black immigrants from the conversation.
To be Black in America and lack citizenship is a dubious position to find oneself in. The first African…
