By Steve Halpern
The
Super Bowl game might be the most watched sporting event in this country. This
year the game took place in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta was also the
birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The
Rap star 21 Savage has made the city of Atlanta his home. He might be one of
the most popular performing artists in the city, and has been nominated for two
Grammy awards this year.
Hours
before the Super Bowl game, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents
arrested 21 Savage, and are now working to deport him. He is being held in
custody, denied bail, and separated from his family. What was his crime? He was
born in a place, that is outside of the United States.
His
given name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph and he was born in London. He is 26
years old and has been in this country since he was 12. The ICE agents claimed
he had overstayed his visa that they claim had expired in 2006. In 2014, 21 Savage
was convicted of a felony. He was in possession of drugs.
Because
of that charge, 21 spent time in a juvenile detention center. He found high
school to be alienating and dropped out.
21
also acknowledged that he carried a pistol. He clearly had good reason for this.
His younger brother was murdered and 21 has a tattoo of a cross on his face to
memorialize his brother. In another incident, 21 was shot six times.
I
don’t happen to be a fan of 21. However, I remember when I was young, the music
I enjoyed was not appreciated by the older generation. From what I can see, the
popularity of 21 has to do with the fact that his lyrics reflect the unfiltered
reality of life for millions of young people today.
We
might put the fact that 21 used drugs in a bit of perspective. First, most, if
not all politicians have used illegal drugs. Perhaps the most socially harmful
addictive drug is alcohol. Alcohol sales in this country total hundreds of
billions of dollars and all of those sales are legal.
Then,
we can recite the fact that every year the government spends hundreds of
billions of dollars on the defense department, as well as federal, state, and
local police forces. The government claims that this enormous expenditure of
money is about keeping working people safe.
Yet,
the United States probably has more people who own guns than in any other
nation in the world. People have these guns because they don’t believe that the
armed forces in this country are keeping us safe.
21
Savage is one of hundreds of people who are deported from this country every
day. Thousands of those deportees have been separated from their children, who
were born in this country. 21 supports three children who were born here.
Andrew
Gutman, who is an Israeli citizen, wrote a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer
in support of 21 Savage titled: The extra
burden of immigrating while black. Gutman had this to say about his
experiences with immigration officials in this country:
“A
lot of people who were born in America don’t seem to realize how bureaucratic,
time consuming, and expensive it is to be an immigrant in the U.S.—even an
extremely privileged immigrant like me. I’ve had multiple visas in the past
decade—tourist visa, student visa, employment authorization document, green
card with condition, green card without condition. I’ve agonized over legal
documents and forms for countless hours. I’ve worried about providing proof
that my marriage, to the woman I love, is seen as ‘in good faith’ by
immigration officials. I’ve spent thousands of dollars in fees. My daughter and
I don’t have the same citizenship passport.”
Thinking
about this statement, we might also think about a section of the Declaration of
Independence. This is the document that gave the reasons why the founders of
this country decided to break away from British rule. The following is a
section of this Declaration that chastised the British King for restricting
immigration:
“he
has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose
obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners. . .”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today
there is a monument in Washington D.C. of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the
course of his years in the civil rights movement, King was placed in a jail
several times. Once was in Birmingham, Alabama for violating the Jim Crow laws.
During
that time King wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” In that letter, King
wrote about pastors who encouraged him to be “patient,” that change would come
eventually. King explained why he was not going to be patient and wait for
change to come.
He
argued that his daughter asked him why she was not allowed to play in a
neighborhood park. King said that he didn’t like the way the answer to that
question made him feel. He also thought about what effect this would have on
his daughter. This is why King argued that he could not be patient and
demonstrated for an immediate abolition of the Jim Crow laws. Because of the
actions of the Civil Rights movement the government was compelled to outlaw the
Jim Crow segregation laws.
Some
people might call my way of thinking unreasonable.
However, I believe that human beings are human beings. It doesn’t matter
what the color of your skin is, or the place of your birth. I believe that
everyone deserves equal rights.
The
reasons for the discrimination against immigrants are the same as the
discrimination against people who are Black. This is to make life more
difficult and vulnerable for the least affluent people in this nation. By doing
this, people who have power believe that those who work under the most
demanding conditions will feel intimidated from demanding the rights that I
believe they deserve.
Ironically
the least affluent group is this country are Native Americans who’s ancestors
have been living in this part of the world for around 20,000 years. Most
immigrants to this country come from Mexico. The Mexican people happen to have
a Native American ancestry.
Charlie Chaplin
21
Savage isn’t the first entertainer to be targeted by immigration authorities.
Charlie Chaplin was one of the most accomplished actors in the history of the
world. He had the unique ability of portraying both hilarious comedy and extremely
moving drama. He did this on sets that operated with or without sound. Chaplin
was also a political activist.
In
the year 1952 Chaplin left the United States. The next day the then attorney
general James McGranery revoked his re-entry visa. McGranery said that if
Chaplin wanted to return to this country he would be subjected to interviews
where he would be questioned about his political activities.
Chaplin
responded with the following words:
“Whether
I re-enter that unhappy country or not was of little consequence to me. I would
like to have told them that the sooner I was rid of that hate-beleaguered
atmosphere the better, that I was fed up with America’s insults and moral
pomposity.”
“I
have been the object of lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups who,
by their influence and by the aid of America’s yellow press, have created an
unhealthy atmosphere in which liberal minded individuals can be singled out and
prosecuted.”
Years
later Chaplin’s F.B.I. files were opened. Those files underscored the fact that
McGranery never had legal basis to revoke Chaplin’s re-entry visa.
In
the year 1972 Chaplin returned to this country and was given an Honorary Oscar
Award. He was given a 12-minute standing ovation that was the longest in the
history of the Academy Awards.
Some
people might argue that it is a bit strange to write a column about 21 Savage,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Charlie Chaplin. Hopefully my column ties these
three names together in some ways.
Malcolm
X once argued that the struggle for civil rights in this country was limited. Malcolm
felt that Black people needed to go before an international court and demand
human rights in this country. He also argued that the struggle for liberation
is international.
Yes,
working people have the same interests all over the world. We deserve to be
treated like human beings no matter where we are born or the color of our skin.
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