Essay 536

Illin’ in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A masonry company in Northbrook, Illinois is facing a discrimination lawsuit from a civil rights group. The company’s managers are accused of routinely referring to Hispanic workers with names like “wetback” and “spic” — even forcing them to remain in segregated work areas. One manager allegedly said he had “been hunting and shooting cans — Mexicans, Africans, Puerto Ricans.”

• An AP story reported illegal immigrants are actually securing jobs before crossing the border. Some U.S. employers are even paying smugglers to help immigrants make the move. Note to potential illegal immigrants: There’s a big difference between North and Northbrook.

• There’s been a dramatic rise in Hispanic children who are in the U.S. illegally. In the first three months of this year, officials reported 3,289 minors were deported from Arizona, over twice as many as during the same period in 2005. Guess crossing the border is fun for the whole family.

• May 1 is slated as a special protest day on both sides of the border. In the U.S., activists have planned the “Great American Boycott” — urging illegal immigrants to skip work and not patronize American businesses to show their impact on the economy. South of the border, Mexican activists are organizing similar boycotts on U.S. businesses, using phrases like, “Nothing gringo” and instructing folks to avoid buying “anything from … Dunkin’ Donuts … McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Sears, Krispy Kreme or Wal-Mart.” It could turn out to be the healthiest day in Mexico.