Right-wing pundits demonize Latin@ immigrants as a threat to national security and raise the specter of a “browning of America,” while more well-meaning commentators generally foreground themes of victimization that strip immigrants of their agency. Neither is accurate, and both fail to see immigrants as active participants in their own struggle for racial and economic justice.
Presente! Latin@ Immigrant Voices in the Struggle for Racial Justice offers a perspective on the immigrant-rights movement written by immigrant workers themselves. Edited by Cristina Tzintzún, Carlos Pérez de Alejo, and Arnulfo Manríquez, these are the first-person tales of grassroots organizations across the country that are resisting state repression, cultivating solidarity, and building alternative models for progressive social change. In essays that explore the intersection of race, class, and immigration in the United States, this anthology challenges its readers to move beyond a “legalization-only” framework to embrace a broader vision for social-justice organizing.
The book’s foreword is by Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzáles.
Location: Resistencia Bookstore, 4926 E. César Chávez, Unit C-1, Austin