originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press
It’s September and we should be celebrating the first day of autumn. Leaves are already falling on our roads. The fall colors and the ‘golden glow’ in Chattanooga will be blissful. Autumn is known by poets as “…a festival season when nature is aglow.” Yes, nature’s glow is coming, but what about the festivals?
Maybe we can ignore the many cancellations of ethnic festivals across the country by attending Chattanooga’s Culture Fest at the First Horizon Pavilion: “Come experience the rich cultural diversity of Chattanooga through arts, food, dance, and live music. We’ll have local, ethnic organizations on hand displaying cultural artwork, offering food samples & cooking demos along with other global customs. You’ll find plenty of activities for the entire family… Enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of our cultural diversity right here in Chattanooga!”
But there are many cancellations of September events including the fourth annual Hispanic Heritage Fest in Kenner City, Louisiana. In reality, hesitancy and cancellations have been going on for months. According to the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, “…organizers across the US are reconsidering holding public events that celebrate different ethnicities or might draw large crowds from immigrant and refugee communities, citing concerns over safety and potential ICE raids. Some organizers have canceled events, resulting in a loss of revenue for cultural groups and a decline in the cultural vibrancy of cities.”
Pittsburgh is a good example of what’s happening around the country. The city had planned to host its first-ever local World Cup in June. A community soccer competition, the event aimed to celebrate Pittsburgh cultural diversity by featuring teams made up of residents from the city’s vast immigrant community, who’d play under the flags of their national origins. City officials canceled the local World Cup and the accompanying international Parade and Festival.
In Chicago, the immigration “Operation Midway Blitz” is planned to coincide with the week-long celebrations of Mexican Independence Day. The celebrations kick off with a parade and span more than a week, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants. Earlier this year, organizers called off Chicago’s Cinco de Mayo parades because their Mexican communities were concerned that the events might become targets for raids. What will happen now?
Chicago’s celebrations may be postponed since ICE claims to target criminal immigrants, but detains folks based on color and language. The resulting accusations of racial profiling are true, but unenforceable. Such accusations have never stopped ICE. And now, the Supreme Court’s lifting of restrictions on ‘immigration stops’ in Los Angeles will make it legal in Chicago, and elsewhere. Sigh.
Supposedly it’s all about fighting crime, but the Republican Congress cut $800 million in public safety and crime prevention grants nationally. And Illinois cuts include $158 million for violence prevention programs and $71 million in law enforcement grants. Meanwhile, about 300 ICE agents are housed at a suburban Hampton Inn for 45 days. Ridiculous! I lived in this suburb, Downers Grove, for a decade and founded the region’s interfaith network. I hope it’s protesting, as should all faith groups.
