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Harmful policies that classify entire groups of people as the "other" are rooted in a strategy to repeatedly dehumanize first through language. The term "illegal alien" is a racist slur, reinforced repeatedly by journalists and policymakers in the public dialogue on immigration. These two loaded words, at the same time, dehumanize and criminalize millions of people. Conservatives have popularized derogatory labels to generate and reinforce racial animus toward immigrants, which can hurt all communities of color. This is about more than semantics -- harmful language provides the underpinning for racial profiling practices and punitive policies that violate human rights.
How do we denounce language and portrayals that dehumanize immigrants? We can start by claiming new language and infusing immigrant rights battles with creativity to engage voices on the ground, shift public sentiment and create openness to humane immigration policy.
Find out how you can become involved in standing up for racial justice and human rights for all people, regardless of their status. Participants will learn about the current damaging terms and frames and break into groups to come up with creative solutions for exposing and challenging anti-immigrant racism.
Led By: Monica Novoa and Melanie Cervantes
