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Al Sharpton, Wal-Mart CEO Seek Immigration Reform
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott became unlikely allies Tuesday in their call to revive immigration legislation, in speeches before the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights organization. "Congress needs to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill now," said Scott, who heads the world's largest retailer. Scott attributed his views in part to his Mexican-American granddaughter, who has helped him to understand immigration as more than "simply a cerebral exercise." But Hispanics also provide a major part of the chain's business, Scott acknowledged, roughly 14 percent and growing. And their relatives are increasingly shopping at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in countries such as Argentina and Guatemala.
Story Continues Below Sharpton, a civil rights activist who has often railed against corporate America, went further in his support for a bill that would provide a path to legalization for many of the nation's more than 12 million illegal immigrants. He denounced TV and radio shows that foster an "us against them" mentality. "I want to say what a lot of people won't say. The immigration debate is not simply about border security, it is a problem of America dealing with race," Sharpton told the audience of more than 1,000 community, political and business leaders, at the National Council of La Raza's annual conference. "No one is calling for English-only tests when it comes to fighting in Iraq," he added. Black Americans must stand up for Hispanics because the issues they face are the same, Sharpton said. "We cannot have the tribal psychology in the civil rights movement," he said. "We must fight all for one and one for all, or we lose the moral authority to fight for anybody." Sharpton dismissed the notion that immigrants are taking jobs from black Americans. "What jobs?" he demanded. "Blacks were doubly unemployed by whites before anyone came across the border." He also slammed presidential candidates he said wink at black and Hispanic Americans and say: "you know what I mean. We'll take care of you later," then ignore them in the primaries. "No, we don't know what you mean," he said. "Do not treat us like some cheap date that you cannot take home to your mother." But Tomar Jacoby, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research who did not attend the conference, disputed the notion that opposition to last month's immigration bill was based on racism. "Much more widespread are worries about the culture. Are we going to be speaking Spanish? Are our politics going to look like Mexican politics? Can this work?" she said. Jacoby said some Americans are so disillusioned with the government's handling of Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq and even current immigration laws, that they have little confidence the government will keep its promises on new ones. "That can spill over into bigotry, but it isn't bigotry," she said. Sharpton and Lee spoke as immigrant rights activists discussed last month's failure to achieve new immigration laws and their strategies for renewing the debate. Many called for more civil rights-era type protests against local anti-immigrant ordinances and efforts to reach out to local media. "Ultimately, you can't argue with demographics," said Joe Garcia, vice president of the Democratic nonprofit NDN Network. "Being anti-immigrant doesn't work in some places, and as America changes, being anti-immigrant isn't going to work in a lot more places." © 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note:
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