Phoenix, Arizona. May 1, 2010. Who would ever have imagined that Arizona in 2010 would even show
up in the same sentence as South Africa in 1952? Certainly not me. I remember drawing comparisons
between South Africa and Northern Ireland for a class when I was attending college in Belfast in the
1980's. Trying to confront the political impasse, trying to overcome the sectarianism that had defined us
for too long, it made sense to try to learn from South Africa's shameful past. But I never thought I'd be
revisiting the topic as an immigrant in Arizona in the 21st century. SB1070 has taken me back to times
we surely thought we'd put behind us forever.
We all remember the "banning of people" by the apartheid government. Between 1948 and 1991, it
severely restricted the movement of black South Africans and their political activities. The apartheid
government's mantra was simple. Ban them. Keep silent their opposition to apartheid. Harass them at
the slightest provocation. They took it even further by banning political opponents and using the
weapons of indefinite detention, imprisonment, torture, and political assassination. (I could digress here,
and go into the enactment of Internment Law in my Northern Ireland, but that's another sad note for
another day). And finally, banning led to banishment, removing people from their homes and families,
stripping them of their citizenship, and deporting them to remote areas of the country, the ill-named
"homelands," often without basic living necessities and always indefinitely.
For me, SB1070 is eerily reminiscent of early apartheid laws in South Africa, particularly the "pass laws,"
put in place to segregate the population and to severely restrict the movement of South African blacks. It
required all African males over the age of 16 to carry a "reference book" (formerly a 'passbook'),
documentation of personal information and employment history. Following its enactment, many Africans
were then compelled to violate the pass laws in order to find work to support their families. Of course,
this led to harassment, fines, arrests - you get the picture, and it's deeply troubling.
But people rose up, as they invariably do, and as they are doing today in AZ. There was the early
Defiance Campaign, the massive women's protest in Pretoria (1956), and then the 1960 massacre of 69
protestors at a 'pass burning' at the police station in Sharpeville.
And how many arrests were there before the laws were finally repealed in 1986? Over 17 million.
Lessons learned by Governor Brewer? None
up in the same sentence as South Africa in 1952? Certainly not me. I remember drawing comparisons
between South Africa and Northern Ireland for a class when I was attending college in Belfast in the
1980's. Trying to confront the political impasse, trying to overcome the sectarianism that had defined us
for too long, it made sense to try to learn from South Africa's shameful past. But I never thought I'd be
revisiting the topic as an immigrant in Arizona in the 21st century. SB1070 has taken me back to times
we surely thought we'd put behind us forever.
We all remember the "banning of people" by the apartheid government. Between 1948 and 1991, it
severely restricted the movement of black South Africans and their political activities. The apartheid
government's mantra was simple. Ban them. Keep silent their opposition to apartheid. Harass them at
the slightest provocation. They took it even further by banning political opponents and using the
weapons of indefinite detention, imprisonment, torture, and political assassination. (I could digress here,
and go into the enactment of Internment Law in my Northern Ireland, but that's another sad note for
another day). And finally, banning led to banishment, removing people from their homes and families,
stripping them of their citizenship, and deporting them to remote areas of the country, the ill-named
"homelands," often without basic living necessities and always indefinitely.
For me, SB1070 is eerily reminiscent of early apartheid laws in South Africa, particularly the "pass laws,"
put in place to segregate the population and to severely restrict the movement of South African blacks. It
required all African males over the age of 16 to carry a "reference book" (formerly a 'passbook'),
documentation of personal information and employment history. Following its enactment, many Africans
were then compelled to violate the pass laws in order to find work to support their families. Of course,
this led to harassment, fines, arrests - you get the picture, and it's deeply troubling.
But people rose up, as they invariably do, and as they are doing today in AZ. There was the early
Defiance Campaign, the massive women's protest in Pretoria (1956), and then the 1960 massacre of 69
protestors at a 'pass burning' at the police station in Sharpeville.
And how many arrests were there before the laws were finally repealed in 1986? Over 17 million.
Lessons learned by Governor Brewer? None
Shades of 1952 South Africa in 2010 Arizona
ARIZONA 2010 The passage of SB
1070 by Arizona Governor Janice
Brewer sparked anger and catalyzed
a spontaneous student movement in
Phoenix. Here, students
demonstrate at the Arizona State
Capitol.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza/Barriozona
1070 by Arizona Governor Janice
Brewer sparked anger and catalyzed
a spontaneous student movement in
Phoenix. Here, students
demonstrate at the Arizona State
Capitol.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza/Barriozona
Yvonne Watterson is the principal for Alhambra College Preparatory High School,
in Phoenix, Arizona, editor of the book Documented Dreams, and the recipient of
the City of Phoenix 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. Living the Dream award.
Contact Yvonne Watterson
in Phoenix, Arizona, editor of the book Documented Dreams, and the recipient of
the City of Phoenix 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. Living the Dream award.
Contact Yvonne Watterson
Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues in Phoenix, Arizona
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