http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCXqOFjsiZs&feature=player_embedded

I put Salma Hayek’s words in quotes deliberately, because that’s what she said. I’m not about making celebrities into all knowing/all powerful beings, so I will say that I think there are some things that EVERYONE can and should be conscious of that can help shape the public narrative. These things include (but are not limited to) language, politics (at least in terms of the political implications of what one might say), and our own privilege. A few points:

1. Why call yourself “illegal?” Language MATTERS. The NAKASEC blog had a couple of great posts on this recently. One of them is by Angela Kim, who extensively looks into the usage of “the I-word” in the immigration discussion, and ultimately how problematic it is. The other post is by AACC alum Joyce Yin, who examines language as one of the means to create social change. From Joyce’s post [emphasis mine]:

Let’s get one thing straight: NO ONE is illegal. Every person that walks this earth is a human being. The I-word is dehumanizing, criminalizing and only serves to reinforce negative imagery and stereotypes of undocumented immigrants. By using the word against someone, you are telling yourself that this person is less than human, thus, they don’t deserve the respect of an actual person. So then it’s okay to treat them without dignity, to create laws and policies that say it’s okay to punish them because they are sub-human. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, language is powerful and by continuing to use derogatory language like ‘illegal’ and ‘alien,’ simply put, it reinforces hate.

Word. (see also the Colorlines campaign to drop the I-Word, as cited in Angela’s post above)

2. In this time where the DREAM Act is near the forefront of public discourse, why not take this opportunity to voice some support? This was an opportunity to come out in support of DREAM and at least show that you’ve got people’s backs. “Yeah I was undocumented, but then I got it fixed” doesn’t even speak to me as something necessary to bring up unless you’re going to follow it up with an additional statement of some kind. How about something like “Yeah I was undocumented, and even though it was just for a short time I was constantly living in fear, so I understand what something like DREAM means for people.” Oh, how I long for a slightly less imperfect world. (PS: CALL SENATORS TO SUPPORT — here’s the target list)

3. Being a citizen gives one considerable privilege. Citizenship does not make someone better or worse than anyone else. Those of us who are citizens need to be conscious of this. We cannot let people who are undocumented be treated like they’re less than human, and we need to be great allies in the process. Take a step back and remember that you might not know how someone who is undocumented would feel in a situation. Or, in a case like Salma Hayek’s, take a step back and remember what it felt like to actually be undocumented, and consider how that might feel for someone who lives in the shadows every single day.

Just remember that everything matters. Everything up from centuries/millennia old constructs of privilege, down to the words that we say and the context in which we say them. Let’s be aware of these things, and let’s make a difference, no matter how big of a celebrity we are.

PS: Call you senators. (I know I said it before. Worth repeating)

[Note: this post doesn’t even touch on what Salma Hayek says about Latinas/Latinos in Hollywood. I don’t want to get into that here, but I know for sure that a lot could be said]

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The story of Sandy Tsao and Daniel Choi

You go George Takei

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