Do Hispanics ‘work harder’ than blacks?
OPINION - Instead of simply praising the work ethic of the immigrant population, SC lawmaker Robert Ford has gone out of his way to make this into some kind of contest...
South Carolina State Senator Robert Ford has, for some reason, decided to engage in the peculiar use of racial stereotypes in order to make a point about immigration.
There are those in South Carolina who wish to strengthen existing immigration laws, allowing officers to check the immigration status of individuals who are pulled over during routine traffic stops. Ford responded to the call for a new law by saying that the state needs illegal immigrants because black and white people don’t work as hard as immigrants do.
“We need these workers here. A lot of people aren’t going to do certain type of work in this country,” said Ford, D-Charleston. “The brothers are going to find ways to take a break. Ever since this country was built, we’ve had somebody do the work for us.”
After making this provocative remark, Ford went on to describe how four workers who were here illegally came to his house and did an amazing job of cutting his lawn, edging his shrubs and doing other work in just 30 minutes for the princely sum of $10. Ford also mentioned how the workers helped to put a local lawn care businessman out of work by doing such a good job for an unbelievably low price. You’ve got to love how Mr. Ford goes about making his points.
I must agree with the local Republicans, NAACP and others who’ve responded harshly to the misguided ignorance of Ford’s remarks. Instead of simply praising the work ethic of the immigrant population, Ford has gone out of his way to make this into some kind of contest. Well, I can guarantee this to Senator Ford: You are not going to make American workers sympathetic to the cause of undocumented workers by reminding them of how illegal workers are putting American workers in the unemployment line.
It appears that Mr. Ford’s motivations for not pursuing any serious immigration reform is that he wants the benefits of being able to hire undocumented workers for peanuts. He may also be getting financial support from corporations who are enjoying the same benefits. All the while, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow in part because of cheaper illegal immigrant labor undermining American labor markets. All of this devastation occurs because men like Mr. Ford want to get their lawns cut and bushes trimmed for $10.
We live in a country where, according to Professor Raghuram Rajan, “of every dollar of real income growth that was generated between 1976 and 2007, 58 cents went to the top 1 percent of households.” While this problem cannot be placed completely on the backs of undocumented labor, we are only making matters worse by not requiring that all workers receive a living wage for doing a job. Also, there is extreme uncertainty being felt by millions of American workers, quite a few of whom are feeling bitter about seeing their jobs in construction, lawn care, restaurant work, etc. being taken by those who are working under the radar.
There are better solutions to this problem for those who support the idea of giving immigrants a chance to succeed. Obviously, paths to citizenship are critical, since the United States has deliberately dropped the ball on immigration policy for the past 15 years. But the participation of immigrants in the labor market must be done in such a way that the competition is above board, giving American workers a chance to compete.
A family of four can’t survive by cutting Mr. Ford’s lawn for $10, and while Ford’s point about illegal immigrants being harder workers than most Americans might be partially true, it is his personal greed which leads him to continue to exploit this labor. Out of fairness to both immigrant and native-born Americans, it is important that we create laws and policies that allow everyone to compete on the same playing field. The continued use of undocumented labor is unethical, destructive and incredibly divisive. Something has got to be done.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com>
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