Re: Protest of Prop. 187 politics in ANTHRO-L

Glenn Stone (stone@COLUMBIA.EDU)
Wed, 23 Nov 1994 11:34:04 EST

> kindly referred to us, who will gladly sign a petition urging the AAA to
> take a stance on proposition 187. Furthermore, I would suggest that the
> AAA keep its yearly meetings out of California until this racist
> proposition is overturned.
> Marcial Godoy

What's unclear is whether this tactic is actually expected to help
reverse the law, or if it is really just a means of publicizing many
anthropologists' opposition to it.

The law would have to either be struck down in the courts (which will
hardly be swayed by convention loci) or reversed by the electorate,
and I have my doubts about the impact we would have on California
voters. Perhaps a few wavering voters who decide to vote against 187
because it's costing the state convention dollars, but there would
probably be an equal number who resent outsiders coercing their vote.

If it's not really expected to have the desired practical effect then
it's essentially a statement of our position and our pique, and I
would prefer to see the position stated in a way that won't have a
negative impact on job prospects for illegal immigrants.


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