So, the other day I launched my web browser and saw on the front page of Yahoo an article about how Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas hasn’t spoken for five years. I immediately thought that the title was probably misleading and if I read it there would be some “just kidding” explanation at the end. Throughout the day, the article kept popping back up on my screen through various media outlets. By mid-day, I gave in and read it. I wish I hadn’t…

Can you believe that this man, no this person that is entrusted to interpret the US Constitution has said absolutely nothing for the past five years?! It’s not like he just hasn’t had much of an opinion on ANYTHING (which is even worse);but,  even when he is directly addressed for his thoughts nothing comes out of his mouth. I heard a recording from one of the sessions and let me tell you, it’s awkward! Upon further digging, I read a theory that he is self-conscious about his speaking voice/accent because he grew up speaking Gullah. Apparently, he’s also explained that he doesn’t see a need to ask the presenting lawyers questions because a lot of that is just political posturing. Uuhh, seriously?

I’ll put aside the fact that he and his wife are mired in conflict of interest accusations. I’ll also forget all the controversy that came with his nomination. However, this one just can’t be swept under the rug. I may be exaggerating, but I think this is a pretty important job that requires some pretty important decisions. Therefore, I can’t see how he could make these decisions without asking at least one question. Maybe he reads minds…or maybe he can see into the future and already knows what the answer would be should he decide to open his mouth

Am I overreacting? What do you think of a judge who doesn’t speak?

All day yesterday CNN had stories about immigrants all over the world. As SB 1170, Arizona’s ridiculous immigration bill went into effect, it was interesting to see that undocumented immigrants is not a problem inherent to the US. Hearing these stories (sometimes sad, sometimes uplifting) reminded me of a post a wrote when I first started this blog “Is it me, or has it gotten better?”. At that time, I felt that immigrants faced fewer obstacles today than they did 20 years ago. I was thinking about the many first generation immigrants like myself who held positions of leadership, were well-educated and still held a strong connection to their countries of origin. I also thought about a time when young Haitians living in the Northeast were forced to say that they Jamaican to avoid facing stigmas and/or violence. Now, it felt like more of us made a point to declare our heritage.

From afar, I’ve been watching this immigration bill unfold amongst Arizona immigrants, as well as the Federal Government’s reaction. One of things that has struck me as odd is that they have debated this issue as Latino problem. I may have missed it, but I have yet to see a black immigrant speaking about immigration reform and what it means to them. I know that Latinos outnumber us (heck, they outnumber Caucasians in some states), but why does it seem we are weak faction of this movement? Where are the representatives from the Caribbean and sub-Saharan African countries? From what I understood, they were facing just as many obstacles to obtain legal documentation.

Now, I’m not trying to divide immigrants by singling out blacks because we all have the same issues. However, I think it’s important that we fight just as hard or even harder for fair immigration reform. Otherwise, should we expect to reap the benefits?