In Wake of Violence, Migrant Rights Group Collects Stories

"To Sharpen our instinct for empathy and to understand our futures and dreams are bound together"

In the days after the tragic shooting of Rep. Giffords and the loss of Judge Roll, Christina Green, and others, the nation was gripped with the question of violent rhetoric’s role in the event.

To share context of the deteriorating conditions of civil society in Arizona, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network released “A History of Hate: Political Violence in a Rogue State,” which chronicles political violence and intimidation in Arizona from 1987 to present day.

The group is inviting people across the country to uncover the evidence of hate speech and violent rhetoric of actions in their own community. Stories will be collected and displayed at http://altoarizona.com

Director of the network, Pablo Alvarado comments, “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families in this horrible tragedy. We mourn alongside them in part because as day laborers, we understand deeply the experience of being targeted by violent hatred and extremism.”

The Network which represents 42 member organizations across the country launched the “History of Hate, Future of Progress” Story Collection Project today to uncover the stories of intolerance and evidence of violence that migrants and their advocates, as well as members of targeted other communities, have experienced across the country.

“If there is one lesson from those who have built the historical rights and privileges we enjoy, it is this: hate must be confronted so it can be overcome by love. It cannot be ignored and the world needs to know,” continues Alvarado.

“What Arizona needs, and what all of us need, is to confront the the hard truth of our current political environment with unifying steps. After we have paused to comprehend the immeasurable tragedy in Arizona, we must now do our part to make a more just society.”