White Women’s Rage: 5 Thoughts on Why Jan Brewer Should Keep Her Fingers to Herself

What is wrong with this picture (the now-infamous AP photo of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer shaking a finger in Barack Obama’s face)? 1.) He is the President. She is being disrespectful. As hell. Period. Point Blank. End of Discussion. 2.) White privilege conditions white people not to see white rage. However, it makes them hyper-aware [...]

My Story; Our Story

As an immigrant, a woman, a social worker and a professor who teaches about the immigrant experience in the United States, I feel very connected to other immigrants throughout this country on many levels. And so I am keenly aware of the effects of restrictive immigration policies such as HB 87 in Georgia, HB 497 [...]

NEWSFLASH: New Arizona Anti-Abortion Bill not Really About Race or Gender

Though we’re quickly approaching the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, the Republicans seem to be giving women less and less to be celebrating. After a month of delivering their anti-abortion agenda, which has included attempts to defund abortion providers and redefine rape, the Arizona House has offered another hurdle in the quest for reproductive [...]

Bye, Bye, Affirmative Action–And Other Disturbing Arizona News

Arizonans committed to social justice can sigh with relief over Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva’s re-election to a fifth term in the U.S. House–something that conservatives fought tooth and nail because Grijalva supported a targeted economic boycott of the state over its draconian new immigration law. But that’s about the only good news out of Arizona. [...]

Arizona’s Disappearing Abortion Providers

It’s a simple political calculation: If you want to stop women from getting abortions and you can’t ban abortions outright, then limit the number of people qualified to provide them. In Arizona, after clearing a legal hurdle in the Maricopa County Superior Court, a new law is poised to further obstruct access to abortion in [...]

Feds Lied in Tribal Rape Case

A special report published yesterday by The Arizona Republic reveals how federal authorities lied to the public about catching a serial rapist on the Fort Apache reservation in Arizona—and sheds light on how the justice system is failing victims of violent crime on Indian reservations across the country. From 2005-2007, at least one serial rapist [...]

Feds Slap Sheriff Joe Arpaio with Lawsuit

It’s been the summer of Arizona vs. the federal government, with lawsuits flying fast and furiously. The controversial state government now has yet another legal battle on its hands. Today, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against Arizona’s infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio for his refusal to cooperate with a federal investigation of possible human rights [...]

Newsflash: Federal Judge Blocks Parts of Arizona Immigration Law

The most controversial parts of Arizona’s new immigration law won’t take effect at midnight as originally scheduled, thanks to federal judge Susan Bolton. SB 1070, signed into law in late April, would have allowed police to detain people based on suspected immigration status and would have made it a state crime for a person to [...]

How We’re Doing: the Real Numbers on Immigrants and Crime

You’ve probably heard the right-wing canard that illegal immigrants cause higher crime rates. And if you’re like the majority of the public, you believe it, as the pie chart (based on a 2000 General Social Survey) shows. So hurray for Tim Wadsworth of the University of Colorado at Boulder for publishing new research that debunks this [...]

In Arizona, Both Racial Exploitation and Resistance Run Deep

On the heels of controversial immigration law SB 1070, which allows police to detain anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, Arizona’s legislature has passed a law targeting ethnic studies programs. The bill, which bans these programs because they supposedly teach “ethnic chauvinism”, represents another misguided effort by Arizona’s policymakers. As a professor of gender [...]