Los Angeles, .- The migrant cause found in music a new means to carry their message, a resource so effective that even immigration lawyers resort to songs to educate about rights of the undocumented.
In the midst of their struggle against the anti-immigrant policies of President Donald Trump’s government, organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) have used this resource.
Mary Bauer, director of the Justice for Immigrants Project of this anti-racist group, tells Efe that one of the biggest difficulties they have faced in education campaigns is to get information to people who live far from large cities or lack of means to access these messages.
That’s why music is the “perfect vehicle”.
Thus was born the idea of creating “The Corrido de David y Goliat”, the first run advised by immigration lawyers that tells what steps to follow when an immigrant has a meeting with local or federal authorities.
Mariachi female band and Latin Grammy winner Flor De Toloache was chosen to bring to life the story that tells the story of Goliath O’Conner, an immigration agent who participates in raids, and one day comes to the neighborhood where David lives and his family.
Upon knowing his rights, David is aware that he does not have to let the agents into his house because they have not presented him with a search warrant.
But Goliath does not leave without accomplishing his task and, together with his companions, knocks down the door to arrest all those inside the house, including David’s wife and three children.
“Keeping calm, no paper was signed, they did not answer questions even though they were threatened”, is heard in the song.
The story ends with the release of the family thanks to the advice that followed and the lawyers who help stop the deportation process and finally with the dismissal of Goliath.
“This song has the potential to train many immigrants in a creative way, and with capacity for remembrance,” insists Bauer.
The activist explains that they decided on this issue because they have seen too many cases in which agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have detained immigrants without taking into account the rights of the undocumented.
Mireya I. Ramos, founder of Flor de Toloache, assures Efe that, as an artist, she has the responsibility to contribute, support and unite people, and much more to the community she represents.
The SPLC effort comes after the triumph of John Daversa, who won a few weeks ago three Grammy awards with the album “American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom” (American dreamers: voices of hope, music of freedom).
The disc brought together 53 undocumented people who arrived in the country as children and who are covered by the deferred action immigration benefit (DACA).
“The idea is that more people learn about this topic and how these talented and remarkable young people are part of the United States, which is the only way they can support the cause,” Daversa tells Efe.
But not only professional musicians use this medium to support the migrant cause and there are cases in which immigrants themselves created songs to carry a message, as in the case of the Los Jornaleros del Norte group, which was formed after witnessing a raid in 1995 of ICE.
The songs of the album “Chant Down the Walls / Tumbando Muros”, of this group formed by workers of the National Network of Day Laborers (NDLON), have become an icon in the protests that take place in California against the policies of the Trump Government.
“These are organic efforts to unite people under the same struggle and carry a message of struggle and hope,” says Pablo Alvarado, director of NDLON, and who is part of Los Jornaleros del Norte.
For Ramos, songs such as “The Corrido de David y Goliat” are very important at this time of political tensions with the federal government, which is working to reduce undocumented immigration and the presence in the country of irregular migrants.
The artist stresses the importance of writing a song for the first time with legal advice and that it reaches the voice of her band, whose members come from Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States. United.
The corrido of Flor de Toloache is available from this week on the Chulo Records portal, as well as on digital broadcast platforms and is also played on open radio, especially on stations that reach regions with a large immigrant presence.
“I hope he will head up the playlists so that the message reaches a large number of people,” Bauer expects on the first installment of the Immigrant Songs project, which will soon have a new song with an artist still unknown.(EFEUSA)
