Coming Home: A Book Tour in NC
The following is a guest post by Felicia Arriaga, author of BEHIND CRIMMIGRATION: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America.
5/23 at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
5/25 at the Levine Museum in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Charlotte, NC
5/27 at Diamante Arts & Cultural Center, Raleigh, NC
I wanted to host a book tour in North Carolina in the first month of publication because it’s my home and unfortunately, it’s also where I found numerous partnerships between ICE, local law enforcement, and local governments. Malaprop’s bookstore reached out to host the first event in Asheville, NC, a place I know well having grown up right outside of the area in Hendersonville, NC. While I hope that every community will be welcoming to a conversation on their own policies, I’ve found that Asheville, NC sits within a county where the sheriff has publicly denounced local law enforcement partnerships, so it is exciting to be in a place where this is possible. In fact, the tour will take place in three counties where the current sheriff has made a commitment to end certain ICE partnerships. I hope these opportunities will provide community members the space to discuss their role in ending these and other oppressive policies while also discussing the unfortunate truth that each year for the past 5 years (2018-2023), communities are having to defend themselves against statewide legislation that would force every sheriff to cooperate with ICE beyond what they already do.
I wanted to host a book tour in North Carolina in the first month of publication because it’s my home and unfortunately, it’s also where I found numerous partnerships between ICE, local law enforcement, and local governments
In Asheville, NC, I am fortunate to be joined by two community members I greatly admire. One guest, Bruno Hinojosa wears many hats, but I’ve known him mostly in his capacity with Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción (loosely translated to Immigrant Friends in Action in the Mountains) and I always know I can count on him to bring important issues to the immigrant community in the area. Joining him is Julio Tordoya from JMPro Community Media who is leading the way in making sure the local media reflects the voices of immigrant community members while also supporting the development of community journalists. My family and friends will be attending and since this is a hybrid event, people can also tune in from across the country.
It’s also hard to come home. Some of the topics in the book shine a spotlight on the normalization of local law enforcement and I argue that community members fighting for racial justice should be paying more attention to these issues. For those immigrants most impacted by these immigration enforcement partnerships, they are always paying attention to this but for those community members who are not impacted, they can go on about their lives without the fear of losing a family member. But I also welcome the questions from community members who may be put off by specific topics like white saviorism, white economic interests, white innocence, and white ignorance. I grew up in this area and I’m intimately familiar with these maneuvers and I hope the book can also spark a dialogue that moves people to action, albeit action that follows the lead of directly impacted individuals.
For those immigrants most impacted by these immigration enforcement partnerships, they are always paying attention to this but for those community members who are not impacted, they can go on about their lives without the fear of losing a family member.
In Charlotte, NC, I’m partnering with the Levine Museum for the New South. In their about page, they highlight their history of using exhibits and programming to deepen understanding, foster empathy, and inspire action toward a better future. This is part of their What is it going to take? series. While the other counties I describe in the book have very interesting histories, Mecklenburg County and previous sheriffs of this county were instrumental in ensuring the persistence and growth of local immigration enforcement partnerships. But it is also the site of deep resistance to these and other forms of state violence from the criminal justice system. Joining me in that conversation are Stefania Arteaga and Blu Lewis, two of my closest friends and collaborators. I first met Stefania through her mother who passed away in 2021 but whose impact will remain a part of NC’s immigration history. Mayra Arteaga, like Julio Tordoya wanted to ensure that immigrant voices could be at the center of every conversation, and I always admired her commitment to covering the topics that mainstream English media wouldn’t. The book is dedicated to her and her commitment to immigrant justice lives on in Stefania. When I started going to meetings at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in 2015, I met Stefania and shortly afterward, met Blu. They both provide in-depth, yet different perspectives about the state of criminal justice reform and abolitionist possibilities in Charlotte, NC, in the wake of the 2016 Charlotte Uprising, the 2018 Sheriff Election, and many other events.
The last stop in Raleigh, NC is a conversation and celebration with the Familias Si, Migra No (Families Yes, No ICE) collective. This event will be interpreted to be more inclusive of Spanish speaking community members and to ensure that the main organizers can comfortably tell their stories in the language they feel most comfortable. I first met members of Comite de Accion Popular (CAP) (loosely translated to the Popular Action Committee) and Mujerxs Organizando Oportunidades Notables (MOON) (loosely translated to Women Organizing Notable Opportunities) through rallies at the Governor’s mansion in 2015 against a statewide bill (House Bill 318) limiting access to certain identifications. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know them more and this community conversation will be an opportunity for them to give their perspectives, although they have a long history of fighting against the poli-migra. Joining us in conversation and celebration is Dr. Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway whose research is on twentieth century African American history with a focus on the US South, labor, and the Black Freedom Struggle. He is also a member Refund Raleigh and will help us understand the connections between his research interests and the poli-migra. We will be connecting police and sheriff oversight as an important area of research and as an organizing strategy. Unfortunately, Raleigh, NC is no stranger to these issues and the book is also dedicated to Akiel Denkins (2016) and Daniel Turcios (2022), two men fatally shot by the Raleigh Police Department whose families I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. We will also focus on the importance of cultural organizing and imagery (example below).
Felicia Arriaga is an assistant professor at the Marxe School of Public & International Affairs at Baruch College.
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