I turned on TeleMundo today after I got home from a run and saw a young journalist reporting live from Phoenix, flanked by a phalanx of supporters, Latino and anglo. Al Rojo Vivo has been broadcasting from Arizona since the law SB 1070 on April 24. You know, the law that says all those not born in the United States must carry their papers with them everywhere they go.
Amidst interviews with prominent Latino and Mexican politicians, Al Rojo Vivo shared two things that blew me away completely:
The first was a new ad campaign developed in Sonora, Mexico, which was recently printed in the Arizona Republic newspaper. It's a close-up on a man in camouflage with binoculars held against his eyes, with the words "IN SONORA WE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE FROM ARIZONA." It is, in a word, awesome. Awesome in the original sense of the word: it strikes awe in its beholders, because at last, a mirror has been lifted to the Arizona border. Heck, to the American border.
The Arizonan response? Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has asked his constituents to avoid traveling to Mexico. Because that's the way mature, forward-thinking, global citizens of the world do things, I guess.
The second amazing thing I saw on TeleMundo was this short film by EKG Films.
If I learned anything today, it was to get my international news from other countries. And that if Arpaio wants to boycott Mexico, I'm fine with boycotting Arizona.