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"The courts won’t end the controversy over Arizona’s anti-immigration law, only leadership will." Every seat at the Rose Marine Theatre was taken last night. Sitting next to me was a stylishly dressed, middle-aged Anglo woman who has clearly seen success in her life. She said what I’ve been waiting years to hear — “it’s time people who look like me start speaking out.”
That was the impact of 9500 Liberty, a documentary by filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park, that chronicles the experiences of Prince William County, Virginia, when they passed an ordinance identical to SB 1070 — even written by the same right-wing, anti-immigration think tank.
At the invitation of my friend State Representative Lon Burnam, I hosted 9500 Liberty’s Fort Worth premiere on the very day SB 1070 was supposed to take effect before a federal court thankfully said otherwise. The movie drew a crowd that was equal parts Anglo, African American, and Hispanic. This was so much more than a movie premier; this was a community dialogue.
The documentary takes an interesting turn — not just when the city of Manassas suffers economic hardship and foreclosures as people move out of town, but when an unlikely pair of middle class moms start showing up at council meetings and doing their own research, become bloggers, and yes, become political activists. Their actions gave courage to others.
So I started thinking to myself, who in Texas is inspiring others to speak out?
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