“That people should be legally required to show proof of citizenship is similar to the antebellum mandate that black people produce ‘free papers’ proving themselves not to be slaves. It recalls the pass system under South Africa’s apartheid. Sadly, visiting Arizona for a conference or a vacation without fear has become an ostentatious display of privilege. As much as I was looking forward to participating in the Pima Writers Conference, traveling to Arizona would be tantamount [to] endorsing these draconian policies.”
Author and Arizona State University alumnus Tayari Jones is publicly joining the boycott of Arizona. You can read her entire statement here.
One response
Thank you for posting this. I especially appreciated her quote from James Baldwin’s letter to Angela Davis (“If they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night”). When I apply for MFA programs this upcoming year, no Arizona schools will be on my list.
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