We Should Welcome Immigrants
- Suzanne Sierra
- Jul 1, 2013
- 1 min read
The St. Louis American - July 2013
It’s understandable that when some African Americans hear regional leaders call for more immigration to St. Louis – as St. Louis regional leaders are doing now – they fear more competition for jobs and consequently even less economic opportunity for blacks. However, we reject that notion today and the thinking that was reflected in an analysis in 2006 by the late political science professor Ron Walters. Aware of high unemployment among black men in U.S. cities, Walters pointed out that black men and Latino workers compete for low-wage jobs, and he criticized immigrant workers for not joining labor unions and thereby depressing all laborers’ wages.
