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Is it because they are "incompatible" with the rest of us? No. They are doctors and lawyers and farmers and business owners and inventors and parents. And they are artists.
Some are citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and numerous Muslim and Arab countries, whom politicians deem unsavory merely because of their nationality. But, under new US Homeland Security regulations, they are also citizens of allied countries such as Canada and Britain, who now -- in addition to being thoroughly scrutinized -- have the added courtesy of being fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed as to their who's, where's, how long's and, most importantly, why's.
In a recent Toronto Star article, executive director Phyllis Barney of Maryland's North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance commented on the effects these regulations are having on overseas artists.
"The whole arts community is on tenterhooks about the interrogation and fingerprinting process," she said. "It has had a chilling effect among world renowned artists, [among] all the males and a small percentage of females, from [overseas] countries who have to apply for work visas up to eight months in advance, and who now have to endure the added assumption of criminality at border crossings. It's something bookers and agents are having a hard time advising artists to put themselves through."
A disclosure: My parents were "resident aliens" for over two decades. Upstanding folks, they worked hard, got an advanced education, raised seven kids who went to -- and graduated from -- college, and paid their taxes. Oh yeah, and they waited. Waited for many years, to gain a citizenship that would afford them the benefits and privileges enjoyed by millions of other American citizens, and remove that alien classification from their resident status.
Many foreigners who visit this country often have to start from scratch, have to prove their worth. Their degrees aren't good enough; their contributions aren't good enough; their English isn't good enough. It is still OK to suggest that people "go back to their own country" or (my personal favorite) "Learn English!"
In the following pages, you'll find stories about some of the overseas artists you will not be seeing this year, or for many years to come, at local venues. Victims of bureaucracy -- whether in their own countries or ours -- they are increasingly choosing to forego the hassle of attaining visas to visit or perform in the United States. For some people, this may be OK. But as the children of immigrants and the residents of a nation of immigrants, it's never OK to put a cap on the freedom of expression, the continuing dialogue of cultures.
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Harlem Globetrotters 2024 World Tour presented by Jersey Mike's Subs @ Bojangles' Coliseum -
Queen Charlotte Fair @ Route 29 Pavilion
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Open Mic Comedy Nights with Craig Collin @ Carolina Beer Temple.
- Mon., May 6, 6:30-9 p.m., Mon., May 20, 6:30-9 p.m., Mon., June 3, 6:30-9 p.m. and Mon., June 17, 6:30-9 p.m.
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NEW WINDOW GALLERY-Pat Rhea-ACRYLIC PAINTINGS-April 05-30 2024 VALDESE, NC 28690 @ New Window Gallery/Play It Again Records
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TheDiscountCodes
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Beauty Industry Trends To Look Out For In Charlotte In 2022
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Charlotte Pride and Trans and Queer People of Color Collective clash on Pride Week priorities 2
Disagreements over representation, policing in lead-up to Pride
