Feeding Hate: The Legacy of Racism and Immigrant Scapegoating in America

As we close out Black History Month, it’s worth asking: Are we just remembering history, or are we learning from it? The fight for justice isn’t locked in the past—it’s alive today, woven into the struggles of people fighting for their dignity, rights, and a fair shot at life.

At Luminus, we recognize that the battles against racism and anti-immigrant hate are deeply connected. These struggles aren’t just about individuals—they’re about systems built to divide and control. The same forces that once justified segregation and disenfranchisement now fuel fear against immigrants, distracting people from the real culprits of economic and social inequality.

So, what can we learn from history? And more importantly—how do we stop history from repeating itself?

From Jim Crow to Immigration Bans: The Politics of Division

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once described Jim Crow as a psychological tool—one that convinced poor white Americans that, despite their suffering, they were at least “better” than Black Americans. This wasn’t just about racism—it was about control.

As Dr. King put it:

“If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. (Yes, sir) He gave him Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, (Yes, sir) he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man. (Right sir) And he ate Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings. (Yes, sir) And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, (Speak) their last outpost of psychological oblivion. (Yes, sir)”

“To meet this threat, the southern aristocracy began immediately to engineer this development of a segregated society. (Right) I want you to follow me through here because this is very important to see the roots of racism and the denial of the right to vote. Through their control of mass media, they revised the doctrine of white supremacy. They saturated the thinking of the poor white masses with it, (Yes) thus clouding their minds to the real issue involved in the Populist Movement. They then directed the placement on the books of the South of laws that made it a crime for Negroes and whites to come together as equals at any level. (Yes, sir) And that did it. That crippled and eventually destroyed the Populist Movement of the nineteenth century.”

Martin Luther King, 1965, Selma

Those in power used racial division to prevent poor communities from uniting against economic injustice. And guess what? It worked.

Fast forward to today, and that same playbook is being used again—this time with immigrants as the new scapegoats. Instead of acknowledging how corporate greed, wage suppression, and rising living costs hurt working-class Americans, political leaders shift the blame to people crossing the border.

The message? Immigrants are “taking your jobs.” They’re “draining resources.” They’re “changing the country.” Sound familiar?

This narrative isn’t just false—it’s dangerous. It pits struggling communities against each other while the real causes of inequality remain untouched.

The Modern Jim Crow: Anti-Immigrant Policies in Action

Jim Crow laws weren’t just about segregation; they were about controlling who had power and who didn’t. Today, policies targeting immigrants serve the same function: keeping political and economic power in the hands of a few.

Here’s how:

🔴 Blaming immigrants for economic struggles
Instead of holding corporations accountable for wage stagnation and job outsourcing, politicians push the idea that immigrants are “stealing jobs.” In reality, industries like agriculture, construction, and hospitality rely on immigrant labor. Many of these jobs are ones that American workers simply don’t take in large numbers.

🔴 Voter suppression and exclusion
Jim Crow laws systematically blocked Black Americans from voting. Today, voter ID laws, hurdles to naturalization, and attempts to limit birthright citizenship are doing the same thing—restricting political power from growing immigrant communities.

🔴 Criminalization and mass detention
Under Jim Crow, Black Americans were disproportionately arrested, imprisoned, and used for cheap labor. Today, immigrants seeking asylum—many of whom are fleeing violence—are treated as criminals, locked up in detention centers, and even sent to Guantanamo Bay without any criminal history.

This isn’t just history repeating itself—it’s a deliberate strategy to divide and control.

Breaking the Cycle: What We Can Do

Dr. King warned us about this. He saw how racism was weaponized to keep people distracted from the real enemy: systems that hoard wealth and power at the expense of everyday people.

But we’re not powerless. We can break this cycle of hate and division by:

✅ Rejecting fear-based narratives
Economic struggles aren’t caused by immigrants. They’re caused by policies that prioritize profits over people. Let’s focus on the real issues: fair wages, workers’ rights, and economic justice for all.

✅ Fighting for fair policies
Just as the civil rights movement dismantled Jim Crow, we must challenge laws that criminalize immigrants and restrict their rights. That means supporting pathways to citizenship, protecting asylum seekers, and advocating for humane immigration policies.

✅ Building coalitions
Racial justice and immigrant rights are part of the same fight. When Black, Brown, immigrant, and working-class communities come together, we create real change. History shows us that unity is the most powerful tool against oppression.

The Future is in Our Hands

As we reflect on Black History Month, let’s remember: this isn’t just about the past. The forces that upheld Jim Crow are still at work today, using division as a means of control. But history also teaches us that resistance works.

The civil rights movement dismantled segregation. Activists fought for—and won—protections for Black Americans, workers, and marginalized communities. And today, we carry that torch forward in the fight for immigrant justice.

Black history is American history. Immigrant history is American history. And together, we shape the future.

#BlackHistoryMonth #ImmigrantRights #EndHate