White supremacy led to SB 1070 formation, activist says
By Uriel J. Garcia October 3, 2010 at 9:06 pm

During a panel discussion held at a Phoenix high school Saturday afternoon, Princeton philosophy professor and activist Cornel West said the formation of Arizona’s new immigration law was driven by white supremacy.

West expressed his views on SB 1070 and other Arizona immigration laws to a crowd of about 900 at North High School.

He was part of a panel that included ASU professors, a UA professor and activists that explained the roots and effects of SB 1070.

The panel was organized and hosted by Puente, a local organization that fights for immigrant rights, and National Day Laborer Organizing Network, an activist group.

West said SB 1070 has brought stigma and terror to the community because of racism.

“The history of white supremacy in America keep[s] these people so terrorized … traumatized, stigmatized that they will want to walk around with their backs hunched over,â€