It's been a year since Arizona's infamous immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, went into effect, gutted though it was, by the federal court.
While this could be cause for celebration by nativist politicians and their supporters, a community will gather in Phoenix to celebrate the fight against the state's bigoted immigration statute.
Puente, a Phoenix-based human-rights group, will be hosting a SB 1070 art walk along with other theatrical events on Friday night at El Portal, the Mexican restaurant located Grant Street and First Avenue that's owned by Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.
Local artists will be showcasing their SB 1070-inspired art along with some local musical acts performing, all while enjoying free food.
"It's a very political and conscious [event]," says Sandra Castro, Puente member and event organizer.
Along with the art walk and musical performances, there will also be a year's worth of video footage from protests against the anti-immigrant law.
Sandra adds that the event is just a reminder of all the fighting Arizona has done in order to put a stop to the state's immigration law.
"We have a year fighting back and we're going to continue to fight back," she stated.
In addition to all the rallies that Puente's organized over the past year, it has called for a boycott of Arizona. Puente's gone so far as to campaign against Latino-related events in Arizona, such as Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez's recent Phoenix concert and a Mexican soccer match played earlier this month in Glendale.
More recently they were the lone organization in Arizona to call for a boycott of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, when national groups failed to pressure the MLB to move the game out of Arizona.
If you missed any SB 1070 rallies throughout the year or want to reminisce about Arizona's political fight against the breathing-while-brown law, El Portal will be the spot for you tomorrow night.
