Dr. Sophia Wallace, Immigration Myths and Misinformation
February 28, 2021
Three Zoom screens full of members signed in for Seattle AAUW February branch meeting with Dr. Sophia Wallace, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, speaking about racial myths and how they influence US immigration policies. Eventually, these myths become normalized while actual facts and real information are obscured. Furthermore, these myths are designed to create a feeling of danger, fear, and a lack of safety, thereby creating a sense of immediate urgency using distorted facts and information. These myths prevent policy from moving forward, often resulting in punitive initiatives instead. For example, popular myths in the U.S. centered around border policies employ negative false stereotypes (i.e. immigrants do not pay taxes, bring disease, take jobs away from others, are criminals, etc).
Professor Wallace discussed ways to repudiate lies, myths, and misinformation by rejecting violence, focusing on areas of agreement, and returning to facts. Ending on a positive note, she used statistical graphics to show how in some areas regarding immigration, the two political parties are not far apart in their policy opinions.
The discussion ended with a lively Q and A discussion using the ZOOM chat room.
Sophia Wallace has recently co-authored a book: Walls, Cages and Family Separation: Race and Immigration in the Trump Era and she is currently working on a new book United We Stand: Latino Representation in Congress.