Photo: Carlos Santana Returns to Arizona for Concert, Again States his Distaste for SB 1070
In May, Carlos Santana publicly lashed out against Arizona’s controversial immigration law known as SB 1070 and other states that were passing or attempting to pass similar laws saying they were only created out of fear. Now, on his way back to Arizona to perform, the world-renowned musician says he’s returning to help his audience “go beyond the negativity of fear.”
As Santana prepares to play in Phoenix for his Sound of Collective Consciousness Tour, he remains without kind words for the those behind SB 1070.
The award-winning musician told The Arizona Republic,”I’m not with fear. I am not for you or I or anyone shutting the door on a little child’s fingers. We are all children of God. But fear is fear. If you look at what happened in Germany with the Nazis and the Hebrews, it’s not a healthy thing to just blanket people like that. Surely, we have learned from history that there’s a better way for us to treat each other. We do need to understand that we’re all children of God and we all need to coexist.”
He added that he himself came from Mexico to the U.S. in 1975 and pledged his allegiance to a country with states that have now chosen to treat people unfairly simply because they were not born in America or because of the color of their skin.
“For a long time, Arizona refused to validate Martin Luther King’s birthday until Arizona was told, ‘You will never have the Super Bowl.’ All the sudden (singing), ‘Happy Birthday,” he said.
When asked why he and his band would play in a state with laws and policies he’s so clearly disagrees with he told the paper, “Every state in United States is my home, and so I’m not afraid to come to Arizona and play because I have a lot of sisters and brothers there and I work really hard for what I do. I’m not cashing in or stealing someone’s money. People come to hear Santana because they know they’re going to be uplifted and it’s going to go beyond the negativity of fear.”
