Solidarity is the most important.

At my friend's wedding last weekend, I had the great pleasure of dining with two African immigrants, one from Sudan and one from Tanzania. During the course of our animated dinner conversation I learned that the first worked as a letter carrier while the second worked construction, rising at 4am every day to catch a bus to the building site.

I was surprised that these two intelligent and capable men were not better employed, but their situation is a common one: trapped in a global underclass, people travel between countries in search of better economic opportunities yet remain trapped in the same global system in which the majority of the world's citizens are unable to progress. They remain on the outskirts of capitalism because their cheap labor keeps benefits a tiny elite. These migrants shuffle between countries, yet always remain at the bottom of the world.

This is nothing new, which is why the phrase "global underclass" itself is a cliché. The interesting possibility now is global solidarity. Immigrant groups are becoming more self-aware and are expressing their displeasure with a system that keeps them forever on the outside: witness the riots in Paris last year and the immigrants' rights marches in California this spring. The decreasing cost of global communication and the increasing reach of the news media make this awareness a real possiblity.

What are the possible global effects of this solidarity? Well, look at what happens in individual countries when the perennially marginalized unite and realize the inherent injustice of their situation. France, Russia, Cuba : the result is Revolution, often with horrific effects not only for the elite but also for the poor who are hoping for change.

Up until now, we have been able to avoid real upheaval because the underclasses of different countries are not aware of one another. People in Mexico trying to get into the US to find work only to spend their days mowing lawns are unaware of the Moroccan immigrants who go to France to earn their fortunes only to find themselves selling flowers to tourists. But this awareness is coming. We must change our own system before the anger of its victims bursts forth into violence.

photo credit: Kenn Christ, (photo is of a San Francisco immigrants' rights march on 4/1/06)