By Willie Quiñones

A look at the Republican Senator who continues to challenge the controversial legislation while many are reluctant to speak out.

Senator Harry E. Coates
(Source: El Nacional)

When many people think of politicians, they imagine them as self-serving, insincere and often arrogant. But when you meet someone like Senator Harry E. Coates, the experience of such meeting may easily change your opinion. His abundant simplicity, his human disposition and charisma speak volumes. He appears intent on defending human rights, to see justice equally imposed, to create a realization among his colleagues of an urgency to encourage laws, ordinances and statutes that benefit minorities, which will positively impact the State’s economy and guarantee human rights equality. These seem to definitely be his reasons for occupying a political position the Oklahoma Senate.

Senator Coates, elected in 2002, represents District #28, which is comprised of Lincoln, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties. Professionally, the Senator owns a construction consulting firm that contracts heavily with Wal-Mart. He also possesses degrees from Oklahoma City University, Southwestern College, University of Central Oklahoma and Southwest Technical Institute. Coates is originally from Seminole and is an active member of several professional and civic organizations. He actively serves on the committees of Veterans and Military Affairs, Tourism, Wildlife, Business, Labor, General Government Appropriations Committee and Transportation.

A staunch position
Coates strongly believes that discriminatory immigration law is economically impairing the State and marginalizing an entire community. “I know many horror stories of people who have been persecuted, abused and exploited, just because they’re members of minority groups,” says Coates. He adds that he’s been accused of supporting and defending minorities for personal reasons, for his own personal gain. He strongly defends his political position with an emotional energy that makes one realize just the opposite.

Coates expresses his worries about immigration reform, language and citizenship laws in Oklahoma. He firmly states that we are creating situations that morally and economically damage the social and cultural fabric of Oklahoma.

“Injustice is injustice, be it against Hispanics, Asians, African Americans or any other group, my convictions will never change. The creators of HB 1804 never took into consideration the negative repercussions and the devastating impact this law would have on the state of Oklahoma. Many of my colleagues lack political vision,” says Coates. “When I heard Randy Terrill’s rhetoric and ambitions regarding HB 1804, he mentioned that his intention was to push this piece of legislature as far as it would go,” says Coates.

“According to him, he had no intentions of letting religious organizations, minority or community leaders pressure or intimidate him. But Terrill lacked vision, and showed an evident lack of common sense when he created this immigration law. He then added more insult to the Hispanic community and many other minorities, including the Native American tribes in the State, when he created his “English Only” proposal.

It was then that I introduced an amendment to repel his obscure intentions.” Coates adds. “The motives behind these immigration laws and other legislative immigration reforms were mainly generated to build animosity between Republicans and Democrats. When certain individuals created and manipulated a lie for a period of time, the citizens started to believe it. This is what Randy Terrill and his anti-immigration proposals did. But his plans backfired, when Democrats declined to promote such proposals,” says Coates openly.