Frequently Asked Questions about the National Back to School DREAM Act Day of Action

Where is the Big Event?
- Wherever YOU are! Last June, 500 dreamers came to Washington, DC. It was a powerful moment for all those involved. This time, local actions are our strength. We need you to stand up for Dreamers wherever you are: in your city, your campus, your church, your Yu-Gi-Oh club, your fantasy football league, and specially your facebook page.

What are the basics of putting together an action?

1. Get people involved: Reach out to your friends and community members. Divide up the tasks. Make sure people are involved and engaged.
2. Make sure your congressional representatives know: You absolutely MUST engage your members of Congress. You can find who they are by going here. If they are supporters or don’t know about the DREAM Act, invite them to your event. If they are against the DREAM Act, work to get people in your area to disagree with them.
3. Stay in touch: Make sure you register attendees, and get their information for actions to be held later. Input those in the national petition so that they get United We Dream alerts.

I am not part of an organization, what do you recommend?
Don’t be scared, some of the strongest actions are started out by one or just a few individuals. More than likely, there is someone else in your area also looking for an organizing buddy. Contact local civil rights groups, immigration lawyers, church groups, or immigrant rights organizations and see who can get involved. See below for some actions that do not require huge numbers of people to be successful. Start out by signing up an event and we will contact you if you are on your own.

What kind of event should I do?
There are tons of ideas. Here’s a few.

Film Screening: Contact the folks of Papers the Movie. Or the people behind An Unfinished Dream. Get a copy of the film and promote it around campus. Lead a discussion afterward, or add to the movie by telling your own story of how you got involved with the DREAM Act movement. For an easier way, simply screen the youtube videos you can see here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Panel or forum: This one is better if you don’t think you are up for public speaking, or explaining the nuances of immigration policy and why we need to reform it. Invite a local immigration lawyer, a more seasoned activist, a religious leader, or a professor that works on immigration to speak at your school. Make flyers and get the word out!

March / Walk-out / walk-in: This one works with a larger group of fiery activists. Make some sings, write some chants, and be loud! Follow the example of these San Diego dreamers. Walk into a campus to symbolize the potential of the DREAM Act. Or walk out together to demonstrate your unity. Make sure you know the regulations in your school and its classrooms, as we want to have a positive message all across the country.

Candlelight vigil: This one works with a smaller group. Take over a busy intersection or a quiet place on campus. Share your testimonies, talk about the DREAM Act, and invite a local pastor or priest to bless the event.

Rally / Press Conference: Get the media out, invite local community leaders to speak and show their support for Dreamers. Print out the DREAM posters, find a podium, and write out a good speech.

Play: For the those who dream of being actors and actresses, why not tell our stories in a dramatic fashion? Street theater in a busy intersection or part of campus can be a great way of getting people’s attention.

Be creative: In Miami, students will make a huge “DREAM” out of books and go around asking people what their dreams are. In Kansas, some students will play a soccer game in full cap-and-gown gear as others collect petition signatures from people passing by. As you can see, the possibilities are endless!

Speakout: Also great for smaller groups that are feeling courageous. Get a stand, find a microphone or megaphone, and talk about why the DREAM Act needs to become law. As students speak out one-by-one, the rest can go around telling listeners to sign the petition and support our cause.

Will you provide me with materials?

Yes. Once we get in touch and your event gets off the ground, we can provide you with the following items:

1. .pdf file of the national DREAM Act petition
2. .jpg file of our DREAM Act postcards
3. Word document for “do-it-yourself” postcards
4. DREAM Act fact sheet
5. DREAM Act talking points
6. .jpg file of the “A DREAM FOR AMERICA” posters
7. Sample press release
8. Sample editorial letter

How did you choose September 23rd?
Pretty randomly. The Board of United We Dream wanted a date in the middle of the week to make sure we could reach to as many students as possible. Coincidentally enough, September 23rd also marks the anniversary of the first commencement ceremony at Harvard College in 1642, the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School by the Little Rock Nine in 1957, and Bruce Springsteen‘s date of birth. And you can’t get any more American than The Boss. For astronomically-minded dreamers, we should note that this day also marks the Autumnal Equinox.

Ok, then what is this United We Dream you speak of?
United We Dream, a.k.a. UWD, a.k.a. The Network, a.k.a. The Coalition, has existed for almost as long as the DREAM Act has been a legislative proposal. From a loose network of organizations, we are working to create a national organization that represents immigrant youth. Our board members have backgrounds in a wide array of pro-immigrant organizations such as DreamActivist, the New York State Youth Leadership Council, IDEAS at UCLA, Students Working for Equal Rights (Florida), the University Leadership Initiative in Texas, Student Immigrant Movement (Massachusetts), National Immigration Law Center, SEIU, United States Students Association, and more. Our first joint project was launching and growing the national petition, and we have many short-term and long-term plans.

I want to support DREAM students, but I want Congress to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform. What then?
We do too! We strongly feel that by organizing and empowering undocumented immigrant youth, we can allow them to lead in the debate over immigration reform. The overwhelming majority of undocumented people are hard-working, value-driven, family-oriented people who constantly get vilified and scapegoated by anti-immigrant groups. Young people can and will represent their families’ hopes during the immigration debate and that is why it is important to highlight the DREAM Act, either as a legislative proposal or part of a broader reform.

When will the DREAM Act pass?
Nobody knows exactly. With a new administration in place, there are big agendas and big debates. The current healthcare reform debate is taking longer than many people thought, and immigration reform is also going to be very complicated. President Obama, a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act during his time in Congress, wants to get reform done, and has indicated that his timeline for accomplishing is in early 2010.

Is there really a East Coast  vs. West Coast war within United We Dream?
Absolutely, with a Texas/Midwest coalition trying to fight it out too. It’s PAC-10 vs ACC, Tupac vs. Biggie, Lakers vs. Celtics, and Good vs. Evil all rolled into one. NILC and DreamActivist are excused because they are bi-coastal. More on this rivalry, in our next National FAQ segment. Thanks for reading this far.