There’s a poem that has been stuck on my mind for quite a while. It’s a poem by Langston Hughes called “Let America be America Again.” I read this poem back in high school and soon became one of my favorites because it’s something I can relate to, as an undocumented student living in this country. The poem is a lot longer than this, but this is the section that affects me the most.

Let America be America again

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed–
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

-Langston Hughes

Over the past few weeks, I’ve realized the importance of building communications among different organizations. As a Co-Founder of the Pennsylvania Chapter of DreamActivist.org, it is imperative for our group to work closely with other groups and organizations in the Philadelphia area and the state to build support and awareness for the DREAM Act at the state level.

There are many organizations that are focused on their own advocacy work. In Pennsylvania, labor unions may focus on protecting their workers. Student organizations may focus on the high school drop-out rates in the city. Immigrant organizations may focus on the new relationship between ICE and the Police Department, through the “Secure Communities” program. However, as a member of the Media Mobilizing Project in Philadelphia put it, “we are all battling the same monster.”

All of these organizations are fighting for the rights of the under-represented. And this is where collaboration comes into play. Different groups can come together and strategize about ways to work to make our voices be heard even louder. We can organize to bring awareness to a group of people who didn’t know about our struggles. This is how an idea becomes a movement.

In Pennsylvania, we are beginning this process and we’re excited to form new friendships with different important organizations in the state. We look forward to working together and collaborating on different projects. Through our unity, we can defeat this “monster” and finally realize our goals.