Be A Part of It: A Movement Led by Undocumented People
by Matias Ramos, United We Dream Board Chair

What was the best weekend of your life?

One of the most amazing weekends of my life was two weeks ago at the United We Dream (UWD) field meeting in Minnesota.

United We Dream has existed for many years as a loose coalition advocating for the DREAM Act, a bill in Congress that would create a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who grew up as Americans.  In 2009, a group of UWD leaders decided we needed to become our own organization, and create more programs and initiatives to build leaders among the DREAM generation. Our vision was a space for the undocumented youth to share, grow, and lead within the immigrant rights movement.

United We Dream now has one person in staff, a couple of full-time volunteers, and lots of mentors that have guided our growth.  We put together actions to promote the DREAM Act during the 2009 graduation and back-to-school seasons.  We support DreamActivist in its vision to create a space online for organizing and empowerment of undocumented people. Lastly, we recently launched the DREAM Camps, an organizing training modeled after Camp Obama, but specially focused on issues facing immigrant communities.

The field meeting in Minnesota was part of that effort to create a youth-led movement for immigration reform. As a young undocumented leader, it was a great feeling to be part of a space where 50 leaders from 16 different states convened to create a strategy to bring change for the people currently living in the United States without access to legal status.  The majority of the people in the room were undocumented youth, raised as Americans but unable to study or work because of our status.  I felt privileged to be in the room and hear the stories of students currently shut out of their educational dreams. Because of the laws in my home state of California, I got to go to UCLA and study political science.  However, many in that room have not even been able to enroll in their local community college.  Some of the stories were heavy, but the energy in the room – particularly in our closed-door caucus of all the undocumented people – confirmed our belief that young people will lead the movement for better immigration policies in the United States. At 24 years of age, I was definitely in the older crew. The DREAM leadership – seen as the youngest arm of the immigrant rights movement – now has a second generation.

At the meeting, we made a commitment to fight for the next ten years. We made tough decisions to shape our movement as one led by the undocumented people themselves. We not only shared our plans for the DREAM Action Week that starts today, but we also drafted a strategy to ensure that undocumented young people have access to legal status before the end of the school year. Part of that effort begins today as we launch the UWD Dream Action week.  It will continue with national “coming out” actions in March, and more movement in  April, May, and June.

Our political leaders, as well as Congress and the White House, need to realize that the time to act in immigration issues is now.  The DREAM Act needs to become law before the end of the school year.  It will be a much-needed relief for immigrant families, and clear the air after months of promises and no action from inside the Beltway.

Opponents of reform will attack us.  Dreamers will be badmouthed.  Some will even be voluntarily handcuffed or detained.  But our dreams are worth that fight.

Two weeks ago, I had one of the best weekends of my life.  Part of it was because I saw what the best one ever will be: the weekend after the DREAM Act passes.  If we all push together, it can happen.

Before the end of the school year, thousands of immigrant families could have the best weekend of their lives.  Be a part of it.