It’s a brand new year for the immigrant youth movement, and with it comes a lot more work that faces each and every one of us involved in it. If you have committed yourself to accomplishing anything this year make sure that coming out as undocumented is at the top of your list. Here at DreamActivist.org we encourage folks to come out to anybody with whom they feel comfortable, so please do not feel forced to do so if you are hesitant. Here are three creative and nontraditional ways to reveal your undocumented status to those close to you.

3. Memes

Lately, immigrant youth have taken to new social media platforms in order to expand their reach across the internet. This growth in reach gave birth to some of the most creative and hilarious ways in which undocumented youth are declaring that they are no longer afraid: memes. While most of these have been found across Tumblr, they seem to be propagating quite fast. The following memes depict scenarios which are very familiar to undocumented students, but it’s never too late to out yourself as undocumented in your own meme creation.

2. “I’m Undocumented” T-Shirts

Do you ever feel like you wear your undocumented status on your forehead? Well now you can wear it on your shirt!

These shirts have been a great hit since the moment we drew up the concept and as of today, they are worn by undocumented students and allies who dare to go out into the streets and raise eyebrows from those who read the words “I’m Undocumented”.

One of our readers sent us a story about their experience while wearing this shirt. In his short account he told the story of how he attended a Greek food festival that was being hosted in his hometown. While waiting in line for his food, an older woman approached him and told him that his shirt was very bold. Our reader responded “that’s because its true, I am undocumented” to which the woman responded “I am too.”

Be sure to pick one of these bad boys from our merch site if you want to declare your undocumented status, support immigrant youth, or spark some interesting conversations.

1. Launch Your Own Cause

Going public is not easy, and I’ll be the first to admit it. To this day I haven’t fully revealed my undocumented status to everyone I know based on fear that my Universtiy may find out and cancel some of my funding. This, however, has not stopped undocumented youth from fundraising money to cover their tuition.

?

Photo by the NY Daily News

Our very own Angy Rivera was recently featured on a NY Daily News Article, which explained the plight of some undocumented students who were fundraising money to pay for their respective college tuitions. A coupe of days later the NY Daily news ran a follow up story which related that Angy’s tuition had been FULLY covered by a stranger in NY who had read her story on the paper.

Let me say that again. HER TUITION WAS FULLY COVERED BY A STRANGER.

If that is not an incentive to come out, then I don’t know what is.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you overcome any fear or doubts you have about coming out. Should you have any questions be sure to leave us a comment.

-Juan

Is this how you feel? We can help.

Click and print! Get to know your resources and apply, apply, apply!

Oldie but a goodie- California resource guide for undocumented students (scholarships inside!):

Pursuing Higher Education – Undocumented Student Resource Guide

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics:

College Funding Opportunities for Hispanic Students

Additional Internship and Fellowship Opportunities

Latino College Dollars Scholarship Directory:

Latino College Dollars Scholarship Directory

Kirwan Institute Essay Competitions- calls for submissions on the prospects of the political landscape in America in 2042.

Link HERE to go to the competition landing page.

If any of these have errors, etc, please let us know!

PRESS RELEASE
June 17, 2011

HISTORIC STEP: Pennsylvania DREAM Act Introduced

For Immediate Release
Contact: Pamela Linares pammela.salazar@gmail.com

PHILADELPHIA - State Representative Tony Payton (179th District) will be holding a press conference to announce the introduction of the Pennsylvania DREAM Act bill on Monday, June 20^th, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

DreamActivist Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, and Nationalities Service Center are proud to be working with Rep. Tony Payton on the introduction of this very important bill. The Pennsylvania DREAM Act would provide equal opportunity to the undocumented young Pennsylvanians by granting them in-state tuition at public institutions of higher education provided they meet strict residency requirements. Applicants would have to graduate from a Pennsylvania secondary school and provide evidence that payments of state income taxes were made for the last three years.

Currently undocumented students are not considered to be Pennsylvanians when applying to colleges, although they have resided in Pennsylvania for years. Therefore, each student’s case is handled individually by each institution as they see fit. The Pennsylvania DREAM Act would provide a uniform policy to be administered by all institutions of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The bill would strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy by better educating young Pennsylvanians. If successful, Pennsylvania will become the 12th state to pass a tuition equality bill, joining states such as Illinois, Texas, and Maryland.

What: Press Conference to announce the Pennsylvania DREAM Act bill

When: June 20th, 2011 at 10:00AM

Why: Rep. Tony Payton alongside DreamActivist Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, and Nationalities Service Center, publicly convey their support and endorsement of the Pennsylvania DREAM Act and the important step it signifies in access to higher education for undocumented youth.

DreamActivist Pennsylvania is an organization that consists of undocumented youth and allies who are committed to defending the rights of immigrant youth, their families, and the communities they live in . For more information, e-mail dreamactivistpa@gmail.com or visit our website at http://dreamactivistpa.org/
# # #

Last night, President Obama participated in a Community Forum put together by Univision, where he spoke about education, bullying, the DREAM Act, and the deportation of undocumented students, among other important issues in the Latino community. And well, let’s just say we’re less than pleased with his responses to those vital questions (Actually, we’re pretty mad about it and you can read our tweets if you don’t believe us).

Sign the petition telling President Obama to stop the lies.

First of all, we understand that the President supports the DREAM Act, has supported the DREAM Act, will continue to support the DREAM Act. Thank you. We get it. But what exactly has he done to push the bill forward in the past 2 years? What did he do last year to help pass the bill? Calling Senators is great and all, but when the President promised to pass the DREAM Act during the first year of his administration, a few phone calls just aren’t enough.

After the failure of the DREAM Act late last year, a lot of us asked ourselves: “Now what is the President going to do about student deportations?” Well, last night Karen Maldonado, a student who is currently facing deportation, asked him the same question. And we got our response: Nothing. President Obama tells us that his administration’s focus is on deporting “criminals,” not DREAM-eligible students. But as undocumented youth, we know better. We know that, for the past few years, we have fought the deportation of many students. We know that we’re currently fighting to stop the deportation of our friend Nallely, who is being transferred to a detention facility in Arizona because of a “wide right turn”. We know that the deportations of students have not stopped.

President Obama needs to stop lying to the immigrant community. He needs to stop telling us his administration is not deporting immigrant youth, while going behind our backs and detaining students like Karen and Nallely, separating them from their friends, families, and only country they know. As a supporter of the DREAM Act, this is no longer acceptable. And as undocumented youth, it is up to us to stand up and say that enough is enough. We will not let President Obama lie to our community any longer.

Mr. President, it is time for you to make a decision. Will you finally support us or will you continue to deport us? Which side are you on?

Sign the petition urging President Obama to stop deporting immigrant youth.

And sign this petition to tell ICE to stop the deportation of Nallely.

-          The Team at DREAMActivist

My name is Yarisell Molina I was born in Acapulco, Guerrero which is in Mexico. I don’t have lot of memories of growing up there.

My parents came to the US when I was five years old we my brother and I were left with my grandparents. My father was the first one to leave. I woke up one morning and never saw him again until we were reunited again. Then one morning I woke up and my mother was gone from her bed I remember searching and searching for her but I never found her. I was so confused I felt like my parents hated me. Felt very lonely and abandoned. And even today as I grow up and head to college it is difficult to be apart from them. I cry every now and then because the pain that I felt when I was five stills lingers in my heart.

My family was separated for a few months. We would receive constants call from my mom and dad, and every time they called us and I would ask them where they are and why they left us, I don’t remember ever getting a response back from them. Then one afternoon while I playing outside we got a call from my dad telling my brother and I that he was coming for us. I remember been so excited that I spent all afternoon looking out at the road waiting for him until my grandmother told me he won’t be here until a few days.

Every day I would look out towards the road, until he finally showed up one morning. My brother and I ran towards him I remember feeling angry at him. I asked him where mom was; he responded “America” and told us that’s where we were headed. I was not sure what he meant by America. All I knew was that I was going to be with my mom.

That’s how my journey to the US began and it will be a memory that will never leave me until today and as long as I live. I plan on going back to Mexico but I have mix feelings towards it. I have sweet memories of my country but I have more memories of America. I have my loves ones here, and there. One thing for sure I love my home it might have fallen down every so often on us and it makes me and my family sick, and the place that I grew up has always felt like I was in a movie with a constant helicopters, CIA flying down from helicopters and surrounding my neighbor’s house and finding out that my neighbors are actually drug dealers.

I still call this place home, mi casa. I have had a lot opportunities and experiences in my life that I don’t know if I would have happen if I would have been left home. I know one thing for sure I would have had a lot of anger against my parents for leaving me and my brother if they would have never come and pick me up. I have always known that I was different because I did not speak English very well.

Anyway, I grew up in the harsh reality of South Los Angeles I have lost lot friends to gangs, shootings, and drugs along the way. I am now a freshman in college and I won’t be able to finish my education due to money problems and obviously due to my immigration status. My father works as a street vendor and he is very popular for selling tamales. This year it has been very rough and he has been having hard time being able to work because the police keep giving him tickets making in it impossible for him and my mom to save up for my college.
I still have the opportunity to go back to my country but a home is not a home when your loves one is not there. I don’t want to be separated from my mom and dad and siblings. I at least want to be able to see them every so often and know that they are ok. Going back to Mexico means not knowing when I will be able to see them. As I drop out of college this year and head back to LA I have to make a very hard decision. This is my story similar to the thousands of students all over the US. I want to share it with you.

My name is Conny Torres and I am undocumented.

In elementary school in Ecuador, I have been committed to my education because I know that without it I could not reach my goals in life. Both of my parents graduated from college in Ecuador. They have always worked hard to support my sister, brother and myself. My father worked as an accountant in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and my mother as a special-education teacher.

However, with the economical hardships that my family faced in Ecuador, my father decided to bring us to the USA where he believed that we had more opportunities for advancement. We moved to New York in 2001. Unfortunately, while it was easier for us, the children, to obtain free education, my parents suffered greatly, not being able to work in their fields of expertise because their degrees were not valid in the US. Here in New York, my father has been the sole source of income for the family working as a construction worker. It became evident that life was not so as easy as he had believed prior to coming to the US. When amnesty was offered to people present in the US for many years, my family applied for it through a lawyer who promised to be a specialist in amnesty. However, the request my father prepared forwent to the wrong office; thus, we missed the deadline for amnesty.
In Public School, PS95, in Intermediate School IS238, and in Bayside High School, I dedicated my life to my studies and to my church. I was a high achiever, and I was placed on the honor roll and received awards in each school. I was aware that in order to obtain college scholarships and financial aid, I had to study harder than my classmates who were with the right civil documents.

I knew then as I know now the importance of having an education that can open many doors for an individual. My parents and my teachers instilled in me the belief that there is no limit to how much education a person can get.

Upon graduating from High School, I applied for certain scholarships from organizations that accept applications from “undocumented” or “International” students. Unfortunately, in spite of being an honor student, I find myself today with very limited financial means in order to be able to attend full time to my college education.

I feel devastated at this point in my life. I have been an excellent student, and now, I am blocked from pursuing an education. I received a few small scholarships that allowed me to take four courses the first semester and two in my second. I received an interest-free loan from an ex-teacher that allowed me to take four courses this last semester. I had to take a “training” in Safe Space for which I was remunerated; money that went to return my loan to my ex-teacher. This semester, as well, I received an interest-free loan from my ex-teacher, that I have to return by the end of this semester. As a result, I have to find odd jobs that take much of the time I would like to dedicate to my studies.

As a human being, I feel that it is my responsibility to offer services to my community. I am aware that there are many children who need positive role models to follow, and I know I could be a good example for these kids. During my high school years, I joined many clubs; I was the secretary of the Hispanic Club for two consecutive years and was selected to be a member of the National Honor Society on my senior year. With Key Club, I had the opportunity to volunteer for walks and races for good causes, such as the Breast Cancer Walk and the NYRR races in Central Park. I also volunteered to cook for homeless people. At the Ronald Mc Donald House I went to entertain and brighten the day of the hospitalized children. For the past two years, I have been going to the Jornada Youth Group at my St. Elizabeth Parish; I am grateful for the people I met and who inspired me to join it. Since the first time I stepped into the group I have been attending every group meeting on Thursday nights, and helping out with the “charlas” and the activities to enforce the meaning of brotherhood, decency and friendship. To my surprise, last past August I was nominated as the Topic Director. This year I am the Secretary of the group. My positions have required a lot of time, effort and consistency that give me great satisfaction and enjoyment, for I enjoy helping others especially the youth.

My goal is to graduate from Queens College with a 4.000 GPA and obtain the Summa Cum Laude honor. When I complete my college studies, I would like to motivate other Hispanics or minority students to get a college education, because it is a fundamental step in order to get a good employment in our society. I finished my first year of college with a GPA of 3.700 which is not that far from a 4.000 but I still have to work harder to achieve my goal. The career I am pursuing is to become a Spanish teacher; Spanish as a major and minor in Education and in Business and Liberal Arts. I have decided to major in Spanish because being bilingual nowadays is an advantage in the employment world.  In addition teaching Spanish is a way to teach the US community the culture and values of my native Hispanic community. I wish to minor in business in order to be able someday to open my own academy to help the youth to have better aspirations and  accomplishment in life .

Anti-immigrant legislators, listen up.

A bout 3 of months ago, we let you know about the injustice happening in Georgia. On October 13, 2010, the Georgia Board of Regents decided to ban undocumented students from attending 5 colleges and universities in the state starting next fall. Soon after their decision, the Regents wanted to take it a step further and ban DREAMers from ALL colleges and universities in Georgia, driving students into a life in the shadows. Not to mention, only 0.16% of the entire student population in Georgia is likely to be undocumented. They must really be afraid of bright and dedicated students.

Well, I guess the board of Regents thought students in the state would take this news sitting down. Well, they obviously didn’t know who they were messing with; but they do now.

Here’s an update:

Less than a month after the Regents announced their decision, students in Georgia organized a protest against their decision. Over two dozen people held signs while chanting “Education not Deportation” and “Don’t Hate, Educate!” outside of the building where the same Regents were meeting. During the protest, four people decided escalate their actions and walked into the intersection. Police asked them to clear the street, but they refused. Adelina Nicholls, executive director of Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) and Rev. Markel Hutchins were among the four people arrested in this act of civil disobedience.

You can watch this YouTube video of the arrests: HERE

These students and allies decided to stand up for the right to an education for all students. And let this be a lesson for legislators across the country: we fight back. If politicians want to introduce hateful, anti-immigrant legislation, you can expect undocumented students to stand up for our rights and the rights of our community.  We showed them last year that we are not afraid. We want justice for ourselves and the immigrant community and we will not back down.

Last Saturday, the Senate voted against the dreams of thousands of students when it failed to pass the DREAM Act (Oh yeah, we still remember). What these Senators are not aware of is the fact that they did not only vote against the bill, they voted against students who are fighting for a piece of legislation that will affect their lives. And as such, we’re not about to throw in the towel and call it a night. On the contrary, we’re as ready as we’ve ever been to continue the fight toward justice and equality for immigrants and undocumented students. And this time, we’re taking it to the states.

Currently, only ten states allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates if they meet certain requirements, including states with the largest immigrant populations like California, Texas, New York, and Illinois. I don’t know about you, but I think that number is too low. So, while Congress might not be ready to pass the DREAM Act at the national level, we are ready to fight to make the lives of undocumented students a little easier by taking local action. We need to make access to education a viable option for all students: for those just graduating from high school, those who have been forced to put their education aside for financial reasons, and those working 2 or 3 jobs to afford going to school.

In Maryland, State Senator Rich Madaleno will introduce a bill in January that will allow undocumented students in Maryland to be able to afford a college education. The Maryland DREAM Act will allow students, who reside in Maryland and have graduated from a Maryland high school or served in the military, the right to pay in-state tuition to schools in the state. It is morally just for a student who has earned a spot at a university, through their own hard-work, to be charged as any other U.S. citizen student who has earned the same spot.

In the words of Senator Madaleno:

“I was disappointed the U.S. Senate failed to pass the DREAM Act. Without a reformed federal immigration policy, states need to step in and take action. If you live in our community, graduate from our high schools and defend our nation, you deserve the promise of a more affordable higher education.”

Amen.

The Maryland DREAM Act was passed in 2003 but was vetoed by then Governor Bob Ehrlich. This time, we’re ready for a win; not just in Maryland but in other states, as well. We’re thankful Senator Madaleno will introduce this bill in January and hope other state legislatures will step up, in the same way, and give students the opportunity to afford higher education.

And DREAMers will make sure they do step up.

Also, if you haven’t listened to Flavia’s interview with Talk of the Nation’s Neal Conan on NPR, go to this link. Seriously, it’s a must listen. (The interview starts at 7:07 minutes)

Allies and undocumented youth in Maryland continue to make their voices heard in an effort to get DREAM friendly resolutions passed.

What are you doing at your school?

Though the SGA rarely takes a stand on national issues, after nearly 100 students attended last night’s meeting in support of a federal bill that would allow illegal immigrants to be eligible for higher education, the SGA voted to publicly support it, too.

The Student Government Association threw its support behind the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a controversial piece of federal legislation that would allow children of undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship after either attending college or serving in the U.S. military.

Though a few legislators voted against the bill, the majority was so overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution that no official vote tally was taken.

Several students and faculty members urged SGA legislators to, in their view, act in accordance with their job description and represent the student body by supporting a bill that students agree with.

Yesterday was a tough day to be a DREAMer in Georgia. In a truly shocking decision, the state board of Regents decided to BAN undocumented students from five Georgia schools of higher education.

The five schools are:

University of Georgia
Georgia Tech
Georgia State
Medical College of Georgia
Georgia College & State University

So, you may be asking yourself: What is their excuse for such a discriminatory ban? Apparently, this ban applies to colleges that have denied other “qualified participants because of space issues.” Apparently, they think undocumented students are taking seats from U.S. citizens.

All 29 of them.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on the issue, a whopping 29 students attending these universities are likely to be undocumented. So 29 students are taking away seats? And creating a “lack of space”? Yeah. Okay. Not to mention, the board didn’t have any solid statistic on how many “qualified students” were denied a college seat. Let’s just say this was a poor decision by the Regents. Actually, let’s just say what all of us are thinking: It was a dumb decision.

And that is not all, unfortunately. Lawmakers are planning to step it up a little and implement this policy at ALL institutions of higher education in the state of Georgia. I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, Georgia must really have an undocumented student population problem!” Hmm, not really. As a matter of fact, out of the 310,361 students enrolled at Georgia schools, only 501 are likely to be undocumented. That is 0.16% of the entire student population in Georgia. Yeah, big threat.

But let’s look at the core issues of this policy. Obviously, they didn’t base this decision on facts. This ban goes deeper than that. It is based on the current climate of hate and intolerance toward immigrants. And now, undocumented students are serving as scapegoats to those who are in influential positions. Denying undocumented students a college education is an impractical decision; and it does not benefit the state of Georgia in the slightest.

First of all, a college education should not be based on someone’s immigration status. Whether someone is undocumented, a legal resident, or a U.S. citizen should not matter to these schools. Admission to schools should be based on a student’s academic achievements. If an undocumented student has worked harder and has better grades than his/her U.S. citizen counterpart, then the undocumented student has EARNED a place at the school. It’s as simple as that.

Secondly, undocumented students in Georgia are forced to pay as out-of-state students. But let’s not get into how unfair that is. If the board of Regents is willing to look at the economic benefits of allowing undocumented students to attend college, they will realize the poor decision they have just made. If they had thought about it some more, they would’ve realized that schools that allow undocumented students to study often report an increase in revenue, not the other way around.

Let’s hope the Board of Regents does a little more research next time, before denying their students the opportunity to better themselves. And to all Georgia DREAMers, do not feel discouraged. Your state is on the wrong side of history, but we must not give up the fight. We are not only fighting for the DREAM Act and an education, but we are fighting extreme misinformation and intolerance as well. Remember that our time will come and we will finally be able to be free to follow our dreams.