Now you wanna help?

 

By Juan S

I thought the news of Barack Obama’s Deferred Action to DREAM Act eligible students would give me inspiration and hope. And it does. Part of me is hella excited, because it may solve some of our problems. The other part of me is really sad, empty, and angry because it excludes a lot of people that have dreams too. We’ve heard him promise similar things before. Many of us took Obamas word for it, remained docile . . . and paid the price. Not pushing Barack Obama to implement his promise led to 1.1 million people being deported. It led to a wave of anti-immigration laws and discrimination.

For example, the use of illegal has been used more and more often. We stopped becoming immigrants and became “illegals.” Calling people illegal is dehumanizing. I’m pretty sure no human being is illegal, no human should be illegal. Depriving people of free public education and a proper way of living is fucked up … that deprivation should be illegal. Even if we are “illegals”, our work ethic cannot be ignored. Look at the jornaleros, the farm-workers, the people who fix your roofs, fix your houses, clean the toilets, clean after peoples mother, father, sister, brother, or grandmother, before you call anyone illegal. These “illegals” have fed millions of people, cared for thousands, and still provide for their loved ones. That “illegal” work ethic is something America has been missing and won’t benefit from unless everyone gets the proper documentation.

This Deferred Action excludes a lot of people. It definitely won’t include our parents the people who began to dream for us. It’s because of them that we dream, that most of us have the privilege to be considered DREAMers. It also wont include those whose work was their only option. This Deferred Action is a little too late. It’s better late then never, but that doesn’t make what his administration done magically okay. Many people have been deported, including thousands of DREAM ACT eligible students. They had dreams to succeed in this country. Instead they got a middle finger by the only country most of them knew. Their dreams became a nightmare.

We cannot let this happen again. We must keep pressure and make Barack Obama implement what he promised. We must pressure by being active and present on the streets (at rallies and events,) by joining your local pro-immigrant rights organizations or online by spreading our message through twitter, facebook and tumblr. If this policy is implemented, we must continue to pressure until everyone is safe! Then, and only then, will we have truly won. But as of right now we must no longer remain in the shadows.

 

Juan S is an electrical engineer major planning to transfer from a CCSF to a four year institution. A community/student organizer in San Francisco, he also likes sports (especially baseball, college wrestling, and brazilian jiu jitsu), music, and tattoos. He eats a ridiculous amount of food for such a tiny person. He also like hugs and stuffed animals. Seriously.

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