So, for the first order of business: the rally. It's already been over a month since almost 200 people gathered on the quad to spread the word about the DREAM act. If I remember correctly, the atmosphere was pretty charged that day, and people were honestly getting riled up; even people who just happened to be passing by were becoming aggravated when they heard about our collective situation: of M.E.CH.A, U.N.F.A.S., I.S.O., the College Democrats, La Casa, La Colectiva, Amnesty International, the G.E.O., and various other organizations. Although we have differing individual agendas, on that day we coalesced around a single, tangible goal: in getting our administration to support the DREAM act and thus contributing to the overall anti-deportation effort centered around Rigo. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bipartisan legislation that addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children, who have since grown up here and been educated in U.S. high schools. As you know, Rigo is facing deportation on account of a silly mistake and the fact that he is undocumented, when in reality, he is no different from any one of us citizens. All that separates us from him (and many others sharing his situation) is a stupid piece of paper; a birth certificate, forgotten and gathering mildew god knows where. I think a lot of people recognized the ridiculous unfairness of the whole situation, and our speakers from various organizations really got through to the people present: I remember when Jesse received a letter of support from Chancellor Herman in the days following the rally, and I remember thinking 'wow, it actually worked!' To be honest, that's when I started to believe that we, as a coalition, could really make a difference. I mean, you don't just get a personal letter from the Chancellor! However, that excitement was somewhat muted when I realized that we have a long way to go, that this was just one battle in a much bigger war. We still have to take into consideration the individual interests of all the organizations that participated in the rally, as well as work harder to get the Dream act actually passed as legislation. Still, I feel that if we keep in mind the overall attitude of every rally participant that day, and remember that we as a coalition got our adiministration "off its ass", things will be much easier to handle. I know that everyone is really busy, what with school and life and things like that; but when things get too overwhelming, just think about how much of a success our rally was, and take pride in it, because you deserve it. Every single person that was there. So that's that. Until next time, its been a pleasure. Peace!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Thoughts on the Dream Act Rally
So, for the first order of business: the rally. It's already been over a month since almost 200 people gathered on the quad to spread the word about the DREAM act. If I remember correctly, the atmosphere was pretty charged that day, and people were honestly getting riled up; even people who just happened to be passing by were becoming aggravated when they heard about our collective situation: of M.E.CH.A, U.N.F.A.S., I.S.O., the College Democrats, La Casa, La Colectiva, Amnesty International, the G.E.O., and various other organizations. Although we have differing individual agendas, on that day we coalesced around a single, tangible goal: in getting our administration to support the DREAM act and thus contributing to the overall anti-deportation effort centered around Rigo. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bipartisan legislation that addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children, who have since grown up here and been educated in U.S. high schools. As you know, Rigo is facing deportation on account of a silly mistake and the fact that he is undocumented, when in reality, he is no different from any one of us citizens. All that separates us from him (and many others sharing his situation) is a stupid piece of paper; a birth certificate, forgotten and gathering mildew god knows where. I think a lot of people recognized the ridiculous unfairness of the whole situation, and our speakers from various organizations really got through to the people present: I remember when Jesse received a letter of support from Chancellor Herman in the days following the rally, and I remember thinking 'wow, it actually worked!' To be honest, that's when I started to believe that we, as a coalition, could really make a difference. I mean, you don't just get a personal letter from the Chancellor! However, that excitement was somewhat muted when I realized that we have a long way to go, that this was just one battle in a much bigger war. We still have to take into consideration the individual interests of all the organizations that participated in the rally, as well as work harder to get the Dream act actually passed as legislation. Still, I feel that if we keep in mind the overall attitude of every rally participant that day, and remember that we as a coalition got our adiministration "off its ass", things will be much easier to handle. I know that everyone is really busy, what with school and life and things like that; but when things get too overwhelming, just think about how much of a success our rally was, and take pride in it, because you deserve it. Every single person that was there. So that's that. Until next time, its been a pleasure. Peace!
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