Fight the H8, Pass the Dream Act

by Dave Bennion · 2008-11-19 08:00:00 UTC
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Friend of the blog DreamActivist had a post up a few days ago at the Sanctuary about the overlap of the two most urgent civil rights issues of our day:

President-elect Barack Obama has stated that undocumented students raised in the United States are "Americans for all intent and purposes." Yet, these undocumented American are punished for the alleged transgressions of their parents, and face many barriers to their DREAMs upon graduation from high school-often they cannot attend college, drive or work legally, obtains loans, or even legalize their status. While illegal presence is not a crime, anti-immigrant hysteria has effectively given them the tag of ‘criminal.'

The situation gets worse with the heteronormativity of U.S. immigration laws.

The Sylvia Rivera Law Project shows how this plays out in immigration and law enforcement scenarios.  Back to DreamActivist:

In this entry, you will come across undocumented LGBT youth from diverse backgrounds, states and circumstances that have come together in these waiting rooms of history to share the limbo of their lives.

Juan and Felipe depict how love cannot be illegal, Mohammad expresses how going back to Iran is certainly not an option, Prerna represents a life in isolation with a desire to succeed against all odds, Karla wants to serve this country and Moreno is currently in high school with dreams of becoming an artist.

What Can You Do

  • Spread the word via your own blogs and organizations.

  • Share your own immigration dream or nightmare with the students. If you know other students undergoing similar ordeals give them a heads up or contact us directly at admin@dreamactivist.org

  • Call or write to your legislators asking them to pass the DREAM Act in 2009, to repeal DOMA and pass the UAFA.

  • President Barack Obama said in one the debates with Senator Clinton that "one thing we can do immediately is pass the DREAM Act." Currently, he is asking for input at Change.gov - http://www.change.gov/page/s/ofthepeople. Ask him to follow through on his promises and principles and make the DREAM Act a top priority of his Administration.

I implore everyone to support and spread the word about the DREAM Act that would give these students an earned pathway to legalization and a chance to finally stop paying for crimes they have never committed. At the same time, I also encourage everyone to stand up and Fight the H8, join in the new forefront of civil rights that has finally woken up from a long slumber.

Dave Bennion
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