Trail of Dreams
Beyond a Walk
Posted on March 25, 2010 by carlos
As I write this, our motor home, which we have come to refer to as “Rusty” is driving around the RV park, making it hard to type. I keep hearing the distracting sound of the RV alarm as it backs up into our rented space for the night. Felipe, sitting nearby as he checks his email, yells “this noise is killing me” and I laugh. There’s a lot of commotion in the RV and one million and one distractions. It’s just another typical night on the trail.
We now have two additional team members, Grey and Wilfredo. They’re both activists that I’ve known for a while now. I still remember first meeting Grey at a FLIC (Florida Immigrant Coalition) Congress a couple of years back. FLIC Congress occurs once a year, and it’s a congregation of all the pro-migrant organizations in Florida aligned with the values of the coalition. She had just started this student organization known as CHISPAS at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Despite being a minority in the school, she was determined to be a strong advocate for the passage of the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act. At Congress, Felipe and I were invited by her to come speak at UF in order to share our stories and depict the struggles in the lives of undocumented students. We wanted to develop strong bonds and work to develop a youth network across the state. The FLIC Congress was the beginning of a strong alliance and mutual determination amongst organizations to achieve the passage of the DREAM Act and to provide opportunities for the futures of undocumented youth. The DREAM Act presentation we held at the UF campus encouraged many students to get involved, a couple of which actually walked with us on the trail in Gainesville.
Wilfredo is a Puerto Rican activist, who has participated in several civil disobedience actions throughout his life. In his most recent action, alongside seven others, he was on a fast for 17 days in order to call attention to the injustices of the immigration system that threatened to separate him from his family. It’s truly an honor to have both Grey and Wilfredo on the team, I feel as if the energy on the trail has improved with these new additions.
We spent this past weekend in Wilimgton, NC. We held an extremely important national interview with Univision for the show “Aqui y Ahora”. During the interview, I was able to speak out on how undocumented students continued to get deported, even though that was inconsistent with what the Obama Administration has reiterated many times. The administration has held the position that they’re only going after ‘Criminal Aliens’ when in fact, we’ve personally known of several undocumented students that have been picked up by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in situations such as heading to school.
Leslie’s story, an example of this, whose deportation recently was halted thanks to a nationwide student-led effort, is one of many anecdotes depicting what is occurring due to the failed immigration system of this nation. Leslie was asked for her proof of documentation as she was heading to Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus. Not only are bright students getting deported, but also fathers and mothers and children are seeing how immigration agents are tearing their only families apart.
These are only a few injustices of so many committed against undocumented immigrants in this nation. Our walk removes us from feeling any physical pain as we mentally reminisce some of the countless stories we’ve heard on our journey. Many of which remind me of my own personal struggles, especially having a mother battle cancer for over a decade whose mental anguish over our migratory status worsened her condition.
Regardless of the pain living the undocumented life and having aggressive cancer, her resilience was too strong and her determination to raise her children kept her alive for so long, even when the doctors would say otherwise. I firmly believe that there is nothing stronger than the love of a mother for her children.
I walk as her strength lives through me; I walk as the endless cries of over a million undocumented mothers and fathers, echo through my mind. I walk because our broken immigration system needs to recognize its effects on the destruction of our families. It needs to acknowledge our humanity once and for all.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
- The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/25/beyond-walk/
Trail of Dreams
Good news for Leslie
Posted on March 24, 2010 by alejo
In my first semester at Miami Dade College I found Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER). At first, I was skeptical. What could ten barefoot college kids sitting in a tiny apartment in the heart of Little Havana possibly change? I was also reluctant to become involved because of the risk it might pose—would authorities target my family and me for my activism?
By January 2009, I was one of millions in the red-white-and-blue national mall—witnessing the inauguration of President Obama; his historic election reaffirmed me that dreams can become a reality if you fight for them. Fighting for my dream, I marched. I was one of hundreds asking the new administration to halt the senseless raids and deportations. Armed with “Reform! Not Raids!” fliers and pins, I handed them to a group of brown-faced construction workers we walked by. They smiled – I could see the hope in their eyes. We reached the headquarters of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and I could feel the dry, icy, DC winter wind beating my face. I could also feel the penetrating cold stares of the ICE agents that surrounded the building. Neither the cold nor the fear paralyzed me. I waved the truck-sized U.S. flag and chanted Sí se puede! at the top of my lungs. It felt liberating to stand for what I believe in.
A year later, I continue that fight.
To this day, Obama still has not kept his promise, and students like Leslie are falling through the holes of the collander of our immigration system -- into detention centers.
Thankfully, because of collective grassroots actions led by SWER, FIAC, and friends, Leslie has been released from detention this Wednesday -- a week and a half later after she was unfairly detained.
It is actions that have released Leslie out of detention. It is the collective actions of individuals that have changed the status quo in the past. Don't be afraid to act, melt the antagonizing ice, and humanize those that have been dehumanized.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/24/good-news-leslie/
Trail of Dreams
Daddy's Little Girl
Tags: gaby
Posted on March 23, 2010 by gaby
From the border of South Carolina and North Carolina (Entering Charlotte)
This blog is dedicated to all the fathers we have met along the way, those that open their homes to us and made us feel as one of their own, and to those that currently fear being sepearted from their children. To my father Gustavo Enrique Pacheco and to my grandfather Alberto Santos.
I remember it as if it was yesterday; all I have to do is close my eyes and hear his voice. Its like hearing the ocean waves in the middle of the city by placing a seashell gently on your ear. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than being able to receive the love from a parent. When I was just a toddler, my father used to sit me on his bed, stare me straight in the eyes, and sing to me as he played his guitar. There was nothing then that could have distracted me from hearing the melodies of love my father would play that would echo from my ears to my heart.
My father always has been a very interesting man. Although he would have been an excellent economist, politician, or actor, his profession was that of a salesman. He was a successful man, however, my parents were discontent with their overall life in Ecuador. Their marriage was failing, their safety was always at risk, they wanted something better for their four children and one day my father decided that he would try to convince my mother to move with him to the United States. Its been 17 years since then!
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see into my fathers eyes once again. Since we left Miami on January 1st, I have seen my loved ones three times. They are always looking for a way to come up and see me anywhere I am on the trail, this is specially true for my father, who has been saving money to fly up with my mother on May first. I asked him to come up with the buses heading to DC for the rally on March 21st. “I can't go on the buses mija, I have to work”, he would tell me. I really wanted to see him and I thought well maybe if one of the buses from Miami would deviate for just a couple of miles I could give him at least a hug...but it wasn't possible. Two days before the departure to DC, he called me and said “Its a miracle, someone called me and they have rented a 15 passenger van, and invited me to come for free, but whats best is that they want to walk with you!”
In his eyes I found pride, joy, love, but I also noticed the inevitable signs of aging. It was a scary thing for me. I remembered, as a child, being taken by the hand, carried his shoulders, and taking care of me. Now, more than 2 decades later, I saw him struggling to walk at my pace, and it was I who held him firmly by his hand and took him up the road. Love like this is rare to find, like a pearl disguised in shells that can only be found in the depths of the ocean.
I cannot fully live without him by my side. When immigration customs and enforcement (ICE) shackled him and put an ankle bracelet on his foot, I saw him change. He aged quicker than ever, and now as I travel trying to ensure I could keep my family and millions of others families together, I fear the toll of him worrying about me everyday.
We cannot wait a single second longer. With every minute of the day, we get closer to the ultimate separation of family, death. Although, it was I who held my dad firmly by his hands and guided him down the road, it was him that kept the rhythm of my heart going. I need him, and in the arms of this country lies the fate of my heart.
Proverbs 17:6
Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/23/Daddys-little-girl/
Trail of Dreams
My Family is Here
Posted on March 22, 2010 by grey
An anxiety overwhelmed my body, tingles from head to toe. I stopped and looked at her. After today, I thought, things were going to be different. I will be with them for almost 2 months. Things will change in my life’s book. Finalmente, Lucharé junto a ellos. Caminando.
Grey, you’re thinking in Spanish again. Focus. I know it hurts. Piensa en ellos, tu mamá, tu papá, tu hermana. En ti. En todos. No podemos seguir asi. Focus. You know what you feel. Pick up the phone and connect with your soul. It’s never been right. Quince años e indocumentada. My head is spinning with random thoughts, but my feelings remain constant. Happiness. Confidence. Faith. Hope.I will be with them. In pain and struggle, you have found brothers and sisters and in their dreams, power and strength, you have found your motivation. They are your family. They will be your home.
I looked at her, my mother, looking tired and worn out. Not because of age, but because of the years of pain and sacrifice etched on her face. A housekeeper, in the shadows. I waved goodbye. She wipes away her tears.
He waves at me. My dad, now in his 50’s, didn’t drive to drop me off. No license. He stands tall, hands in his pockets, and smiles. He’s happy. So am I.
She calls me right then. The valedictorian of her class, my sister has the brains but no papers. She wishes me luck and tells me she loves me.
If I scream it at the top of my lungs, will someone tell me why this is happening?
The bus leaves. I look one last time and we drive away.
My family is everything to me. I left them back in Florida.
I arrived in Spartanburg, South Carolina after 24 hours on the greyhound. I arrived looking for them, looking to be with the four people that keep inspiring me to do what I do.
I FOUND THEM HERE! My family is here.
I saw my mom in Gaby, nurturing and caring. She’s wise beyond her years and doesn’t let on. She’ll be a great mother someday. Una luchadora hasta el final. QUE RABIA! It’s not fair. UNDOCUMENTED.
I saw my sister in Carlos, analytical and strong. He has a presence, one that has impacted me. 20 years and still nothing. He wants to become and architect and so does she. Creative minds. Creative souls. Y que? UNDOCUMENTED.
I saw my father in Juan, cool, calm and collected. His intelligence exudes from within. Wow, he’s so eloquent. So many dreams and aspirations. TRISTEZA, RABIA, INJUSTICIA. UNDOCUMENTED.
I saw my mother in Felipe, so happy and carefree. His heart is light, despite his continuing struggle. YA BASTA. NO MAS. UNDOCUMENTED.
My family needs me. Grey, why do you do this? Remind yourself why. WHY? My family is suffering, they bleed from the inside but no one sees it.
You need to see it. We all need to see it. I’m here now. I heeded the call because I believe. I believe in them. I believe in the power we all have together.
I got into the RV and drove away. We drove to the light, united.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/22/my-family-here/
Trail of Dreams
Enough is Enough
Tags: felipe
Posted on March 18, 2010 by felipe
FROM: Lockhart, SC (within the city limits of Jonesville)
*Felipe giving testimonial at Townhall Meeting, Miami and Leslie graduation photo
A few days ago, I woke up thinking that I would experience an average day. Little did I know that I was going to witness one of the saddest episodes of the walk. I received a call from a good friend letting me know that Leslie Coche had been detained aboard the Tri-Rail -a local train system in Florida, from Miami to Palm Beach County, as she was going to class. I was shocked and speechless for a few seconds as I heard the voice through the receiver asking for help. Allow me to introduce who Leslie is:
Leslie is an eighteen year-old girl who had just graduated from high school with honors and could only afford two classes at Miami Dade College due to the high fees required as a “non-resident” student. She was brought to this country when she was only ten years-old and is currently the youngest inmate in Broward Transitional Center (a detention center in South Florida). What was her crime to justify her being picked up without any respect to her rights?
Leslie symbolizes the reason why we need immigration reform now that ensures family unity and equal access to education, but most importantly, she is a very clear example that our political leaders’ words do not match their actions. President Obama and his administration have continuously lied to us by saying that they are only seeking the deportation and detention of “criminals”. Our communities continue to be raided and the current system does not fail in stealing away those we love. While any student in the United States was thinking about his or her test or homework, Leslie was getting detained in the train station on her way to school. After this infamous call I imagined the following scene: Leslie sitting on a bench, waiting for the train (probably reading a book or doing homework) and out of nowhere an officer approached her to ask for her “papers”. Why this is relevant to me in specifically? I used to take the same train to go to school, the same campus Leslie attended before she was detained a few days ago. I know that route too well to know that I could’ve been the one asked for my papers at one point and taken away.
Students like Leslie and I, who depend on the Tri-Rail to go to downtown Miami to attend school at Miami Dade College, would have to take at least two hours of public transportation. This sacrifice now became intensified by the fear inflicted on us due to the flash raids that Customs and Border Protection agents are doing. Episodes such as her detention are the reason why I walk. I walk because I know everyday thousands of immigrant youth go to school asking themselves when their name will come up in the Department of Homeland Security’s deportation list. We have become sitting ducks, not knowing who is getting hit next.
The constant terror of deportation is such a prevalent part of our lives that we, undocumented youth, forget the strength we truly have. Last year, we stopped several deportations and this year we can’t fail to do the same. More than ever, we can’t hide or be quiet. When people come to me and ask my status I “come out” once again.
Yesterday a man who was hurting due to the sickness of his wife approached us with great dismay. He said, “The reason why my wife can’t get a liver transplant is because people like you are draining our system.” We were able to speak and change his heart by breaking the stereotypes we heard so many times in the media through our personal narrative. In the end of the event he told us that we weren’t at all what he expected and basically realized that we weren’t in fact the cause of any of his wife’s ailments. If all of us were to do the same and talk to at least a neighbor about our status, sharing our personal, human stories, so many hearts would change.
The question that remains is: how can we prove that people like Leslie should not be criminalized and taken away? How can we ever ask for change if we are not willing to work towards it? Freedom is not free, it only comes through struggle and hardship, but most importantly through courageous acts. Speak up! Do not keep quiet! This is your turn to make sure that your story or Leslie’s get to be told through the mouths of people who understand the issue and can properly testify on our behalf. It is up to you to either tell your story through your mouth or let people like Glenn Beck say it for you.
Some ways you can take action NOW to help Leslie Cocche is to:
1.Demand her immediate release from detention:
a.Call Janet Napolitano, Director of Department of Homeland Security, and leave comments of support for Leslie and also ask that DHS stop her deportation: 202-282-8495*
*this is an answering machine, once it is full it is out of commission for the day. Fill it up now with calls supporting Leslie.
1.Call Assistant Secretary to ICE, John Morton and leave a message urging him to take action and defer Leslie’s deportation: 202.732.3000*
*This is a live comment line, i.e. a human being will pick up and take your message. Be very polite “I am calling to leave a message of support for Leslie Cocche, I ask that Director Morton contact Field Director Rebbecca and defer Leslie’s deportation, she is an asset to this country.”
**You may be advised to redirect your call to the Florida field office, whose number is below. It is still important for the D.C. office to register the number of calls received on her behalf.
3) Call the Miami field office (Miami Office of Detention and Removal Operations) at (305) 207-2001 to urge deferral on Leslie's case. If necessary, you can provide them with her "A" number, A089-231-361
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/18/enough-enough/
CNN
Students risk dreams -- and deportation -- in walk for recognition
By Elizabeth M. Nunez, CNN
March 23, 2010 12:23 p.m. EDT
When he first arrived in the United States, 14-year-old Felipe Matos liked to go to the supermarket after school just to walk the aisles.
"There was so much food! I would just look at the milk -- there's like 50 types of milk!"
Miami, Florida, was a world apart from the poor neighborhood in Brazil where he was raised by a single mother and older sister. Now 24, he recalls "lacking everything" at home in Duque de Caxias, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
There was no running toilet, and most of the time not enough food to go around. "I would be the only one at home allowed to drink a cup of milk," he says.
When his mother fell ill and could no longer work as a maid to support her family, she sent Felipe to Florida to live with a sister.
"It was one of the saddest days of my life. I was so scared. I got in the plane crying a lot and people didn't know what was happening because I only spoke Portuguese."
Felipe's story is like that of many children and teenagers who are brought or sent to the United States. Their families hope to escape hardship, persecution or poverty. The children study hard and excel in school. Then, just as the dream of getting a college education or a job is within grasp, they learn that they face deportation. As undocumented adults, they can attend college but are ineligible for financial aid. They must pay the steep tuition costs charged to foreign students.
The stellar future of a promising student becomes the uncertain one of an undocumented immigrant.
The greatest opportunity for young people like Felipe lies in the passage of the federal Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the Dream Act. In a 2009 report, The College Board estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduate each year from high school. The legislation would enable those who arrived in the United States before 16 and have lived here at least five consecutive years to obtain residency. Felipe entered the country on a tourist visa and enrolled in middle school.
"My sister said to me, 'This is a country of opportunities. If you work hard, you will make it. Our mother worked hard so the only thing I ask is that you do well in school and make her proud.' And that's what I did."
He spoke no English and stayed up nights translating textbooks and memorizing the lessons. He wrote plays that won regional competitions and graduated with honors.
But high school graduation seemed to signal the end of the road. Without money for tuition and ineligible for financial aid, he got a job and started saving for college. When a friend told him about Miami-Dade College's honors program, he applied and was able to afford tuition with a scholarship and help from his family.
By the time he graduated with an associate degree in international affairs, Felipe had been elected student government president and was recognized as one of 20 New Century Scholars nationwide. He got accepted to American University, Tulane, Duke and Florida International University, but could attend none without financial aid.
St. Thomas University, a Catholic college in Miami, awarded him a scholarship.
He hoped to become a teacher "because I believe that the way out of poverty is getting an education." But that dream ended when he learned he would need a Social Security number to teach. He then chose to study law but discovered his undocumented status would prevent him from taking the bar exam.
"I asked them, 'tell me something that I can study so that I can have a degree.' I chose economics so that I can at least work in development."
One of many dreams
At Miami-Dade, Felipe had learned he was not alone in his plight. He joined Students Working for Equal Rights and met its founder, Gaby Pacheco.
Pacheco came to the U.S. from Ecuador at 7. With three degrees in education, the 25-year-old wants to teach autistic children. But first she must resolve her undocumented status.
Juan Rodriguez is a 20-year-old Colombian who after 13 years in the U.S. became a resident in 2008. Carlos Roa, 22, was a toddler when his sister brought him from Venezuela. He harbored hopes of joining the military.
With these three members of the student activist group, Felipe joined in demonstrating against the detention of classmates and friends. But with little attention from authorities, they decided to stop waiting and start walking -- all the way to Capitol Hill -- to draw attention to their situation. They began the 1,500-mile journey from Miami on January 1.
Traveling in an unmarked RV donated by the Florida Immigration Coalition, the four get out every day to walk from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
They stop to speak about discrimination but mostly they want to hear others' stories. At times, more than 100 people have joined them in the walk. They've traversed Ku Klux Klan territory, sat with immigrant day laborers, received donations, food, places to stay and support in the unlikeliest places.
Follow their journey at http://www.trail2010.org/.
Making friends along the way
In South Carolina, they were surprised by the unexpected generosity of an African-American woman who was cleaning a church where they stopped to rest.
"She drove to meet us and gave us five bucks," Felipe recalls. "That's how we've been paying for everything. This is what makes me get up and put on my shoes every morning."
For the dreamers, as they call themselves, the walk gives voice to those who, out of fear, can not speak out -- such as the 18-year-old student from Peru who was detained by immigration officials on Friday as she waited for the tri-rail train to go to Miami-Dade College.
"Hardly a week or two goes by that we don't hear one of our students got picked up by immigration," says Eduardo Padron, president of Miami-Dade College, which has an enrollment of about 175,000 students.
"Many of these young people are the best students in their classes -- valedictorians -- and when they are ready to go to college they cannot afford it," Padron says.
The Dream Act was first introduced in 2009. Within the Comprehensive Immigration Reform package, the provisions to give students a path to residency are perceived as the least contentious. But many opponents of the act still view it as nothing but a first step in granting amnesty to illegal aliens.
Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, says part of the opposition is focused on the fact that the proposed law might benefit more than the young adults who came to this country as children.
Camarota, who favors stronger immigration laws, says there is also the fundamental question of fairness to those who come to the U.S. legally to study.
"To some, it strikes them as unfair that illegals will get this subsidy when they shouldn't be here in the first place," he said.
Felipe says making his undocumented status public and walking to D.C. was not a question but an imperative.
"We could either sit and be quiet in Miami and wait for them to come and get us or we could raise up our voice so that the abuses can stop."
As the foursome crossed into North Carolina last weekend, their determination was fueled by the people they met along the way.
"We set out not only to change the hearts and minds but also to motivate our peers and other undocumented people to come out and not to be afraid anymore," Felipe says. "But something funny happened. They motivate us more than we motivate them."
link to http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/22/dream.act.education/index.html?iref=allsearch
Diego Ortiz visits the Trail of DREAMs
Posted on March 17, 2010 by meagan
©2010 Diego M. Ortiz
from: Columbia and Spartanburg, SC
Trail of Dreams
A troop of brave students are walking
From Miami Florida to Washington DC
To raise awareness and support for down-trotted
Dreamers like me.
As the core four keep tugging along
They are sure to find that the road is long,
But out of the shadows and into the light
Their courage and spirit together shines bright,
And they carry with them more than just heart
Though it’s become apparent right from the start,
That ambition and passion has set them apart.
Now on the asphalt road of the US Southeast,
They walk and singsong for justice and peace.
And on May 1st when they reach their destination--
The capital of this great American nation,
They’ll walk right up without hesitation
To the hall where learned men write legislation
And the brave dreamers will articulate our situation.
If the legislators in their cozy chairs care to listen
And the four illustrate what this country is missing,
Then soon our darkened smiles will start to glisten.
I predict that we would all see a new-found patriotism and optimism
When the shunned youth are given means for altruism.
It started with a dream; it grew into a movement,
And then four began to march.
Their goal: a nationwide improvement.
So walk young humanists, walk courage ones.
Walk together. Fight blisters and sores
Because blisters heal and callous and toughen the skin,
And sore muscles harden with strength to fight on.
We are a bruised generation and we live vicariously through them.
One step closer to a dream.
For anyone in need of motivation, who is looking for a “pick-me –up,” for a reason to get out of bed in the morning, for some reassurance that this cheerless state of affairs will improve, look no further than the four brave students walking the Trail of Dreams 2010. I have had the pleasure to meet Gabby, Carlos, Juan and Felipe in person and for a brief moment I was permitted a glimpse into their lives. What I found was a fountain of inspiration.
These four merchants of compassion are truly courageous and kind. They enjoy a genuine desire for making a difference in the lives of the millions of undocumented people in the United States. What sets them apart is that they allow their desire to manifest itself in a style that if left to blossom would produce a world of equality, kindness and humanity. These are the leaders of a movement that will empower a million voices to sing.
Their efforts are beginning to resonate across the country and as they walk the buzz grows more and more powerful. And like a spider that patiently weaves her web, so have the four students and their loyal support team weaved a net. But instead of feasting on the captured insects, these dream weavers are working to free the oppressed immigrants from the bondage of a broken immigration system.
They are humble and authentic romantics who are not afraid to dream. They are optimists who face the complexities of our struggle with realist’s lenses. They transcend contemporary values and they serve as a bridge connecting American ideals--from the revolution and the battle for independence; to the anti-slavery and abolitionist movement; to women’s suffrage; to the civil rights campaign. They serve as a reminder of what is right with America, but they stand against what is wrong in America.
They are lanterns of justice. They are beacons of peace. They are a guiding light for a country that has gone astray in the night. They are the incandescent proof that this generation relegated to the shadows has a bright future ahead. They are radiant leaders we invite to hoist our banner.
Other generations have had their Douglass’, their B. Anthony’s, their King’s, their Park’s, and now we, who are a generation of “X’s”, have heroes we can point to and say, “they walk for me because I can’t walk for myself.”
So carry on you sojourners for hope. Move forward you pilgrims for equal opportunity. Do this for me and for all of us who dream of one day telling our children the story of how this country’s greatness was restored out of the strength and conviction of a few students from Miami and the millions who they inspired.
Thank you Felipe Matos. Thank you Gabby Pacheco. Thank you Carlos Roa. Thank you Juan Rodriguez.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/17/diegoisortiz-visits-trail-dreams/
Tags: carlos
Posted on March 15, 2010 by carlos
As I write this blog, I’m thinking about how nostalgic I feel of Miami. Words cannot express how much I miss those corner Cuban cafeterias in Little Havana, where I’d go to have café con leche y una tostada in the morning. I find myself routinely daydreaming of seeing the sunrise in South Beach, reminiscing good times I’ve had with old flames, thinking about architectural structures I hope to design one day. My mind feels scattered to say the least, even as I type these exact words, but I digress.
We are currently in South Carolina, undergoing a renewed sense of mental centering. It’s been relatively low key compared to Georgia, where we were bombarded daily with things to do. Its intensity took a toll on us both physically and mentally. Everyday, we’d wake up around 6:30AM and begin our daily roundabouts, which often times would lead late into the evening. We wouldn’t get to our rest locations until late into the evening, and on average we’d go to sleep around 12:00AM, staying up late taking care of important tasks. That was the easy part though. The hardest part of our stay in Georgia, by far, was listening to the struggles immigrants face day to day.
We’ve listened to the same repeated stories: mothers being afraid of driving their kids to school because of the omnipresent fear of getting detained and/or deported, and high school seniors feeling completely hopeless on graduation date because they can’t continue their studies in higher education. Subconsciously my fist clinches itself out of anger, anger towards all these injustices. I feel the stress on my raw nerve, as I feel myself give a deep breath. It makes me think of my own mother and how she would drive my sisters and I to school, even though she didn’t have a license (because she couldn’t get one) and how she would drive us regardless of the pain she felt due to the metastatic cancer on her left leg. I think about how millions of people undergo the same fear everyday because of their undocumented status. It’s only one of many complex dimensions of an internalized oppression that seems inescapable, to the point that the undocumented individual submissively subjects themselves into believing this subconscious inferiority¹.
"Come on come on
That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is
aww yeah" -"Changes" by: Tupac
¹Internalized oppression is like a partial loss of ones humanity from self-deprecating beliefs. Oppositional forces use terms such as illegal aliens in their deceptive depictions of the undocumented. The word illegal itself is used in such a manner that is meant to cognitively dehumanize and criminalize the individual. For many, the word alien, when combined with the word illegal automatically draws demeaning stereotypes. If you question these mentally imprinted images to be true, then test yourself by recalling the images in your mind of when you immediately read "illegal alien".
Despite all the saddening stories of struggle, we also witnessed signs of great hope and had unforgettable experiences. We were amazed by the good will of the people of Georgia that work so hard in developing and protecting their communities. We were awestruck by the level of grassroots organizing, with groups such as GLAHR (Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights). I felt as if my pulse and understanding of the movement grew ten-fold from the company of Adelina, co-director and community organizer. As Father Patrick from St. Anthony’s Catholic Church told us yesterday, "This is probably one of the greatest learning experiences of your lives". That couldn’t have been truer. We’ve spoken and walked with hundreds of people and have learned so much not only about others; but we’ve also have deeply reflected within ourselves.
I recalled my past; the moments in my life from which I still sustain open wounds. I reminisced and prepared myself mentally for the journey still ahead of me.
Carlos Roa, Gwinnett County
We had an action in Gwinnett County, where we held a press conference if front of a Sheriff’s Office in protest of the 287(g) program. Sheriff "Butch" Conway, referred by many as the "Arpaio of the South", likes to bolster how crime rates have dropped in Gwinnett County since first implementing the 287(g). What Mr. Conway fails to mention, however, is how undocumented immigrants have become fearful of law enforcement who are seen no different to immigration agents. Hence, undocumented immigrants report less crimes to the Sheriff’s office because of their fear of being criminalized for the lack of status, when many don’t even have access to any pathway to citizenship. Both the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Georgia and the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) in Georgia and nationwide have been strong opponents of the 287(g) program and have conducted extensive reports on the inefficiency of the program and its overall negating effects on communities.
The action we held was a risky situation for us, considering that we were undocumented entering a 287(g) county. His office tried to turn us away, but we were going to attempt to speak with him regardless. Our entire Trail team was fearful for our safety because of the high risk of getting deported, since we were going to civilly enter the Sheriff offices and declare our undocumented status and publicly denounce the 287(g) program.
"An unjust law is no law at all"
- St. Augustine
We had the action on March 3rd, a day I could never forget, considered that it was also the four year anniversary of my mother’s passing due to a long battle with cancer. I was chosen to speak for the group beforehand at the press conference, because my fellow walkers knew how much that action meant for me. People say that the anticipation of a fearful occurrence is worse than the occurrence itself.
"Courage faces fear and thereby masters it" - Martin Luther King, Jr.
The hours leading to the action, I eradicated those fears from within -fear that had long controlled and paralyzed me. All I could think about was the 16 years that my mother had lived in this country undocumented and how much she struggled with my father to raise me in this country so that I could have a better life. I could only think about her struggle and her dream of seeing me excel and how proud it would’ve made her to see how far I’ve come despite the obstacles. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. That’s where my family’s strength comes from, having a mother who fought so hard so that her three young children could have a better life.
"No oppression is so heavy or lasting as that which is inflicted by the perversion and exorbitance of legal authority" - Joseph Addison
We entered the Sheriff’s office and weren’t able to speak with Sheriff Conway directly; but by then, it didn’t matter. The intended public denouncement against him and the 287(g) program was achieved. We accomplished our objective of calling out and debunking the weak premises of his anti-immigrant rhetoric. "Undocumented Students Call Sheriff’s Bluff" read the nationwide release the following day. We wanted undocumented immigrants in Gwinnett County and across thee nation to harness that courage to begin their process of self-liberation and towards regaining their lost humanity -the humanity that can only be reclaimed by exercising the integrity of self-actualization.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/15/confronting-287g/
Tags: juan
Posted on March 14, 2010 by juan
Currently, in a city in the United States of America:
… a girl looks out at the world with the unconditional love of innocence –wondering when and if she will ever get to see her older sisters again;
… a father is clutching his son in his arms to shield him from the evening chill of a desert on the fringes a tiny border town –incubating an embodiment of the future that he always wished he could have provided for himself, and that will likely exceed his wildest expectations;
… a son is gripping his arms around his own waist wishing he could make a knot that could suffocate the internal pain of starvation at the end of a perilous journey to the promise of an opportunity he knows he may or may not ever reach;
… a future is being snuffed away from the fingertips of a high school graduate who got to see many sunrises studying for this very moment where his greatest aspirations are literally no more than a nine digit number away;
… there is a moment when a man in his twenties or thirties is venturing forth from his residence to seek employment, unsure if he will find any, be paid for his labor, or will even make it back home in the evening;
… a worker stares at the scars and bruises on her palms and forearms –the blisters, scrapes and gashes- knowing that if she so much as raises a gasp regarding her deteriorating health to her employer, she could very easily be scolded, fired, replaced by a man, or even handed over to officials who would charge her with the crime of trying to keep herself alive;
… a life counts away the seconds of its existence, wondering if a finely sharpened blade is a better or simpler answer to immobility when one can barely be acknowledged as a human being;
… a being presses its warm lips to the cheek of its mother, yearning to capture the love encompassed within the totality of that very moment lest a loud knocking sound at the door THIS night, taking it away from the beautiful woman that nurtured and blessed it with the opportunity of LIFE.
This year ALONE in America, 65,000 new students wonder if they will ever be able to sit in a lecture hall of a university or college, or if this country will continue to shut its doors on them only because they are missing a sheet of paper or a rectangular piece of plastic that somehow legitimizes their existence (when they never even had the volition to try to access it).
Currently, in the hearts and minds of millions of people in the United States of America, BEINGS are asking themselves if this country will continue to turn its eyes from the hundreds of thousands of innocent people who keep disappearing in our neighborhoods, and if our President and Congress will take the slightest initiative to preserve the fundamental values and principles that make the DREAM of liberty a possibility at all…
Only you can decide what you’ll do about it. When you’re ready...
Text “TRAIL” to 30644
and join me on this journey for liberation
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/14/your-town-very-day/
Tags: gaby
Posted on March 12, 2010 by gaby
My blog is dedicated to all those students who decided to walk into the light.
The first bell rings and its time to wake up. I rush to the bathroom, brush my teeth, change my clothes, and comb my hair. I run out of the house, jump the fence, cross the four lane street and there I am, in school. I was a tenth grader then, and I was in a new school. I was part of the first graduating class of Felix Varela Senior High. We would be the first to leave legacies behind for future students to come, for me and my 800+ classmates.
For almost ten years I had attended school with my native U. S. born friends. We weren't any different, like them, I had participated in afterschool extra-curriculum activities, field trips, dances and the pain of suddenly losing one of our classmates.
It was around this time that I realized my future after high school was not going to be the same as my friends, even though I had worked just as hard in obtaining the excellent grades and excelling in everything I had the opportunity of participating in. I understood that indeed I was different and that for over ten years, I had been hiding inside a closet. For many long days I thought about coming out of the closet. I wanted to tell the whole world who I really was. It was a difficult decision to make. I thought, how would this affect the relationships with my friends; how would I be judged and how will my parents be affected? I would think about it day and night and often daydream about it in school. I thought, maybe someone will help and perhaps there are more people like me.
It took a lot of courage to do it but one day 10th grade I told everyone “I, Maria Gabriela Pacheco, the girl that most know since the third grade, am UNDOCUMENTED”.
My teachers couldn't believe it. Some tried to help me, while others made fun of it. I still remember one of my teachers yelling across the room, “Hey Pocahontas, why don't you get married” or “Pocahontas, when is the wedding?”. Funny enough that is the only pathway to citizenship that ever seemed to be available to me, even after my multiple consultations with various of the top immigration lawyers in the country.
Coming into the light had its benefits. Once I was out, there was no reason to lie to anyone or fear anymore. Because I was out, I was able to explain my situation to every college admissions personnel I would meet. And in fact in my school there were several undocumented students, all came to me and shared their secret of also not having papers. One student made me promise that if I was to find a way to go to college, that I would share the information with him. One day, I met a Miami Dade College recruiter who decided to help me enter college. Since then, I’ve been able to obtain three college degrees from MDC, and have also represented at both local and state level the student body as the SGA president.
However, coming out of the closet also had its backlash. On July 26, 2006 there was a raid conducted at 6 AM in my home, and my parents and sister where detained. I was fortunate to have acted quickly and was able to get out of being detained as well. At first, I thought it was a mistake, a coincidence that ICE by chance had come to my house. It wasn't until my sister called and told me “Gaby, the man is telling me I should thank you for what is happening to us”. They really came looking for me! Everything I had done as an advocate for human rights and for students had an effect on my family and ICE hit me where it hurt the most, my family. Even though my family is still at risk of being deported because I publicly came into the light, this has allowed me to work with organizations that fight for immigrant rights and has indeed allowed me to keep my family close to me for much longer than I probably would have been able to if we had just stayed living in fear (disappearing in the middle of the night like thousands of other immigrants nationwide). My friends at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, SWER, and MDC have helped me and I know I can count on them to be the support I need when I am weakest.
What is fear and how do we conquer it? On this walk we have had to conquer many of our fears. Today for instance, we were stopped by the police, something that in many cities means potential deportation. We have heard so many cases of people being detained for no apparent reason. Police are now interrogating people and are asking for migratory status (this is in part because police have entered "287g agreements" and are now acting as ICE agents). Without much hesitation we calmly spoke to the police officer, told him what we were doing and proudly handed him information about the walk. How did I do it, well in part because I whole heartedly believe that there is nothing to fear but fear it self, nevertheless, we are able to conquer our fears because we are not alone, we are together in this struggle.
We walk often with shirts that say UNDOCUMENTED and we do it proudly, not because we are proud to be undocumented, but rather because we are putting out a statement:
WE ARE HUMANS TOO AND WE CANNOT BE IGNORED AND EXPLOITED ANYMORE.
We stick together and support each other. In the end, the only way we are going to conquer this fear and live life how God meant it to be will only be if we work collectively and support each other.
Lastly, I hope to be able to soon see the 2.5 million undocumented students wearing black UNDOCUMENTED shirts and standing united as we walk into the light to say what my dear friend Carlos once said to me “We the undocumented should no longer be afraid to be undocumented”
Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/12/walking-lights/
NO MORE FEAR, COME OUT! (DreamActivist.org)
Tags: felipe
Posted on March 5, 2010 by None
In the words of Harvey Milk:
"Brothers and Sisters, you must come out! Come out to your parents, come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends, come out to your neighbors, come out to your fellow workers. Once and for all, let's break down the myth and destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake, for their sake. For the sake of all the youngsters who've been scared." - Harvey Milk
The day is almost here. On March 10th, undocumented youth all over this country will finally come out the shadows and lay claim to their own futures launching us into our week of action, the National Coming out of the Shadows week (March 15th to the 21st). No longer will we let ourselves be intimidated, scared and ashamed. We have worked long and hard, we have risen to meet every challenge and we have made this country a better place for all. And yet, we are relegated to live in fear. So let us come out and end this fear.
Yes, we are undocumented. We do not have those nine magic numbers. We are without papers. But we are not and have never been without identities, without dreams, without hope for the future. The time is NOW to claim our identities, our country, our rights, and our dreams.
And it begins with YOU. It is your time to come out as an undocumented youth. But you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of promising young people, just like yourself, are making the decision to come out with you. Together, we are coming out of the shadows, leaving behind the fear and the broken promise of the American Dream. We are empowering ourselves to seek a better future, a future in which we are respected, in which our families live with dignity, in which our American Dream is possible.
We know that coming out as undocumented is a terrifying thought for many of us. But we also know that the experience is empowering and liberating for each of us, as well as for all of us as a community. We have created a guide to coming out to help you work through your fears and come up with coming out plan that is right for you. You can find that guide here. Additionally, you can contact us for help in planning your coming out. We are here to support each other through this process!
We have prepared a guide to help you get going, in addition to different levels of coming out, check it out here: Coming out, A How to Guide.
Will you come out with me?
Mohammad Abdollahi
Co-founder DreamActivist.org
Online and Youth Organizer Manager
Need 1 to 1 support? Call us at 1.800.596.7498 or
Email: mo@dreamactivist.org
P.S. If you are an ally and not undocumented work with your undocumented connections and help them come out.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/5/no-more-fear-come-out-dreamactivistorg/
Gwinnett County Sheriff Meeting
Posted on March 3, 2010 by meagan
We've had wonderful success in Atlanta. On Saturday we walked the final 1.5 miles into Atlanta with over 200 people and a marching band from Georgia Tech. We left from Moreland Plaza and arrived to the First Iconium Baptist Church on Moreland Avenue where there were over 300 attendees. At the meeting we had a state representative come out, and we received a letter from the mayor in support of the Trail. Monday night we had dinner at the GLAHR office where high school students such as Rubi from Marietta joined the regular crowd for the community meeting. We stayed in warm, clean beds at Agnes Scott College, where Suzy, Irene, and Kalena met us for breakfast every day.
Today is the first time that we are really leaving the Atlanta perimeter, and potentially starting another dark chapter in the Trail of Dreams like the KKK rally we had before Atlanta, as the walkers attempt to meet with the sheriff of Gwinnett County, R.L. "Butch" Conway. The sheriff is proud of his recently implemented 287-G program, which is the reason that the walkers, if arrested, face deportation in as little as 2 days.
We have many going with us - many leaving their docum ents at home - from organizations such as ABLE, GLAHR, SPLC (the Southern Poverty Law Center), and the ACLU. Gaby, Felipe, Juan, and Carlos only want to talk - to show not only that they as immigrants are human - but also to reaffirm - that they are not afraid.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/3/gwinnett-county-sheriff-meeting/
Tomorrow, we will not be afraid
Tags: felipe
Posted on March 3,
2010 by felipe
In times like today I think of my mother and her wisdom.
We were
separated by an unfair system and I can't go visit her due to my
status. Sometimes I really fear that her fragile health may make us
permenantly separated. Tomorrow would be a step towards a place where
people like us can know that they will not have to live with the pain
and stigma of being undocumented forever. We are building a world
where
human dignity comes first and each human being's dream is
valuable. I am
sooo inspired by the work this team does. One of the
students from SWER the
day he found out about his deportation order
went back home devasted and his
mother said: we will find a way to
make a way. This is exactly what this
action represents. We are
creating a way to have a voices heard. I love you
all!
link to
http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/mar/3/tomorrow-we-will-not-be-afraid/
Entering Atlanta in Solidarity
Posted on February 25, 2010 by
meagan
As an organizer for the Trail, I will be joining as we walk into
Atlanta this Saturday, February 27th. Atlanta residents and others will be
joining them about 1.5 miles south of the city. Nationwide, organizations are
joining in by walking in solidarity as part of United We Dream's Week of Action.
United We Dream is a nationwide youth-led coalition of Dreamers, and
they've put out an ask for nationwide solidarity actions. From the
DreamActivist.org site:
In 1965, African Americans marched demanding
voting rights. Forty-five years later, four brave undocumented students have
embarked in a 1,500 mile walk from the Miami Freedom Tower to the U.S. Capitol
to “tell the world that the present is unbearable . . . living in fear – living
in the shadows, is very cold.” We call on all Dreamers to stand in solidarity
with Felipe, Carlos, Gaby and Juan and plan actions in support of them on
Thursday, February 25th and walks and marches in support of the Trail on
Saturday the 27th.
In Los Angeles, NAKASEC is teaming up with UWD to
lead the The California Trail of Dreams & supporting organizations include
the Dream Team Los Angeles, CHIRLA, and the Korean Resource Center. They are
meeting at Seoul International Park at 8:00 AM to walk 18 miles towards East Los
Angeles and end at Wilshire/Western Metro Stop in Koreatown by 5:15pm.
Just south of Los Angeles in Santa Ana, the Orange County Dream Team is
starting at 9 AM to walk five miles to end in Cesar Chavez Campesino Park for a
rally.
Entering Atlanta is a landmark in our journey towards the Capitol
and I feel blessed to be a part of it and to know that there are so many others
who are willing to stand in solidarity for just and fair immigration reform.
Please check out some of these solidarity actions as they've been plotted on our
route page! More are to come.
link to
http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/feb/25/entering-atlanta-solidarity/
Contradictions
Tags: Juan
Posted on February 20, 2010 by juan
From Nahunta, GA
Sometimes I wish I could go up to a member of the KKK and ask them, “if I were able to promise you that Bogota is a city in western Idaho, would you hate me just a little bit less? Would you see me as any more of a human being?” The entire concept of “nationality” seems to strange to me sometimes. Who in this world has NEVER moved anywhere? Whether it be to live in a larger home, for job opportunities, for safety, for better weather… etc. What makes your family’s migration from Pennsylvania to Florida any more “legal” than my family’s migration from Colombia to here. The purpose here isn’t to start an endless debate about policy, but rather to get us to really think about the human difference in one family trying to make a better living for those they love versus another in another region of the world. Yesterday, a gentleman who “owned the land” where we stopped to rest briefly off the side of a highway said to us, “I find it extremely disrespectful that you would think its appropriate to just sit here on another man’s land without their consent.” All of this seemed so foreign and hipocritical to me. I wish someone would have said that to Christopher Columbus. Maybe I’m just being difficult, but seriously, when did it become illegal to stop and take a breath? At what point did we give people the right to shoot someone if they touch your patch of grass? It doesn’t make any sense to me.
Today we drove to Nahunta, GA where the KKK was organizing an anti-immigrant demostration, under the premise that “God put each race in their respective continent and they were meant to stay there. “ I can’t help but keep being amused by these concepts that the very organization can’t seem to be able to uphold appropriately. Is the KKK secretly on a campaign to reclaim all lands back for the indigenous people of North America and preparing for the voyage back to Europe? I find this highly unlikely.
It is disappointing that after so many years of social reformation, we still have organizations filled with so much hate convening and gaining the support of communities. When will people actually listen to BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY. I was there too! Hello!? Anybody willing to listen to MY story? I promise I won’t try to convince you of something as obviously absurd as “immigrants are the cause of unemployment and global warming.” How did we do that? With Jalapeno peppers? I’m very confused about this.
Ultimately, the success of today was to be able to stand hand in hand with our friends from the NAACP; singing liberation songs together and acknowledging our united struggle for racial justice. We ALL deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We all deserve to be acknowledged for our humanity.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/feb/20/contradictions/
True Reasons
Posted on February 19, 2010 by felipe
from Americus, GA
I would like to dedicate today’s blog to Nancy, a DREAMer, who dreams of giving her parents a home someday so they can live comfortably and at peace.
When I was a small child I learned a Brazilian song by Toquinho,
“Era ma casa muito engracada
Nao tinha teto
Nao tinha nada”
“Once a upon a time there was a very funny house
It didn’t have a roof
Nothing at all”
This children’s song depicts the picture of poverty and the desire of millions of people each day who dream of having a home. What many leave out of the immigration debate are many of the true causes of migration. Today, we visited the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity in Americus, GA. One of the most interesting parts of this small town is a place called Global Village. This place shows various models of homes that Habitat for Humanity has helped to build all around the world. The vision behind this place is to display to Americans the living conditions of so many people around the world and inspire them to invest in providing housing for others who are willing to work to rebuild their communities.
As I was walking through the very small alleys between the shanties, I couldn’t help but have constant flash backs to the time when I was five and had to go up a very tall mountain to visit an aunt –jumping over sewage to get to the structure that she called, “home”. It also reminded of when I was ten and I had to help my mother build the house we lived in, carrying as many bricks as I could on the wheelbarrow and trying my best to align them appropriately so the wall wouldn’t come out crooked.
I remember when my mother and I moved to the last house we lived in Brazil. It had two main rooms; the kitchen and the place where we slept. We had a “bathroom”, but we didn’t have any running water or a sewage system. I had to go each day, for many years, to a hole in the ground four hundred yards from my house to get water so we could use for drinking, cooking, cleaning, etc. It wasn’t easy. However, every block that I helped to lay on those walls have a story and sometimes even some of my blood mixed into the concrete. Even more important than anything else, I will remember how that house was my mother’s dream.
My mother, like so many others in this world went from the countryside to a big city seeking better opportunities. Her desire to better herself led her to work three jobs at a time for pennies, and in horrible conditions. Having to face abuse and poor living conditions, she never found a way to get an education and like so many others got stuck in cycle of perpetual poverty. She saw in us, her children, hope to break the curse of scarcity that had followed her through her whole life. So she gave us her best, even if it meant that she wouldn’t eat until her body couldn’t take it anymore. I am in this country as a result of her reaching her physical limits and needing to send me away to be taken care of by other family members when she simply couldn’t provide for me any longer. She dreamed again, with my departure, that an education in the United States could keep me forever out of poverty.
She dreamt of seeing my two sisters and I graduating from college. For her, a single mother without any formal education, living in a developing nation, this was always close to impossible. However, she never gave up on us and never gave up on me! When I first found out that I couldn’t go to college she was the first person that I called. In the midst of my despair, she simply said: you have made it through so much worse and I don’t have any doubt that you can get through this as well. It is heartbreaking for me that despite the greatest efforts in this country, I feel like I still can’t make my mother proud enough as I would like to because of the numerous obstacles to my education. I hope that some day people can understand that all I want is to be good son to her and give my mother what she was never able to attain that satisfaction that her son succeeded in completing his college education the way she always dreamt for me to. I don’t think that’s a crime, and I wish I wouldn’t be treated like a criminal for trying to fulfill that aspiration.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/feb/19/true-reasons/
Free Spirited Koinonia
Tags: carlos
Posted on February 19, 2010 by carlos
Americus, GA Feb. 18th:
Today, we began our day walking from the outskirts of Leesburg, GA towards a small city known as Americus, GA. As we approached the outskirts of the city, we were greeted by Nashua, a young spirited local community organizer, who was waiting for us in his car alongside the road. As he drove us to Koinonia farm, our social lunch destination, Nashua shared stories with us concerning local Latino community struggles and how attentive the community has been with our walk. He mentioned how word had gotten around quick that we were entering town and that people were following each step of our walk, even though they weren’t physically present. “Many other people are walking in the struggle” he said, referring to the thousands of people who vigorously work in the immigrant rights movement.
Nashua also explained to us the historical context behind Koinonia farm, which was an important interracial community center founded in 1942 by Rev. Clarence Jordan. In those days, Koinonia farm was ahead of its time in that it was an intentionally desegregated Christian community. By that I mean, white and black people would work together receiving equal pay, eat together, and build their own houses together in this small community. In those times, Koinonia farm was a controversial and unpopular location for several local white residents, who boycotted all the goods produced by the farm because of its social integration. Rev. Jordan, its proud founder, thus began shipping out goods from the town, and came up with a double meaning slogan, “Help us send the nuts out of Georgia”. The people that resided in Koinonia farm experienced all types of racially motivated aggravations, such as gun shot firings into the farm and even bombs attacks by the Ku Klux Klan. Yet, Koinonia farm stands today, and people from all walks of life still communally eat together almost on a daily basis. The economically affordable houses built by the people of Koinonia, inspired one of its residents, Miller Fuller alongside his wife, to establish the organization Habitat for Humanity. Jubilee community, another interracial community, came after the Koinonia farm establishment as well.
Koinonia is currently visited by people all across the world, fascinated and completely captivated by its simplicity based on peace, love and joy. I was completely intrigued by this community, especially having seen a young white girl, wearing a long purple dress, walk nearby us. With her radiant smile, she walked barefoot as she beautifully sang a social justice freedom song. We all felt accepted with open doors from the first minute we walked into the social lunch location, where people were eating together as they usually do. The locals were in solidarity with our journey as we engaged in conversations with them. Koinonia farm was a good reminder to us, how we all may be different on the outside; but as people we hold the same feelings on the inside and have the capability to love one another as close brothers and sisters.
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/feb/19/free-spirited-koinonia/
Innocent Voices
Tags: felipe
Posted on February 15, 2010 by felipe
February 15:
from Albany, GA
I’m exhausted! I’ve been carrying a huge physical load. Everyday we have to wake up early in the morning and walk -even though we have been going to sleep at 12 AM almost everyday. However, the emotional pain of our people is so great that I am having a hard time digesting it all. A few days ago we met a fifth grader, Oscar, who told me about his dream of becoming a therapist and his views on our plight. He is a gifted child that was sadly forced to understand the complexities of his reality. What I impressed me the most was his willingness to speak up about his struggle. When asked to talk in front of a crowd in a press conference he stood resolute to deliver the most heart breaking plea to the president. He said, “Please give my parents a chance. It would be too painful to lose them.”
The question that remains unanswered is what motivates a child to become so versed on the parallels between his life and the life of his fellow African American friends. In his own words he said, “the immigrant problem is similar to what happened to African American in the past. They couldn’t vote, we can’t vote.” He explained many more points about the historical and current intersections between the African American and immigrant plight. This eleven year-old boy does not have any choice but to try to make sense of his reality. His older sister had been consistently called a “wetback” in school, his father is currently facing deportation and his mother cannot get a job other than decorating cakes. In his utmost effort to make sense of his suffering he found in history books a place that healed some of his wounds.
We got to Albany and we found several children that wanted to walk with us. They ranged from 8-12 years old. All of them were born in the US and yet had to live with the fear of losing their parents. One of the most important parts of a child’s life is their family. The constant threat of losing a parent has traumatized our children to the point that they don’t know how to live in such instability. What we do when the answer lies on the hands of congress people who have not walked with us all this way? What do we do to relay the message of these youth to greater audiences that continue to judge us as less than human because of our immigration status?
While walking, Oscar and his sister were making jokes and laughing the whole time, however, when we talked about the issue, it was as if we opened Pandora’s box. The children started sobbing! Their pain was so evident that I couldn’t do anything else other than cry as loud as they were. Our tears have been flowing down for so long and yet we keep being marginalized. In a country that claims to be a place that values children, we still see the constant discrimination against and exploitation of Latinos through an unfair system that is breaking our spirits and families. What happened to us? Where are we going as a nation? I hope that somehow their tears reach those in Congress that have chosen to take an apathetic approach to just and humane immigration reform. We just can’t afford to wait any longer. The clock keeps ticking…
link to http://trail2010.org/blog/2010/feb/15/innocent-voices/
