I was six months old when I was brought
to United States in the arms of a
stranger only comforted by a ragdoll
tucked in to the bundle of blankets that
I was being so young I was unaware of
this journey nearly costing my mother
her life that it was not her cradling me
and that stuffy bus she was crossing the
river pregnant with my twin sisters I
was unaware of how she was willing to
sacrifice her life for my American
upbringing I’ll never be able to thank
her enough for her determination of
having a better future for her children
for me had anything had happened to her
I would only be able to remember her by
that doll that joined me on the journey
with the frayed bonnet today I’m happy
being able to come home to both my mom
and that doll as it sits on my bed but
this journey has brought more than just
tangible gifts and remembering bye it’s
brought some struggles and one great
great struggle is that I sort of deal
with this hybrid of an identity I’m
Mexican born American raised the
connections to my native culture
nurtured only at home while my American
demeanor takes over in school or most
social settings this internal conflict
about cultural identity is common in
undocumented individuals that arrive to
the United States when they were young a
certain group of them known as dreamers
so had I been given the choice to name
them dreamers I might have gone a little
bolder I might have named them I don’t
know the butterfly Warriors or the dream
defenders but you know I’m not one to
complain the dreamers gives us a sort of
vibe that I can only describe with an
ethnic flaw because you don’t know what
dreamers are potential beneficiaries of
the DREAM Act which was a program that
would allow undocumented individuals
younger
documented individuals to get a chance
at a pathway to citizenship
along with benefits with education and
vocation getting jobs which commonly
they’re not undocumented individuals are
not allowed these individuals although
beyond the paper beyond the descriptions
in legislation of who they are they are
undocumented but they majorly identify
with the American lifestyle they’ve been
raised in many can’t even recall their
nation of origin having been brought as
children and infants some can’t even
speak the language of the country
stamped onto any identification they
so how would you differ a dreamer from
anyone else how are how are you
different from a dreamer
legally there’s endless there’s endless
pathways endless like opportunities that
are just don’t go up the same path but
simply speaking in terms of life you’re
not any different you’re both people
capable of emotion capable of measuring
risks and having dreams to pursue you
both can take the advantage of the
opportunities available to you
particularly in the United States where
they have immigrated to it’s just that
these risks that they’ve taken go beyond
a click of a button
for assistance in financial aid or
something it goes it crosses the borders
they’ve made journeys whether it is from
crossing rivers or boarding ships the
risk they’ve taken or major so why if
these people share our hopes and dreams
share a struggle share our hopes for the
future that we all want why are they
being judged the way they are in media
why are they cast aside for wanting what
we want what anyone would want anyone
would wish a better life why are they
judged for that why in countless
experience why are countless experience
coming up in media on recorded phones of
the discrimination that is in the
discrimination the experience and the
communities they’ve always considered
there comes the sort there comes the
clouded argument of why couldn’t they
have come here legally and there’s a lot
of misconceptions on how easy that is
because in reality it’s not while there
are pathways for immigrating legally a
lot of these systems aren’t balanced
they’re not fair for example we have the
lottery system where certain countries
are allowed more visas to their citizens
to emigrate into United States money the
money is a big problem because when the
asking why couldn’t they have come here
legally a lot of the incentives for them
wanting to leave is for a socio-economic
opportunity for a chance essentially at
having money having having something to
fall back on as they journey for
greatness
whether that is through a college degree
a stable career as they come it’s
difficult in search of that they might
not have money to begin with the
decision also might not come with how
might not have come with a lot of
thinking it might be spontaneous so
think back to how dreamers differ from
you they don’t they steer still people
they have experiences they have those
struggles they have sorted they can have
tragedies they can have miracles and
some of them mean that they might make
the decision the next day if they want
to come to United States for a better
life but you can’t see that on paper
even then they’re risking their lives
their risk they’re taking the risk in
search of these opportunities that they
see particularly in the United States
those risks include their lives their
children’s lives as many of these
dreamers that are young that have been
brought as infants are not aware not
aware when we’re not willingly brought
to United States and for example with my
mom when asked why didn’t how couldn’t
you have come here legally
why couldn’t have saved yourself the
trouble in where we lived in Mexico
ma’am we struggled greatly to make a
living and as beautiful as this beach
town we lived in was it was not the
future it would not Harbor the future
that my mom wanted for me
she knew that maybe living any longer
there would deprive me of any success I
would have in the future I could
potentially have in the future so she
made a decision heavily pregnant to come
to the United States risking at all
risking her the how a custom she greeted
her life in southern Mexico knowing that
her daughter deserved more so why should
you care
why should you care that my mother made
decision that this decision that
countless individuals have also made
this decision it’s because these
dreamers particularly under a program
called daca deferred action for
childhood arrivals the only actual
legislation that passed to help and
documented immigrants there are 800,000
strong they heal from more countries and
more walks of life than assumed of the
stereotype of an immigrant which is
brown skinned speaking in broken English
taking low-paying jobs these immigrants
come from apart from Latin American
countries they come from South Korea
Vietnam the coast of Africa their young
parents and students they don’t fit the
stereotype you cannot hear their
nationality in their voices as you can’t
in mine
they’ve been making ways today in media
through popular like a major interest
groups have been sort of initializing
programs like and movements and hashtags
like undock you gods they’re the
successes they made upon the despite
taking all those risks have been shown
in the pry that they show for other
their parents themselves the risk
they’ve taken even though there is a
great effort from major interest groups
of undocumented individuals to present
themselves present themselves beginning
with their stories and not their legal
identities they’re perceived only by
statistics only by that stereotype
these dreamers shouldn’t be perceived
that way because they’re human again
they struggle they they hope the same
way anyone would anyone would you need
it’s important to understand why they’re
dreamers why they’ve chosen to be
dreamers why their children are dreamers
so maybe you’ve never heard of the DREAM
Act before today or the dreamers maybe
you have but what’s important to
remember is that today you’ve met one
you’ve heard the story of one dreamer
who can’t think her mother enough for
all the sacrifices she made for nearly
her risk in her life for my well-being
for doing all she could and succeeding
to let me stand here today and tell you
why I’m thankful and what I’ve done with
the opportunity she’s been opened the
door for me for so again today you’ve
met a dreamer whether you like it or not
and now I’m encouraging you to continue
that you can go out and engage with
community engage with this movement hear
another dreamer story change your
perspective on dreamers beyond the
statistics listen to their stories
because they deserve to be you know
acknowledged by not by numbers but by
the incentives they’ve been given the
incentives to why they’re dreamers
there’s eight hundred thousand of us out
there and millions of other and
documents and individuals with their own
stories to be heard being seen as people
rather than numbers would be a step
forward and being accepted as what and
who these dreamers are by Nature American thank you
to United States in the arms of a
stranger only comforted by a ragdoll
tucked in to the bundle of blankets that
I was being so young I was unaware of
this journey nearly costing my mother
her life that it was not her cradling me
and that stuffy bus she was crossing the
river pregnant with my twin sisters I
was unaware of how she was willing to
sacrifice her life for my American
upbringing I’ll never be able to thank
her enough for her determination of
having a better future for her children
for me had anything had happened to her
I would only be able to remember her by
that doll that joined me on the journey
with the frayed bonnet today I’m happy
being able to come home to both my mom
and that doll as it sits on my bed but
this journey has brought more than just
tangible gifts and remembering bye it’s
brought some struggles and one great
great struggle is that I sort of deal
with this hybrid of an identity I’m
Mexican born American raised the
connections to my native culture
nurtured only at home while my American
demeanor takes over in school or most
social settings this internal conflict
about cultural identity is common in
undocumented individuals that arrive to
the United States when they were young a
certain group of them known as dreamers
so had I been given the choice to name
them dreamers I might have gone a little
bolder I might have named them I don’t
know the butterfly Warriors or the dream
defenders but you know I’m not one to
complain the dreamers gives us a sort of
vibe that I can only describe with an
ethnic flaw because you don’t know what
dreamers are potential beneficiaries of
the DREAM Act which was a program that
would allow undocumented individuals
younger
documented individuals to get a chance
at a pathway to citizenship
along with benefits with education and
vocation getting jobs which commonly
they’re not undocumented individuals are
not allowed these individuals although
beyond the paper beyond the descriptions
in legislation of who they are they are
undocumented but they majorly identify
with the American lifestyle they’ve been
raised in many can’t even recall their
nation of origin having been brought as
children and infants some can’t even
speak the language of the country
stamped onto any identification they
so how would you differ a dreamer from
anyone else how are how are you
different from a dreamer
legally there’s endless there’s endless
pathways endless like opportunities that
are just don’t go up the same path but
simply speaking in terms of life you’re
not any different you’re both people
capable of emotion capable of measuring
risks and having dreams to pursue you
both can take the advantage of the
opportunities available to you
particularly in the United States where
they have immigrated to it’s just that
these risks that they’ve taken go beyond
a click of a button
for assistance in financial aid or
something it goes it crosses the borders
they’ve made journeys whether it is from
crossing rivers or boarding ships the
risk they’ve taken or major so why if
these people share our hopes and dreams
share a struggle share our hopes for the
future that we all want why are they
being judged the way they are in media
why are they cast aside for wanting what
we want what anyone would want anyone
would wish a better life why are they
judged for that why in countless
experience why are countless experience
coming up in media on recorded phones of
the discrimination that is in the
discrimination the experience and the
communities they’ve always considered
there comes the sort there comes the
clouded argument of why couldn’t they
have come here legally and there’s a lot
of misconceptions on how easy that is
because in reality it’s not while there
are pathways for immigrating legally a
lot of these systems aren’t balanced
they’re not fair for example we have the
lottery system where certain countries
are allowed more visas to their citizens
to emigrate into United States money the
money is a big problem because when the
asking why couldn’t they have come here
legally a lot of the incentives for them
wanting to leave is for a socio-economic
opportunity for a chance essentially at
having money having having something to
fall back on as they journey for
greatness
whether that is through a college degree
a stable career as they come it’s
difficult in search of that they might
not have money to begin with the
decision also might not come with how
might not have come with a lot of
thinking it might be spontaneous so
think back to how dreamers differ from
you they don’t they steer still people
they have experiences they have those
struggles they have sorted they can have
tragedies they can have miracles and
some of them mean that they might make
the decision the next day if they want
to come to United States for a better
life but you can’t see that on paper
even then they’re risking their lives
their risk they’re taking the risk in
search of these opportunities that they
see particularly in the United States
those risks include their lives their
children’s lives as many of these
dreamers that are young that have been
brought as infants are not aware not
aware when we’re not willingly brought
to United States and for example with my
mom when asked why didn’t how couldn’t
you have come here legally
why couldn’t have saved yourself the
trouble in where we lived in Mexico
ma’am we struggled greatly to make a
living and as beautiful as this beach
town we lived in was it was not the
future it would not Harbor the future
that my mom wanted for me
she knew that maybe living any longer
there would deprive me of any success I
would have in the future I could
potentially have in the future so she
made a decision heavily pregnant to come
to the United States risking at all
risking her the how a custom she greeted
her life in southern Mexico knowing that
her daughter deserved more so why should
you care
why should you care that my mother made
decision that this decision that
countless individuals have also made
this decision it’s because these
dreamers particularly under a program
called daca deferred action for
childhood arrivals the only actual
legislation that passed to help and
documented immigrants there are 800,000
strong they heal from more countries and
more walks of life than assumed of the
stereotype of an immigrant which is
brown skinned speaking in broken English
taking low-paying jobs these immigrants
come from apart from Latin American
countries they come from South Korea
Vietnam the coast of Africa their young
parents and students they don’t fit the
stereotype you cannot hear their
nationality in their voices as you can’t
in mine
they’ve been making ways today in media
through popular like a major interest
groups have been sort of initializing
programs like and movements and hashtags
like undock you gods they’re the
successes they made upon the despite
taking all those risks have been shown
in the pry that they show for other
their parents themselves the risk
they’ve taken even though there is a
great effort from major interest groups
of undocumented individuals to present
themselves present themselves beginning
with their stories and not their legal
identities they’re perceived only by
statistics only by that stereotype
these dreamers shouldn’t be perceived
that way because they’re human again
they struggle they they hope the same
way anyone would anyone would you need
it’s important to understand why they’re
dreamers why they’ve chosen to be
dreamers why their children are dreamers
so maybe you’ve never heard of the DREAM
Act before today or the dreamers maybe
you have but what’s important to
remember is that today you’ve met one
you’ve heard the story of one dreamer
who can’t think her mother enough for
all the sacrifices she made for nearly
her risk in her life for my well-being
for doing all she could and succeeding
to let me stand here today and tell you
why I’m thankful and what I’ve done with
the opportunity she’s been opened the
door for me for so again today you’ve
met a dreamer whether you like it or not
and now I’m encouraging you to continue
that you can go out and engage with
community engage with this movement hear
another dreamer story change your
perspective on dreamers beyond the
statistics listen to their stories
because they deserve to be you know
acknowledged by not by numbers but by
the incentives they’ve been given the
incentives to why they’re dreamers
there’s eight hundred thousand of us out
there and millions of other and
documents and individuals with their own
stories to be heard being seen as people
rather than numbers would be a step
forward and being accepted as what and
who these dreamers are by Nature American thank you
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