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By Alejandro Jurado
Photo by via United We Dream
Editor’s Note: With the upcoming deadline for DACA renewals on October 5th, one of our reporters shares a powerful spoken word poem written specifically for Dreamers. It is a reminder for them to continue uplifting their voices and using their powerful stories until they save DACA or finally obtain the pathway to citizenship.
I recently wrote a poem for Dreamers in my community. The motivation for this piece came from recent events involving the White House’s announcement on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). On September 5th, DACA was terminated leaving 800,000 people unprotected and afraid. The majority of this group is composed of students and working youth, many of them my peers and friends. As an ally to the cause, I check my privilege and remind myself of the pain this population is enduring and the need to support them. But I also applaud their bravery and resilience. Dreamers, this is just a minor bump in the road. You will overcome this.
Our Migrant Story
Many do not understand the circumstances for why we are here today in the United States of America. Most of us left our home countries for mere survival. We were starving, being killed, constantly threatened. Just another statistic to governments run by drug cartels and corruption, governments where a change was no longer possible. We found a way out, a way to stay alive, a country that gave us hope, only to find out that many people here despise us, they preach in God’s name but have forgotten to ‘Love thy neighbor’. We left crumbled governments only to experience what seems like downfall of yet another one, the difference is that we still have a chance to put a stop to the course.
Immigrants have greatly contributed to the success of this country since it was founded, and the majority of DACA recipients continue to do so. They’ve become a scapegoat to hate, just like many other minorities have become in the past. Do not let us be divided. We will remain strong and resilient.
We are early generations of a migration path every race in this country has taken at one point or another; The Irish, Germans, Asians and many more. This is the country of immigrants and as such we should look out for one another and help each other rise. There is a common goal to be found but first we must learn to see each other as equals, until then the resistance will not cease.
