Identity

  • Amid Fears of Trump, Undocumented Students at UC Merced Find Courage to Speak Out

    December 1, 2016 /

    “I think a lot of people don’t really know what DACA is. People think [Trump] can’t really do anything about it, but they don’t really understand the difference between an executive order and the law,” she said. “He can literally just take that piece of paper and throw it in the trash and that will be it. It won’t mean anything anymore.” Fear of a Trump presidency is in fact prompting many to shy away from applying for the program or from renewing their paperwork out of fear their information will be used by the government to initiate deportation proceedings against them.

    DACA  immigration  Politics  spotlight  uc merced  undocumented  Undocumented students  
  • Raising her political voice, even without the right to vote

    October 19, 2016 /

    Renteria has been working with Students Advocating Law and Education (SALE), a UC Merced group comprised of undocumented students and allies that has been promoting voter registration on campus this fall. A week of registration and voter education events are planned for Oct. 18 through 21, in the lead up to California's deadline on Oct. 24. “Many of the students I talk to know there are undocumented people, but they just don’t know there are undocumented students,” she says. “Once you find a way to relate it to them though, it’s easier for them to understand the importance [of the issue] and pay attention.”

    BHC  elections  SALE  spotlight  uc merced  undocumented  VOTA  
  • Freeing Myself

    September 13, 2016 /

    Being able to stand in front of a large group of people and share my story has forever changed me. I would have never imagined that I would be able to find the courage in myself to speak up.

    advocacy  Free Our Dreams  spotlight  UC Davis  youth power  
  • Becoming a Womyn: My Experience at Sisterhood Rising

    July 19, 2016 /

    At camp, I wasn’t just given a definition of “woman” to absorb. I learned that being a “womyn” (as opposed to a wo-MAN) is about how I define myself, not how society defines me. Being a womyn is about taking charge of your own life.

    camp  girl power  nature  sisterhood rising  spotlight  womyn  
  • Dear Mom, I Need You

    June 30, 2016 /

    I believe no child should grow up feeling unwanted, unsupported,or rejected by a parent. I do not want any person to go through what I have endured in my lifetime. I’ve known my entire life that I am different, and I've accepted it, but knowing my mom does not has really hurt me.

    identity  lgbt  mom  spotlight  trans youth  transgender  youth  
  • What It’s Like to Grow Up Queer and Purepecha

    June 29, 2016 /

    The Purepecha are an indigenous group from the Mexican state of Michoacan. Ardent Roman Catholics, they are known for their artwork, including ceramics and woodwork. There are about 2000 Purepecha living in the Coachella Valley, mostly in Duros and Chicanitas, two trailer camps on the Torres Martinez reservation. Many work in the surrounding fields and speak little to no Spanish or English.

    Coahella  lgbt  Purepecha  queer  spotlight