My June 23rd Experience
June 23 was a very memorable day for me as I witnessed immigrant youth standing up and willing to fight for the Dream Act. There were many students from around the country who united for one cause and that is to ask their congressmen to co-sponsor the Dream Act in 2009. Having students from all over the country uniting for this cause showed a sense of urgency that undocumented students cannot wait any longer.
The dreams of undocumented students are being put on hold and politicians must understand that that these very talented minds are going to waste. After undocumented students graduate from college, they are trapped with dead end jobs and that is something we cannot allow. When we see so many students coming out to speak with congressmen, it means something is wrong and they must address the issue as soon as possible.
The National Dream Act graduation magnified the problem that there are thousands of students who are in the same situation.. On the other hand, the most important part of June 23 was that everybody according to their district was able to talk to their congressmen about the Dream Act and persuade them to co-sponsor the bill. The group I was in got the chance to talk about the Dream to a staff member of Representative Charles Rangel’s office, who represents East Harlem. They promised us that Charles Rangel would come out publicly and say that he will co-sponsor the bill.
I learned that when you want something you must go out there and get it. As my Public Administration professor William Allen said “You must be Aggressive in your Education! You must get Active and Demand for a Change”. Furthermore I learned that organizing skills are very important to achieve goals.
