Hunger striking for centuries has been a means to raise awareness about an injustice. Typically done at the doorstep of the offender, hunger striking has been used to shame the offender, get justice for a wrong, or communicate a message in a non-violent way. Today, immigrant youth in New York are hunger strike with all three purposes. A group of 12 young people are at the doorstep of Senator Schumer’s office starving for their dreams and the dreams of thousands of undocumented youth. Today, day 8 of the hunger strike starts for the Starved4Dream strikers. Day 8…. day 8. Can you imagine going 8 days without ingesting any meals?
This is what Congress’ inaction and a wide-known yet ignored reality have brought us to. Having a group of 12 youth starving for more than 8 days because the voices of undocumented youth have remained unheard. A reality that has kept thousands of undocumented young immigrants in the darkness, where no hope, plans or future can be made. A darkness that is unexpected because we, as American children, grew up believing that this country, our country, was the place of opportunities where all dreams could come true as long as you work hard. And that is what dreamers do. We work hard, give our best effort at school, graduate top of our class, are active members of our communities, have aspirations and dreams; yet the broken immigration law system and politicians’ games keep deferring our lives as if they were bargaining chips.
Oppressed groups in history had to face the same reality. In 1930′s, Mohandas Gandhi carried out several hunger strikes to improve the lives of the untouchables, end inter-religious violence and stop the British rule on India. In 1968 Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers Union founder, began a 25-day fast to draw attention to issues migrant workers faced, such as their fight for a decent wage and better labor conditions. Today, undocumented youth are hunger striking to demand Congress to take action and bring undocumented youth out of the shadows, where the obsolete immigration laws have kept them. Dreamers feel, act, think and are Americans; we need the laws – the DREAM Act – to realize our dreams, use our full potential and contribute to our country.
We are reliving history. In the 21st century, undocumented youth are fighting tirelessly for an opportunity to achieve their dreams. From Gandhi to Cesar Chavez to dreamers, this is the building of a new movement. This is the civil rights movement of our era. Pay attention Schumer! Just re-read your history textbooks and see what happened with Gandhi, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr. Hope you get the hint!
Hasta la victoria!
