Tag Archive: georgia

Alabama Arrests Undocumented Parents and Children In Historic Civil Disobedience Act

Categories:

Announcements

November 16, 2011

NY Board of Regents Supports NY Undocumented Youth, While Alabama Arrests Undocumented Parents and Children In Historic Civil Disobedience Act

Four parents join dozens of undocumented youth in demanding HB56 author—State Senator Beason— stop the hate

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—12 undocumented immigrants participated today in an act of civil disobedience in front of the Alabama State Capitol. They publicly declared their undocumented status in defiance of HB 56, which is considered to be the harshest anti-immigrant bill in the country.

The New York State Youth Leadership Council, the only undocumented youth-led organization in New York, stands in solidarity with the undocumented immigrants who took part of this action, and we remind our federal and state elected officials that we need humane regulations that respect the dignity of immigrants and their families. In a time when the federal government has failed to act and states are implementing divergent policies affecting immigrants, New York must lead and take a stand. California has established that undocumented youth deserve equal opportunity by passing the California Dream Act while states like Georgia and Alabama are undermining the right to education by barring undocumented children from school.

“We want to remind the immigrants of this state that they have a voice and it’s time to use it,” said Belem Rebelledo, an undocumented mother of three. “We are here to stop Alabama from once again trying to turn the power of the state against those who live in it.”

Participants of today’s event came together from all over the country to stand in solidarity with the community in Alabama. “What happens to one of us affects all of us regardless of where we live” said Alma Diaz, an undocumented immigrant who arrived in the U.S. at the age of 22. Now 30 Alma fights for her community and is taking this risk, knowing she could be arrested and deported, because doing nothing is no longer an option. “What has hiding in the shadows gotten us? We must fight back; it is the only way to end the pain we see in our communities.”

The participants were: Martin Unzueta, 55; Belem Rebelledo, 39; Alma Diaz, 30; Jaime Guzman, 25, of Portland, OR; Catalina Rios, 19, of Detroit, MI; Ernesto Zumaya, 25, of Los Angeles, CA; Myasha Arellano, 18, of San Fernando Valley, CA; Krsna Avila, 23, of Oakland, CA; Fernanda Marroquin, 22, of Philadelphia, PA; Cesar Marroquin, 21, of Philadelphia, PA; and Cynthia Perez, 27, of Indianapolis, IN.

Take a stand, because we are all Alabama!

Best,
The NYSYLC

6461Leave comment2011-11-16+05%3A55%3A53Admin

Notes: General Meeting July 7, 2010

Categories:

Announcements

July 9, 2011

by ANGY

We had a very productive general meeting on Thursday. We are ready to host more NY Dream Act town halls and actions too. Below, find the notes to save the dates and in case you could not make it, to stay tuned.

Enjoy and we hope to see you at our next YLC meeting or event!

Federal Dream Act: last week was the very first Dream Act Senate hearing. It was the first time that a senate subcommittee had a discussion since the bill was first introduced. There were speakers from the Dept. Of Education, Dept. Of Homeland Security and some anti-Dream Act people as well. So far, we don’t believe there will be a vote on the bill anytime soon.

Georgia 6: The same day as the Dream Act hearing, later that afternoon there was a civil disobedience action that happened in Georgia. 6 undocumented youth, one of them Felipe from NY, decided to join and protest the recent anti-immigrant bills that have passed in Georgia. These youth, most of them Georgians, decided that they would risk their lives to bring attention to the struggle that they have to face since these laws are worse than Arizona’s SB1070. Felipe, a member of the YLC, discussed how he wanted to stand in solidarity with the youth in Georgia and decided it was his time to take a stand. Thank you Felipe! Check his video and read his story.

NY Dream Act: We’re in the process of getting the 2nd version of the bill started. We are on the roster of the NYU Law Clinic who may be supporting us. Also we recently had our first NY Dream Act townhall in Staten Island. Staten Island was chosen due to the violence incidence committed against immigrants. We wanted to inform the immigrant youth in the island on the NY Dream Act and on what they can do to get involved and to help us pass it. Thank you for all those that came out and joined us.
The advocacy team is leading the legislative efforts for the NY Dream Act campaign meeting and scheduling meetings with legislators. If you would like to get involved in the advocacy team, there’s a meeting coming up on July 14 @ 6:30PM or email Tania@nysylc.org for more info.

END (Education Not Deportation): It was first pioneered by the Dream is Coming Project. Now, as part of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA) coalition, we in NY have now more actively taken local END campaigns. Our main objective is to stop deportations of undocumented youth and families. Recently in NY, we decided to take on an END case with Julio. Julio is a college student that came to the US a few years ago after fleeing gang violence in El Salvador due to his sexual orientation. He was stopped on his way back from Chicago and had a court date in June. Thanks to all our efforts of signing the petition and phone calls, Julio’s court date got moved back to August. Please continue passing the petition along and getting more phone calls. If you want to help us lead local END campaigns to stop deportations or if you or a loved one has received a notice of deportation, feel free to email us at info@nysylc.org. This campaign will be meeting July 19 @ 6:30PM.

Check out our calendar of events and mark them up to make sure you join us. We have a YLC outing coming up along with NY Dream Act Town Halls coming to your borough! so stay tuned and involved with the YLC.

P.S. Don’t forget to REGISTER for our Youth Leading Change Training and take the first step to join the movement of fearless undocumented youth and supporters fighting for our right to equal access to higher education and for the dignity of our immigrant communities.

Warm Regards,
Your friends at the New York State Youth Leadership Council

4282Leave commentNotes%3A+General+Meeting+July+7%2C+20102011-07-09+01%3A09%3A25ANGY

The Visual Movement: 8 Iconic Pictures

Categories:

Opinion Piece

July 7, 2011

by ANGY

As I sat there and watched the Dream Act hearing on Tuesday June 28, 2011, I didn’t feel much of anything. No tears were shed and no hope was revived because all I heard were the same talking points, the same promises. It’s so sad having to sit around and watch these privileged men speak for me without knowing me. It’s sad seeing the same stories being highlighted and the same stories being hidden from the public as if they were a disgrace after so many years. However, a few miles away youth were getting ready to speak out for themselves.

Georgia. Beautiful warm Georgia was taken over by youth ready to stand up, or should I say sit down, against HB87 which empowers police officers to act as immigration agents, creating fear within the immigrant communities. I remember back in October of 2010 the Board of Regents made the decision to ban undocumented youth from attending Georgia’s top 5 colleges and universities. These are some of the reasons why these young people partook in an act of civil disobedience.

I was at work completely aware that the live streaming for the sit-in started at 2pm. All I could think about was Felipe, a 24-year-old beloved activist from Chicago living in New York, who became a member of the New York state youth leadership council a few months back. He made his way through the streets totally undocumented, unafraid and unapologetically chanting with his fist high in the air alongside 5 other youth named Dulce Guerrero, 18; Jessica Vasquez, 18; Rolando Zenteno, 16; Nataly Ibarra, 16; 24; and Leeidy Solis, 16. That’s right, 16 year olds. When I was 16 I was definitely not part of a civil disobedience.

Watching this sit-in brought tears to my eyes and I got goose bumps more than once. I got to witness courage and liberation; ironically handcuffs bring about freedom, in the form of youth sitting in the street surrounded by support and love. They were arrested while chanting with their head held high like equals. Their spirits were not broken. They only chanted louder. That’s the way I envision a movement to be: liberating.

These, in my opinion, are the top 8 images of the 4 civil actions that have been put together by The Dream Is Coming project.

Arizona 5

On May 17th 2010 the first civil disobedience by undocumented youth took place in Tucson, Arizona. Mohammad Abdollahi, Yahaira Carrillo, Lizbeth Mateo, Lizbeth Mateo, and Raul Alcaraz are pictured.

Dream 21

The Dream 21 was the second act of civil disobedience after the Arizona 5. These activists were arrested in Washington DC months before the vote in December. Different colors, different gowns, different states- but the same dream. Youth are pushing the boundaries in this picture (while tweeting as well).

Arizona 5 – Lizbeth

Yes, she is waving while being arrested. I know, crazy, huh? Some may say this is a total royalty wave but in my eyes she was waving to her friends, family, supporters and the media world letting them know there is nothing to be scared of. A wave that assured everyone that everything was going to be fine and that this action shouldn’t bring sadness.

Georgia 7 – Georgina

Georgina Perez was arrested in Georgia, her home state, because she refuses to accept the fact that youth are being banned from college. She is a badass, the cops are scared of her and this picture proves it. This picture shows that this movement is about facing our fears.

Georgia 7

This is one of my favorite pictures for the simple fact that everyone is smiling and standing up straight while the cop helps Dayanna with her cap. There’s no fear, inequality or authority in this picture.

Georgia 6

These are the 6 students who got arrested in Georgia. Just the fact that they all have a fist up is completely awesome. Check out the solidarity in this picture and fierce fearlessness.

Georgia 6 – Felipe

This is Felipe. There is so much power in this picture that it makes me want to chant, march, scream and take on the world all at once.

Georgia 7 – Andrea

Of course being part of a civil disobedience isn’t all fun and games. It can be very intimidating and overwhelming. Andrea Rosales aka Shawty Peach had a lot of personal issues she had to deal with, and she decided to walk out of the action in Washington DC. However, months later she found herself being arrested in Georgia, completely empowered and determined. For whatever reason many of us don’t take part in civil disobediences and that is fine too. This is a personal choice not a requirement. This picture is proof of how difficult yet beautiful this struggle really is. And I don’t mean just a civil disobedience, but the whole package.

Whatever your role is in this movement, play it, and play it with your whole heart!

-Angy

41661 comment2011-07-07+11%3A13%3A00ANGY