This week at Rose Cafe, GRF Esmeralda, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of English, lead a discussion about the undocumented youth movement called the DREAMers, who are pushing in support of the DREAM Act that would give young immigrants the legal right to stay in the US. The DREAM Act pertains a certain group of young immigrants who have entered the US as children, perhaps brought in as infants by their parents, though no fault of their own. They grew up watching the same TV shows and listening to the same music as we do, with formed identities in the US, Americans at heart. It is sad to think that some undocumented immigrants may not know that they are undocumented until they are rejected from jobs or college, the opportunities to become a contributing member of society.

DREAMers focus on education and opportunity as the main issue, and fights stereotypes surrounding undocumented immigrants. Comparing an sign to a team logo made by the DREAMers, the former enforced negative stereotypes of immigrants as illegals running away from law enforcement, with parents dragging along their children, whereas the latter depicts young adults with high school diplomas, aspiring and moving towards their futures. This illustrates some of the challenges undocumented immigrants face every day: not only the limited opportunities available but also the negative stereotypes and associations. I thought it was very illuminating in how the experiences of undocumented immigrants brings into light broader issues involving seemingly disparate groups of people- African Americans, Latinos, etc- and their shared experiences as minorities in the US. Although the common narrative is that we now live in a colorblind society, sadly, we are still far from racial and gender equality. Here, we have an opportunity to examine more closely the challenges facing disadvantaged groups in the United States, and redefine what American values stand for.