Guest blog by Mo Goldman, AILA Board of Governors
Black Friday is for DREAMers!
What is the universal color for hope? Is it white? Is it green? Is it black? Perhaps, like our draconian immigration laws, the color of hope is just different shades of grey. No matter what color you associate with hope, you need to boldly wear that color next week on the day the DREAM Act goes up for a vote.
We like to associate colors with different causes and it’s only appropriate that Black Friday is 2 days away. This year the day is even more important for many of our clients. It will be a day where DREAMers and their supporters around the country make last ditch efforts to impress upon their legislators the value and need for a DREAM Act. Many hopes and dreams are hanging in the balance and the stakes have never been higher.
Stories continue to surface about DREAMers who are student body presidents, valedictorians, aspiring soldiers, having sit-ins, hunger strikes and facing imminent removal. Sadly, some are even so despondent about their situation that they have either committed or thought of attempting suicide. Many DREAM Act candidates have joined the campaign known as “Undocumented and Unafraid” where they come out and present their stories to the public. As far as I’m concerned, these individuals are demonstrating more courage than most elected representatives have ever done.
Bottom line: This Black Friday, we owe it to our clients to do our part to make this dream a reality. Therefore, I am issuing a “Black Friday” challenge to all of you. After you have done your shopping (or avoided the stores altogether…probably a wiser choice), you need to coordinate and escort DREAMers to deliver their written stories to your congressional representatives. If your client is willing to share their story with the public you should invite the local media along to document this experience.
The anti-immigration groups are feeding Senator Sessions and others inaccurate information in an effort to continue the nightmare for DREAMers. We need to do our part to educate our legislators and make certain that they know the truth about DREAM, using these talking points provided by the American Immigration Council. Many hopes and dreams are hanging in the balance and you can do your part in making Black Friday a more colorful and memorable day for DREAMers.