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Coming Out of the Shadows event planned Thursday

March 24, 2015

Coming Out of the Shadows posterHarvey Milk once said: “Come out to your relatives. Come out to your friends – if indeed they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors … to your fellow workers… to the people who work where you eat and shop … but once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake.”

Inspired by a legacy of past movements and different intersections of identity, DREAM Action NIU will host the second annual Coming Out of the Shadows (COS) event at noon Thursday, March 26, in the Martin Luther King Memorial Commons.

Coming Out of the Shadows at NIU is inspired by the annual Coming Out of the Shadows event, coordinated by the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL), which organized its first COS in March 2010. Although it was the first of its kind for undocumented individuals in the Midwest and across the country, the roots of COS are attributed to the National Coming Out Day organized by members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Coming Out of the Shadows is an act of resistance against rhetoric that discredits the narratives of undocumented immigrants.

NIU undocumented students will come out on campus to denounce lingering fear as well as defy a culture of silence that disregards student voices. The event also will have surrounding community members share their stories of resistance against unfair immigration policies.

In addition to students “coming out,” students will be joined by various performances done by Chicago’s Elephant Rebellion. Elephant Rebellion is a collective of artist, writers and activists who use their talents to spread social justice and youth empowerment.

Coming Out of the Shadows 2014This event comes at a crucial time where numerous students and supporters around the State of Illinois are advocating in support of HB3528, a bill that would amend the Acevedo Bill (HB60) and allow undocumented students to have access to state funds. It also comes at a time where current Huskies are launching initiatives this spring to make this campus more undocumented-friendly.

All are invited to support fellow Huskies and to encourage the creation of a more inclusive campus for all regardless of immigration status.

For more information, call (815) 753-8281 or email dreamactioniu@gmail.com.

This event is part of the Series to Support Undocumented Students.

Event sponsors include DREAM Action NIU, Lation Rescource Center, Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Alpha Psi Lambda, Lambda Theta Phi, Gamm Phi Omega and Alpha Sigma Omega.

Series sponsors include Asian American Center, College of Education, College of Law, Division of International Affairs, DREAM Action NIU, Gender & Sexuality Resource Center, Latino Law Student Association, Latino Resoruce Center, Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, Presidential Commions on the Status of Women, Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, Student Association, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of DeKalb, Social Justice Committee, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Zeta Gamma Chaper of Phi Beta Delta and Career Services.