Members of DREAM Action NIU (DANIU) invite students, faculty, staff and community to join them at noon Thursday, March 24, in the MLK commons for the third annual Coming Out of the Shadows event.
Monotone from Elephant Rebellion will provide music. The Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center is the rain location.
This event is a result of the national Coming Out of the Shadows that took place March 10, 2010, in Chicago, when undocumented youth declared themselves to be “undocumented and unafraid” at Federal Plaza.
Other undocumented youth around the country did the same, sometimes escalating to civil disobedience in support of immigrant rights.
In an effort to encourage others to join, #Not1More organizer Tania Unzueta issued a challenge: “I’m going to ask you to imagine for a minute a country where 12 million people decide to come out of the shadows – an unstoppable movement of immigrants, turned storytellers, turned political activists for change.”
All Huskies are invited to Coming Out of the Shadows to support some of their fellow students who will “come out” as undocumented, calling “Give us access! Give us access to university funds; give us access to a life without fear; give us access to health care; give us access to the same opportunities given to every other citizen; give us access to mental health services give us access to freedom – treat us as human beings – because no human is illegal.”
From members of DREAM Action NIU, in their own words:
“DANIU is a student-led organization that advocates for undocumented students and the immigrant community. This organization recognizes the political, social, and historical context of this precious point in history. Due to the presidential election, immigration has been an issue that has continued to stay a top story in the media. The Republican and Democratic parties have both used immigration as a pivotal point of discussion, debate, and unfortunately, anti-immigrant rhetoric. However, police brutality and racism have also been pushed to the forefront of national discussions. News reports on police brutality and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have continuously flooded our social media feeds. DANIU recognizes that ICE and police departments cooperate to continue the deportation and criminalization of the immigrant communities. DANIU acknowledges that both Black and Brown communities face similar systems of enforcement that police, criminalize and intimidate our communities. We will use this rally to share the struggles and support of the undocumented community but also to showcase the other intersecting issues affecting undocumented individuals.”
Other upcoming events:
Tuesday, April 5: Illinois General Assembly lobbying trip
7 a.m., Springfield, Ill.
Lobby your state legislators with DREAM Action NIU on behalf of the Student ACCESS bill. Carpools will leave NIU at 7 a.m.; contact DREAM Action NIU at dreamactionniu@gmail.com to save a seat.
Tuesday, April 7: Immigration 101
7 p.m. Latino Center, 515 Garden Road
Aurora attorney Jeremy Lime will provide an overview on immigration law.
Saturday, April 23: Latino Student Empowerment Conference
10 a.m., Campus Life Building
DREAM Action NIU will present “Calling Students to Action.”
For more information, email dreamactioniu@gmail.com.
