"Sin papeles y sin miedo" (Without Papers and Without Fear)

I deleted my Facebook account in March because I was sick and tired of posting about social issues and having them be ignored. I'm ashamed to say that most of my "friends" on Facebook only care about what's in front of them; the outside world and all its problems don't exist.

 However, it wasn't until today that I realized I should be ashamed of myself for not caring more, for not being more aware of the social issues out there. Because I didn't have my Facebook account, I was not able to see the many posts from and about Lulú Martínez over the summer months. This is by no means an excuse on part.

 I am only friends with Lulú on Facebook because I had commented on a post about a friend of hers who was facing deportation. She added me, and I honestly cannot remember our small conversation over messaging, but we had both gone to Harold Washington Community College at some point.

 Lulú, along with her fellow Dream 9 activists, courageously crossed into Mexico and attempted to cross back into the U.S. in protest of immigration policies.

photo: National Immigrant Youth Alliance 

This simple act of going in and out of a place wasn't so simple for them because they have no legal documentation allowing them to remain in the U.S. They are all back in their U.S. homes now, but of course they still have a lot of legal things to go through and have sorted out. Dream 9's protest has inspired others, including the Dream 30+ to do the same and call attention to the immigration issues in this country.

photo: National Immigrant Youth Alliance 

Here comes some more shame...

I am a permanent resident. My family and I got lucky in a lot of ways. But it's stories like Lulú's and Jose Antonio Vargas' that make me realize how my life could be completely different right now if I didn't have that "A-number" to put on legal documents that ask for my legality.

Even though I'm not a citizen, I still have more advantages than most of the Dreamers do. And that's unsettling for me. What they are doing makes me feel unworthy of having that "A-number". However, what I can do is to not let these advantages, these privileges go to waste.

 It is because of all this that I feel a personal responsibility to publish this post and encourage others, Latinos and non-Latinos alike, to at least think about this issue with an open mind. Even better, as I plan to do in some way, go out there and try to do something about it, even if it's just informing yourself on what's going on.

 

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Lulú Martínez with Rachel Maddow.

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National Immigration Youth Alliance Facebook Page

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