JOINJU.COM

Check out this video from KRC and NAKASEC's friend, Ju. Let's help him out! -- Go to his website (joinju.com) to sign a petition or to make a donation.

DREAM update

Good news, Rep. Gutierrez recently co-sponsored the DREAM act on December 11 bringing the total number of co-sponsors in the House to 106! Let's keep working hard guys because the DREAM is still alive.

Freedom and Opportunity...

“The United States has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world. America values the contributions of immigrants, who continue to enrich this country and preserve its legacy as a land of freedom and opportunity. Freedom and opportunity are of the utmost importance in the United States and we wish you the very best as you begin your journey.” These are the welcoming words on the US Citizenship and Immigration’s website. The United States wishes you the very best as you begin your journey. And what does that journey consists of exactly?

Wish me luck as my family moves here from Korea for a better life. Wish me luck as I go to elementary school without knowing a word of English. Wish me luck as I apply for a green card. Wish me luck as I overstay my visa waiting for my green card. Wish me luck as I can’t get a job without a social security number. Wish me luck as I graduate high school. Wish me luck as I can’t apply for financial aid for college. Wish me luck as I head home from a low-wage job at midnight. Wish me luck as I get stopped by an officer for being out past curfew and can’t produce an ID. Wish me luck as I have just been notified of my deportation in 3 months, two days before Christmas.

“Freedom and opportunity are of the utmost importance in the United States and we wish you the very best as you begin your journey.” You wish me the best of luck on my journey, you say opportunities are of the utmost importance, then why do you make it so damn hard. This student’s situation which was just described is not an uncommon one. When you hear of an undocumented person, there are a couple of things that may pop into your mind; “Illegal, Mexican, criminal.” But as studies have proved, this isn’t necessarily true. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes, they don’t swamp the health care system, they’re not more likely to commit crimes, and even though Mexicans make up a majority of the undocumented population, many of these immigrants come from Asia, Europe, Africa, and across the globe.

Every year, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools, and many of these students will have a hard time going to college because they’re denied financial aid, scholarships, loans, and in-state tuition rates because of their status. And these students aren’t illegal. These students aren’t criminals. They’re students. They’re here to learn, and the nation is turning them away. The land of opportunity is turning away future doctors, future teachers, and future leaders. The DREAM Act is a federal bill re-introduced on March 26th by Senator Durbin of Illinois. The bill aims to allow eligible undocumented students an opportunity to pursue a higher education and pave a pathway to legal status.

"Freedom and opportunity are of the utmost importance..." So let's give these deserving students the freedom and opportunity to continue their education. To contribute to this country. To live, love, and learn in this country. Let's make it more for everyone than just a dream.

AKASIA and the November 23rd Rally

Hey everyone, my name is James and I'm a member of AKASIA and an intern at NAKASEC. AKASIA, Alliance of Korean American Students in Action, is a group of students who are all dedicated and invested in passing the DREAM act and CIR. Over the summer we worked on gathering postcards from thousands of community members, all of whom support our cause. With the help of KRC and NAKASEC as well as many others, we were able to collect over nine thousand postcards! We also attended many legislative visits to the offices of various Congress members to make sure that Congress heard our voice as well as those of all the other students who dream of passing DREAM.

This past November 23rd, I, along with a few other AKASIA members, joined hundreds of others in a rally and vigil in San Francisco. People young and old and of every ethnicity gathered in front of Speaker Pelosi's to shout our need for healthcare for ALL. After marching around the courtyard, we listened to many speakers who gave testimonies on how healthcare, or lack of, has affected their lives. Everything was translated in four different languages (!), showing the diversity of the people who support the cause. Later everyone joined together and lit candles to symbolize our passion and our solidarity. The rally was great. Over two hundred people came from all over California and NAKASEC, the organizers of the rally, and KRC gathered over 7,500 petitions from across the nation with the help of many other organizations. The rally revitalized the passion of those who attended and reminded everyone that, despite the unprecedented progress our nation has made towards healthcare reform, we still need to work so much more to have healthcare for ALL.

That's all for this post. I'll have pictures of the event up later!