Get Ready Cause We're Coming Back

Two weeks ago, over 200,000 people of all colors, creeds, and socioeconomic levels, from all over our nation, marched on Washington to deliver a simple message: Mr. President, members of Congress, we want the change you promised us.



That such a large amount of people should gather in a peaceful and orderly manner is an accomplishment in and of itself. We have testament of the power of the march in Nezua's moving, beautiful video. It was an amazing experience for all that participated;our own DREAM Act cohort was represented by hundreds of students from all over the nation. For myself, it was a chance to finally meet face to face many of the amazing DREAMers I have gotten to "know" online over the past two years.


However, if like me you surfed TV and the net that night looking for coverage,to judge the amount of coverage the national media gave the March for America, it might as well have been a few hundred rather than hundreds of thousands. Insulting when you consider the coverage given to every half assed teabagger gathering. But healthcare legislation passed that night, so we ended the day with hope.

But right now, my patience and hope is wearing a little thin. While Congress keeps playing politics with people's lives, detentions and deportations are on the rise, and we have tragedies like Gustavo Rezende's; as his hopes and dreams died so did his will to live. I will not stand for any more losses. So get ready,Mr. President and members of Congress, because we are coming back on May 1st. No more stalling. We'll be at your doorstep. We won't slow back down, we won't be pacified with vague promises. We will keep rallying,writing and calling until you stand up and do the job for which you were elected.Fulfill your promise and PASS THE DREAM ACT!

Why I dream of change

I'm Puerto Rican, so I can't call myself an immigrant. But I have lived as an immigrant abroad, I have been the other , the outsider looking in, and know very well how hard it is, getting used to life in a place where everything is strange. Picture how many more magnitudes of difficulty are involved then when your hands are tied by a lack of papers.
I've had the pleasure and the privilege to meet and befriend people from many different countries and from all walks of life, and through their stories I was educated to the reality just how difficult it can be to immigrate to the US. I thought i had heard it all: the endless waiting, the requests for document after document, the ridiculously convoluted rules, the fees, the crooked lawyers that stiff you out of your savings and produce no results. Yet was has fired me up the most is the plight of the undocumented students brought here as children or infants. The fact that you could grow up, go to school and strive for excellence and to get to the top and then have your life come to a dead screeching halt seemed surreal. But its all too true for thousands of youths across the land. Motto schooled me in his reality, and introduced me to many other students, who like himself, are high achieving, hard working, and have defied huge odds to become budding community leaders. It is that drive, that spirit to not only improve their personal situation but to change things for the better, ensuring that no one has to run the rat maze of obstacles with which they have been forced to deal that inspired me to become actively involved in the push for immigration reform. I refuse to stand by and do nothing while the gifts and talents of people who have enriched their communities and schools, who have shown so much promise, go to waste. I can't stand the racists and bald opportunists who rant about "criminal"and "illegal" when the topic of immigration is discussed and whose only solution is "deport them all!". They have absolutely no clue about the sacrifices, fear, worries, and hardships that have been surmounted by Dreamers and their families. I don't want to see one more family torn apart, or see any more Dreamers placed under the threat of what amount to exile.
This process has not been without personal cost. My family disdains politics, looks askance at my activism, and is pessimistic about the effects of our campaigns, they are offended by the buttons and the t-shirts; they've gone as far as to try and curtail the extent of my involvement. It is hard going when your allegiances are questioned. But I take my inspiration from each victory, whether large or small, and from the amazing tireless pro migrant community. And most of all, from all the Dreamers. They keep me going.
And this keeps me going too.

The DREAM Act is re-born.

The DREAM Act has been reintroduced!

And what a press coverage it has received, from both sides of the argument there have been several emerging articles that have promoted and demonized the DREAM Act.

The current status of both House and Senate versions has been made available to all reader on the information bar, and the "Current Projects" section has also been updated!

Here are some of our most visited headlines:

Recurring DREAM back in Congress
DREAM Act Reintroduced In Senate
DREAM ACT Reintroduced In Both Chambers

Not to mention the blogosphere has been plagued with several reviews, opinions, testimonials, about the DREAM Act's introduction.

More distinguished post so far has been that made by Kyle over at CitizenOrange, in which he dictated 5 actions on how to help the DREAM Act:

1. CALL - The National Council of La Raza has a page to help you call your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://capwiz.com/nclr/callalert/index.tt?alertid=12988601

2. FAX - America's Voice has a page to help you fax your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/speakout/DaretoDream

3. EMAIL - Change.org has a page to help you email your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://www.change.org/ideas/932/view_action/ask_your_congressperson_to_support_the_dream_act

4. PETITION - Dreamactivist.org has the official petition in support of the DREAM Act.
http://dreamact2009.com/

5. TEXT - Text "Justice" ("Justicia" for Spanish) to 69866 to be the first to know when the DREAM Act is introduced. FIRM's Mobile Action Network is an excellent way to stay connected and have maximum impact at just the right moment.
http://fairimmigration.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/action-join-the-fight-for-immigrant-rights/

Here at LIFE BY DREAM would like to thank Kyle for his hard work and dedication on the issue, as he is one of the most invaluable members of our activist bubble. His determination only bleeds orange as he has written several articles where he defends the DREAM Act, and gives comprehensive articles that depict the benefits of this legislature.

It is without a doubt that his article struck some positive chords, as AlterNet (one of the largest online magazine) published Kyle's Pass the DREAM Act for Future Economic Prosperity: A Comprehensive Argument.

The moral argument for the DREAM Act is simple. The only people who cannot see it are those who refuse to recognize unauthorized migrants as humans. That's why any article that humanizes migrants is always quickly filled with vicious nativist hate in the comments section.

BRAVO Kyle! Nobody could have put it better.
These are exciting times ladies and gentlemen, as our drums continue to resonate, we slowly but surely move forward.

Please take some time to visit all of the links covered in this post, as you can discover plenty of valuable information of the recent developments about the DREAM Act.

ACTION ALERT: Ask President Barack Obama About the FEDERAL Dream Act!

Currently the White house is taking questions pertaining to the economy and other aspects, that are to be voted according to popularity. Currently there are 14 questions that address the passage of the Federal Dream Act.

Please do take a minute of your time (registration is LITERALLY seconds) and vote for the Dream Act questions.

Ask President Obama a Question

Go ahead. Create an Account. Log In. Click on the Search Bar and type Dream Act. Vote yes (check).

Start Your Engines...

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

I'm sure that by now most of you (if not all of you) are sitting at home, stuffed with food, tired from partying last night, and plan to start the year on a new note.
That is all great and everything; yet, let's begin with some news.

As of last night, Change.org has closed its polling for the TOP 10 IDEAS FOR AMERICA.
Let me begin by congratulating and thanking all of those out there who made an effort and not only voted for the DREAM Act as one of the top 10 Ideas, but propagated the word and made it known that we want this piece of legislation passed in order to bring the Change we crave from the Obama administration to America.

In the last hours we managed to rake in over 400 new votes!
Catapulting us to 8th place after a lag, and keeping us at the number ONE spot in the immigration section of the website.
So take this time to sit back and celebrate, but don't get too comfortable.

Our opposition is second place right behind us, and they, like us are trying to rake up as many vote as they can for the next round as well.

The new voting beings on January 5th, this time around we have only ten days to make sure the DREAM Act stay on top like its supposed to. Please, take a day to rest, but do not forget that our task is right in front of us and that we need every vote we can in order to keep pushing this movement forward. Have all your friends, family, acquaintances vote for our cause, explain to them what it means and how beneficial it is to this nation and I am more than sure that they will advocates to their inner circles as well.

Feel free to vote on any of these two ideas and defeat our opposition!

Equal Immigration Rights for same sex binational couples

Pass the DREAM Act Now!

REMEBER THAT VOTING OPENS ON JANUARY 5TH so start you engines!


Happy New Years!

PARTICIPATE!

Just a quick reminder to the readers to please PARTICIPATE in the following:

1. Change.org:

Change.org is currently having a "voting contest" in which the top 10 ideas that are voted in the website will be formally introduced to President-Elect Obama upon his inauguration.

"The top 10 rated ideas will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009 as the "Top 10 Ideas for America." We will then launch a national campaign behind each idea and mobilize the collective energy of the millions of members of Change.org, MySpace, and partner organizations to ensure that each winning idea gets the full consideration of the Obama Administration and Members of Congress."

If you have not done so already, PLEASE click on the widget on the right hand side of this blog and submit your vote! REGISTERING takes only a FEW MINUTES and is pretty simple!

Here is the link for those of you who can't follow the widget:

Change.org PASS THE DREAM ACT!

2. Sign the Petition:

We are currently administering a petition through DreamActivist.org
May I remind you, that DreamActivist has been named the center for all DREAM Act Related Activity and should be checked for updates daily!

Currently we have a goal that runs in the thousands of signatures, so please sign and spread the word to those you know would also be interested in aiding our cause:

DreamActivist Petition

3. Contact Your Representatives:

If there has ever been one sure way to get your voice heard is by contacting your representatives and giving them a piece of your mind on how they are running things. By witting a letter (e-mails don't hold as much weight, however, do not let me discourage you from blasting emails and faxes to their offices as well!) to them, you can rest assured that them, if not their staffers will keep an eye out for the issue you're voicing your opinion on.

IN this case tell them about the DREAM Act. Its benefits, the DREAMers you have met, how important education ist o every child in America.

AILA makes it easier to find your representatives and the information on how to reach them.
Here is the link:

Contact Your Representatives

Here is a guide on how to properly write a letter to Congress (remember you can write/email/fax to your Representatives at their D.C. offices or their State offices):

How to Write to Congress

Also, do not forget to check DreamActivist for other ways to spread the word and help the DREAM Act!

Join our mailing list!
Send in your story!
Volunteer!
Get to know us!


Hope all your holidays went well, as a closing not please also sign this petition, so that we can give Sheriff Arpaio the attention he deserves.