Us (27 page)
This
isn't the soundtrack to the book, but these are songs that kept me writing.
Kalibre Magnum – This Is My Life
Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools
Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold
Daft Punk feat. Pharrell – Get Lucky
Snoop feat. Pharrell – Let's Get Blown
Jay Z feat. Pharrell – Excuse Me Miss
(Yeah, I kinda got a thing for Pharrell.)
Miguel feat. Kendrick Lamar – How Many Drinks
Driiky Graham – Snapbacks and Tattoos
Alicia Keys – Feeling U, Feeling Me
Close
to two million undocumented youth live in the United States. They were brought to the States under the age of eighteen, the age one is legally considered an adult, and assumes control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardian over and for them.
It is for this reason that there remains such controversy over the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). Are these minors at fault for being in the United States?
It is easy to get caught up in the rhetoric of the issue. There are various versions of the DREAM Act that involve age restrictions, educational qualifications, military service
, etc. as a means to citizenship. Google it. You'll find enough literature to keep you busy reading for days. In fact, many days have been spent by our political leaders debating the various aspects of the DREAM Act and trying to come to a consensus on what is "fair" to American citizens as well as undocumented youth.
I've had the great privilege to learn about these two million undocumented youth, up close and personal. I use the word privilege because there are a variety of other political issues I have an opinion about, but no connection to. All I know is what I've read, studied, and decided on my own. With regards to the issue of undocumented youth in the United States, I have somehow managed to find myself thoroughly in the trenches, and there is no place I'd rather be.
The DREAM Act and the issue of undocumented youth is not statistics on a piece of paper, various bills brought to the Senate, or a variety of projected outcomes. For me, it is not an issue at all. It is Genesis, Fernie, Angelica, Fernie's mother, and many other people I have had the great pleasure of meeting in my thirty-four years of life. It is the stories I've heard from a mother who just wanted a better life for her children, to a thirteen year old child's journey from Guatemala to the United States, during which he was robbed, faced death on more than one occasion, and was alone with his younger sister.
For me, it is even more than stories, though. It is
the bonds built with young people and being part of their lives as they grow up. It is standing by their side when they realize their limitations in the country they've spent over a decade in. I've stood by young people who graduate high school with honors. I've attended graduation parties for these students who want to go to college, but are unable to due to harsh financial restrictions enacted by states. I've written letters to various educational institutions expressing the dedication and intelligence of a college applicant, as well as their potential to excel and give back to the university and the country.
I've taken the late night call from a sixteen year old girl who was born in this country, but her parents and siblings were not. When her family was deported, she was left in the States. With no family, she suddenly found herself unsure of what to do. One day her biggest concern was if she would pass her math test, and the next day she was trying to figure out where to live, how to get to school, how to feed herself, and essentially how to live independently with barely a moment's notice. The American government made no attempt to help her. She was sixteen, and on her own.
These are not just young people, potential college students, or undocumented youth to me. These are
my
kids,
my
cubs.
I've also had a teenager, who was brought to the United States as a baby and had no ties to his country of birth, look me in the eye and say, "Really, Emily, what do you expect me to do besides sell drugs?" What did I expect him to do? How does one answer a question like that? Get a fake social security number so you can get a job? Work long hours, with no health insurance, for cash wages below minimum wage and hope no one finds out? Go back to a country you know nothing about and barely speak the language of, where you may or may not find work? Seri
ously, these were his options, and they fucking sucked.
Most undocumented adults and youth live under the poverty level, are ineligible for government aid, and are doing their best to survive. Why do they struggle so? Why do they come here if they face such difficult circumstances? I've had the honor of being accepted into families who allowed me to ask these questions, and listen to their honest answer. That answer is overwhelmingly the same from family to family—because it's better than what our options were in our home country. That is not to say that these families do not have love for their country of origin. On the contrary, they often have great pride in their roots, but they also realize the realities of life. Every mother, regardless of where she is born, wants the best for her children, and will go to great lengths to provide as such.
The story of José's mother is an all too common reality in the world we live in.
I ask you to see these two million undocumented youth as more than an issue, more than a statistic, and more than a "consequence" of the DREAM Act. I ask you to see them as people, as kids, as mothers, as human beings—not words on a piece of paper
.