How to Tell Your Story in 8 Steps
by Catherine Eusebio
"Either I could tell you -- that I am one of those “people that shouldn’t be here.” I could tell you that I came here as a child, found out when I was sixteen, and didn’t stop blaming my parents until I learned better. I could tell you how I struggled to pay for college on my own; how I was rejected from scholarships and cried silently into my sleeves on BART to avoid disturbing passengers on my way home. I could tell you how I joined the movement; how I advocated for the DREAM Act with hundreds of people even when comprehensive immigration reform was a third rail issue. I could tell you how I feel trapped every day, unable to imagine a bright future for myself even with a degree; how I will always feel like a “foreigner” if I stay or if I leave."
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"Either I could tell you -- that I am one of those “people that shouldn’t be here.” I could tell you that I came here as a child, found out when I was sixteen, and didn’t stop blaming my parents until I learned better. I could tell you how I struggled to pay for college on my own; how I was rejected from scholarships and cried silently into my sleeves on BART to avoid disturbing passengers on my way home. I could tell you how I joined the movement; how I advocated for the DREAM Act with hundreds of people even when comprehensive immigration reform was a third rail issue. I could tell you how I feel trapped every day, unable to imagine a bright future for myself even with a degree; how I will always feel like a “foreigner” if I stay or if I leave."
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The Awakening
by Jessica Hyejin Lee
"My pillow was where I did not lay my head
Bulging veins in my fist high up, I revolted
Look into my stares like a sharp bloody knife
You will no longer lie
My shouts will ring and crack the ground like an earthquake
Into EXPLOSION! Fire! Fire! Fire!
See the Truth
Fear does not cross the border
Handcuffs are an accessory that shine like diamonds on my wrists"
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"My pillow was where I did not lay my head
Bulging veins in my fist high up, I revolted
Look into my stares like a sharp bloody knife
You will no longer lie
My shouts will ring and crack the ground like an earthquake
Into EXPLOSION! Fire! Fire! Fire!
See the Truth
Fear does not cross the border
Handcuffs are an accessory that shine like diamonds on my wrists"
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Aniversario & Reasons
by Vianney A. Gavilanes
"two little girls
wonder if balloons will make them fly
remind me of
the little girl I left behind
an unrelenting force
propels to
trap thoughts on paper
with every stroke of the pen
I write"
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"two little girls
wonder if balloons will make them fly
remind me of
the little girl I left behind
an unrelenting force
propels to
trap thoughts on paper
with every stroke of the pen
I write"
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Welcome to the United States of America
by Krsna Avila
"I took a deep breath and slid the letter out. “Welcome to the United States of America,” it read. I stared at those words. I asked myself, “Am I finally welcomed after 23 years of being in this country? Did they just take notice of me now?”"
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"I took a deep breath and slid the letter out. “Welcome to the United States of America,” it read. I stared at those words. I asked myself, “Am I finally welcomed after 23 years of being in this country? Did they just take notice of me now?”"
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Dear Immigration Officer
by Liliana Campos
"The dream still lingered when the day rested at its highest peak, the clock ticking like the sun that sheds light into our dreams. The phone rang. It took less than a minute to receive a message I would not allow myself to even imagine: “Congratulations, your u-visa was approved.” The phone went mute."
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"The dream still lingered when the day rested at its highest peak, the clock ticking like the sun that sheds light into our dreams. The phone rang. It took less than a minute to receive a message I would not allow myself to even imagine: “Congratulations, your u-visa was approved.” The phone went mute."
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Ode to the Disillusioned Activist
by Irving Pineda
"Brother, sister, lover, old friend, I too know your pain
I love you
And therein lies a conundrum
For you love no longer."
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"Brother, sister, lover, old friend, I too know your pain
I love you
And therein lies a conundrum
For you love no longer."
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