VivirLatino

The whole “undocumented living in the shadows” metaphor always gnawed at me a little for it’s sinister feel. The shadows are dark places, where bad things happen and bad people live. It kind of feeds into the “good vs. bad immigrant” narrative that we are so fond of talking about here. Maybe that’s why I like the idea of National Coming Out of the Shadows Day being celebrated today in Chicago by hundreds of young people as part of the larger National Coming Out of the Shadows Week , March 15th to the 21st.

The idea of National Coming Our of the Shadows Day and Week is for the undocumented, especially youth, to stand up, unafraid, unashamed and unwilling to accept the idea that there are good immigrants vs. bad immigrants. That is a a dichotomy created by the racist broken immigration system to divide and conquer communities that intersect.

The focus of the event in Chicago today is Senator Durbin and the demand that he support comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act, which would give countless undocumented youth the freedom to continue to grow educationally and professionally.

“We cannot wait any more. Not while our parents are getting deported and our youth’s dreams fall apart due to an obsolete immigration system that has failed us and the country. I have supported Senator Durbin and President Obama, and now we need them to act. This country cannot wait anymore, we will not wait any longer,” said Ireri, IYJL member.