Day 15: Undocumented Americans
Undocumented Americans is a term used by Define American to define individuals living in the U.S. without the proper paperwork. Living in the U.S. without legal authorization (unlawful presence) is a civil offense, while improper entry (crossing the border), is a misdemeanor. It should be noted that because many undocumented immigrants arrived legally, they have not committed a crime.
CHALLENGES
OPTION 1: UndocuJoy. Watch Define American’s UndocuJoy video (3mins6s). Define American is a nonprofit media and culture organization that uses the power of story to transcend politics and shift the conversation about immigrants, identity, and citizenship in a changing America.
OPTION 2: The Valedictorian. Watch Larissa Martinez’s Valedictorian speech (6mins6s) reveal she is undocumented during her speech in 2016.
OPTION 3: Unafraid. Watch Undocumented and Unafraid: Tam Tran, Cinthya Felix and the Immigrants Youth Movement (9mins10s).
OTHER RESOURCES
Undocumented and Black in America video from Define American.
Immigrants Rising- empower undocumented young people to achieve educational and career goals through personal, institutional and policy transformation.
Watch Becoming Ourselves (23 min) on Kanopy about an organization in Oakland that focused on building the long-term collective leadership of limited-English speaking immigrants, and empowered women and youth to become powerful agents of social change.