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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > DREAMS SHOULDN'T REQUIRE DOCUMENTS
Article published - September 23, 2007
Credit: THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Dreams Shouldn't Require Documents
By Pedro Toledo
In the early 1950s, my father, at the age of 23, came to the
agricultural fields of Sonoma County to begin a long road toward
achieving the American dream for his family.
The bracero program, an agreement between Mexico and the United States,
enabled my father and many like him to come work on our local farms. He
arrived in Sonoma on an old bus just in time for the fall harvest.
Working in the fields of Sonoma County and in his role as a community
organizer not only laid the foundation on which he built a strong family
but also helped foster a new understanding of opportunity. It was here
that my father realized that, through education, his children would have
the opportunity to someday achieve far more than he ever imagined.
From the harvest of 1952 until the day he died, he remained committed to
seeing that all his children would take full advantage of the myriad
educational opportunities that were not available to him.
The California Legislature recently passed SB 1 by Sen. Gilbert Cedillo,
D-Los Angeles, also known as the California Dream Act, which allows more
people to take advantage of educational opportunities.
This bill allows undocumented students to access financial aid to pursue
higher education. Without this legislation, we continue to deny youth
the opportunity to attend college, effectively stifling their natural
ambition and fostering a culture of disenfranchisement. Unintended
consequences include higher dropout rates, increased gang activity and a
workforce unprepared for the future.
With this legislation we encourage more students to pursue higher
education rather than lock them out. While California cannot promise
high-achieving undocumented students a path to legalization, we can
enact policies that encourage youth to realize their dreams.
At the federal level, we must advocate that Majority Whip Dick Durbin,
D-Ill., introduce the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors
Act, known as the Dream Act. This legislation would create a path to
legalization for undocumented students.
Undocumented children and young adults are in this country through no
fault of their own yet are being punished for the decisions of their
parents. We have to draw the line, provide access to higher education
and create a path to legalization for children and young adults.
Progressive legislators are realizing that we can no longer remain quiet
while the politics of fear subjugate the most vulnerable members of our
community.
Hostile legislation, scapegoating and intimidation must stop.
Restricting opportunity betrays our core values and erodes the American
dream. From the earliest days of the republic, our country has been a
land where every individual with ambition and talent could rise as far
as their capacities would take them.
We cannot forget that Ben Franklin saw an America where any individual
could pick oneself up by his bootstraps. We have to remember that Thomas
Jefferson promoted the ideal of an "aristocracy of talent." Even Ronald
Reagan promised an "opportunity society." It's time to reaffirm our
commitment to the founding principle of equality of opportunity on which
our country was built.
Hard work and education helped my family achieve the American dream, and
we should allow others to take a similar path.
In recognition of National Latino Heritage Month, Sept.15 through Oct.
15, I urge you to contact your federal legislators and share your
thoughts on the Dream Act, which would grant undocumented youth a path
to citizenship. Please also contact Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and ask
him to sign SB 1, the California Dream Act, which would allow these
students to access financial assistance to pursue higher education.
Pedro Toledo is a Rohnert Park resident and the director of community
and government relations for Redwood Community Health Coalition.
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