How to Come Out of the Shadows
What does coming out of the shadows mean?
In March of 2010, when the battle for the DREAM Act began to be more visible than ever, fierce undocumented immigrant youth in Chicago began what has become an annual week-long series of events throughout the U.S. known as “Coming Out of the Shadows.” By coming out of the shadows we reclaim our dignity, we stand tall for who we are, and begin to break down stereotypes & stigmas of the undocumented immigrant communities everywhere. Too many of us have lived in the shadows, feeling ashamed of ourselves for “not having papers.” As DREAMers have began to change that, we’ve gained an enormous amount of support & more courage to continue standing up to our rights as human beings. We have all gained a stronger sense of self & that of our abilities and love for our communities. Our goal is to bring more DREAMers together to empower each other, to assure everyone that all is possible when you have a dream.
We had our first coming out event last year in Van Nuys, and this year we are doing it again! We will be posting a series called “Why I come out of the shadows” the week leading up to Friday’s event. Here is the first one. More to come. Stay tuned!
Here are some awesome resources for DREAMers who are ready to come out put together by undocumented youth around the country:
NIYA: Are you undocumented and unafraid? Come out!
NIYA: Coming Out Guide for UndocuYouth
Coming out events elsewhere (will post more):
