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Urging the Winston Salem City Council to support HB 904

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Moises Serrano in his cap and gown at Winston Salem City Council by Moises Serrano

It started out as a beautiful day: sunny skies, perfect weather. However, the strong winds and dark clouds soon moved in and by 5:30pm the rain started pouring. I arrived at the Winston Salem City Hall half an hour early in order to prepare. Yet, I found myself trapped under a tree,in the strong winds and pouring rain, because the doors to City Hall were locked. I ran for my car but it was too late, the rain had already dampened my clothes, shoes and handouts. Nevertheless, I was determined to not let it dampen my spirit.

Once inside, two extremely divisive issues garnered the attention of the Winston Salem City Council for two hours. However, our commitment to fairness for undocumented students in North Carolina was unwavering. Our supporters waited patiently in the main hall and “overflow” room. Finally, we reached the public comments section where we shared our concerns with the Council.

Mary Dickinson, a Winston-Salem resident and member of the Hispanic League spoke first. By then I was wearing my graduation gown. It was the only thing keeping me warm given that my clothes were still wet and the temperature in the hall felt near freezing for me. It was the first time I worn my whole ensemble since graduation day of 2007. For years it had lied at the bottom of my closet, collecting dust. Forgotten. That is how approximately 53,500 DREAMs spend their days, forgotten. These gowns no longer represent a day of joy, but rather a day of sorrow. The biggest obstacle for undocumented youth in attaining a college degree is the out-of-state tuition we must pay even though we meet the residency requirement, which makes college nearly impossible for most of us.

My name gets mispronounced on my way to the podium, which reminds me of my high school days when none of my teachers pronounced my name properly (Moy-sehs). I come out as undocumented, and share my story. Society told me to assimilate, to learn the language, to be proud of our country. So I did. My teachers told me to work hard and make good grades, that through this I would be able to be anything I wanted to be. So I did. What my teachers failed to mention was how to get into college when you are undocumented.

 

My three minutes to speak were soon over. The City Council heard another undocumented student speak and four more speakers on this issue and moved on. The reception was not what we had hoped for.

I am happy to announce that a few days after our event we were contacted by Councilmen Montgomery, who has agreed to introduce a resolution for the June calendar! If approved,this would be the first time in the history of our state that a city will come out in support of HB 904. Now it is up to us to secure enough votes for it to pass!

 

The post Urging the Winston Salem City Council to support HB 904 appeared first on Let's Learn NC.


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