MolinaSoleilI co-produced “My America” – a benefit cd for Papers the Movie. I put this project together with CHiTT Productions. It was released on July 4th, 2009. The collaborative project features artists from across the country, including Oakland, Denver, Albuquerque, Laramie, the Twin Cities, and Harlem. The spoken word and music tracks address issues of racial identity, immigration, citizenship, and the question of what it means to be an “American”.
A vote on the Dream Act will come before congress this fall during the lame duck session. The Dream Act would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented youth through completion of college or military service.
The Democratic leadership finally found the courage to move this piece of legislation forward. Republicans will pick up dozens of seats in the House and several seats in the senate in January 2011. The Democrats had a chance to really move forward a pro-people agenda when Obama was elected in 2008. The Obama Administration chose to take a centrist, conservative, corporatist approach. Many opportunities to pass meaningful legislation for the people have now slipped away.
Opportunities continue to slip away for millions of undocumented youth, Beyond racism and propaganda, many of these young people have been living in the U.S. their entire lives. This is their home. Yet they can’t drive, can’t vote, can’t work legally, and in most states cannot get in-state tuition for college.
The reality of the global economic system and the set-up of the American economy has pushed and pulled their families into the U.S. There are 10 million + illegal immigrants in this country, 2 million of them are children. Something realistic and fair needs to be done to incorporate some of these people into American society. A deportation-only agenda is unrealistic, ignorant, and hypocritical.
The DREAM ACT is a fairly conservative piece legislation meant primarily to grow the American military recruitment pool. I am actually not a fan of the logistics of the Dream Act, but something needs to be done. I support the act. Learn about the Act at www.DreamActivist.org. If you support it, call your government representatives.
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LATE DECEMBER 2010 UPDATE – THE DREAM ACT WAS BLOCKED, AGAIN.
Tags: CHiTT Productions, DREAM Act, Immigration Reform, Papers
