By Maria Cadenas, Executive Director of Santa Cruz Community Ventures Last week I had the privilege of being in our nation's capitol as part of the HOPE Leadership Institute (HLI). It was our last session as a fellowship cohort of 30 Latina Leaders from across California. To say that I am humbled by them is not giving them justice. When I signed up for HLI, I was seeking a way to do more. And yet, as the days went by I realized that what I was actually getting was the words and tools to share my story and listen to stories of the women around me. It was in this finding and telling that I was given the strength to better partner with the communities I care so much about. I was reminded of the power of stories. How its through our stories that we get to know each other as neighbors, coworkers, and friends. I was reminded that it is in this weaving of stories that we connect. How we forge relationships and dialogue. Where we find space for new ways and innovation. Sometimes, in the day to day efforts to create policy and processes, we forget the very human journey and reason we do what we do. We persist on affordable healthcare because it is about keeping people living and thriving. We persist on fair immigration policies because it is about families being together and the communities we live next door to. We persist because not doing so dishonors the very shoulders we stand on. Persistence means continued effort. A commitment to keep on keeping on. And today that means continuing to tell our stories on the value of the ACA and how it changed our lives and communities for the better - making us a #HealthierUS. Today persistence means continuing to share the stories and value of our #DREAMers and immigrant families and neighbors. Today is about taking the time to know each other's story, finding our care and love for each other as people, and remembering that the world we want can only happen if we work towards it.
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By Maria Cadenas, Executive Director of Santa Cruz Community Ventures
On the heels of Labor Day Weekend celebrations the White House announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. For many, this was an expected move, one that we hoped would not arrive. After all, DACA was a small step in recognizing who we want to be and can be as a people and a country. It was saying that you are valued as a human being, a neighbor, a part of our community. And in doing so it made us stronger. DACA provided $200 billion to the economy and one-fifth of DACA recipients work in the health care and educational sector. But what DACA, in its own imperfect way, was really about was saying that there is no "other" in America. And that is the real reason to defend DACA, because its end is a blatant effort to reinforce the "other." A society for some and only available to others if the ruling class approves. And that is the great tragedy. This is not about being shocked at the administration. It is not about political expediency. This is an effort to codify and define who America is for and who it is not for. An effort to codify who gets to participate in this great American Dream - from our schools to our economy. The question is, does the United States, as a people, want that caste system? Because DACA is not about DREAMers, it is about who we want to be. So I ask you, in the spirit of the Labor Movement, which side are you on? |
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