Celebrating Resilience: A Colloquium in Guanajuato, Mexico
UndocuScholars LLC co-founders and developers, Aldo and Gerson, delivered an anthropological colloquium in Guanajuato, Mexico this summer. The talk centered on the history of the Dream Movement, which led to the creation of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and irreversibly expanded the image of the immigrant in the American imagination.
A Collaborative Effort with ILEAP
The colloquium was delivered in collaboration with ILEAP, a non-profit organization that provides study abroad programs and educational workshops for eligible DACA recipients. ILEAP’s Summer 2024 cohort consisted of DACA recipients from across the United States who joined this educational program to learn more about Mexico’s history and culture. This was the first time many of the participants had traveled outside the United States since their very first arrival in the country as children. It was an honor to share in their joy as well as some of their worries during this challenging political climate.
Navigating Fear and Uncertainty
It is a perfectly rational reaction to feel anxiety when prominent and influential people publicly call for mass deportations. It makes sense to worry when anti-immigrant discourse gains mainstream momentum and carries messages of eugenics along with it. There is a long history of violence toward scapegoated migrant communities that informs our valid fears.
The Power of Care and Community
But there is also a long history of care so deep that it fuels change. Care so deep that it drives action. Care that protects and defends. Looking at our history is more than an exercise in nostalgia. Keeping our history alive is one of the oldest technologies that helped human ancestors prepare for the future, and it is a tool still available to us.
Out of the Shadows: Lessons from DACA and the Dream Movement
Out of the Shadows: Lessons from DACA and the Dream Movement is an art project of living histories. This art project is a celebration spotlighting the buried legacy and sacrifice of Dreamers, which was largely driven by young women and trans/queer immigrants working hard to build community. The Dream Movement offers great, actionable insight into the power of institutionally disempowered peoples. It demonstrates that real, world-changing power can be crafted and created. And it can be done beautifully, artfully, and effectively.
Honoring the Legacy of Dreamers
By bringing to light personal stories of exhausted, overworked, unpaid, undocumented children who faced monumental fears together, who easily found ways to laugh and dance together, and who changed the world together, we look to the past to inform the present so that we can shape the future together.
Looking Forward: Upcoming Events and New Seminars
Out of the Shadows is already part of our general rosters of presentations and talks, which you can see here. We are excited to deliver this colloquium once again during ILEAP’s upcoming programming in Oaxaca. During this event, we will also debut a new seminar on Día de los Muertos titled: De Aquí y De Allá… Y Del Más Allá (From Here and From There… and Beyond). In this new seminar, we will explore the Day of the Dead traditions throughout Mesoamerica, its political significance, and similar traditions from cultures around the world. Here we will also muse on the fact that even death has permeable borders.
Conclusion: Building a Hopeful Future
The journey of undocumented students, Dreamers, and immigrants is fraught with challenges, but it is also filled with resilience, hope, and a drive for a better future. As we continue to share these stories and celebrate these histories, we aim to inspire others to keep fighting, keep dreaming, and keep building a present where everyone has a place.
