Student Coalition for Immigration Rights: Awareness, Empowerment, Action for Students without Proper Documentation

The Student Coalition for Immigration Rights encourages students and allies to make their voices heard by legislators through letter-writing campaigns, phone calls and petitions. We have led informational, action-based workshops on the DREAM Act and other state and federal immigration legislation. S.C.I.R. also drafted and presented two resolutions on student immigrants’ rights to the WWU AS Board of Directors (both passed). Last year we organized a Community Conference on Immigration. S.C.I.R. members worked over a year planning this conference, designing it to address immigration from a holistic perspective. The conference included: a professional panel; three workshops; a presentation from an immigration lawyer; a personal video message from Representative Rick Larsen; an audience discussion; and a keynote speaker. S.C.I.R. collaborates with university departments and clubs and state organizations to bring in speakers and for other events on immigration issues. We are currently working with the several university departments, two nonprofits and another student club to show the movie “Papers” with an informational panel discussion. We are working with another university office to bring a prominent social justice artist to campus to do a workshop on undocumented immigration. S.C.I.R. created the “You’re Not Alone” packet, which has the purpose of giving students immediate hope with resources that help them work within the system while empowering them to make political change. The “You’re Not Alone” packet explains how to apply to higher education facilities in Washington; lists the resources available at Western Washington University for students without proper documentation and staff and faculty members who are allies; lists political organizations to get involved with to make change; lists scholarship opportunities; and explains current legislation affecting students without proper documentation as well as future legislation that could help. We plan to also create a packet for teachers and counselors so they can better support their students. In the future we will translate both packets into other languages. S.C.I.R. has planned and been involved in at least fifteen workshops and events where audiences generally range from 35-80 people. We have reached at least 650 people who have attended these events. This number does not include the many others who have been reached through the distribution of our message to the public through word of mouth, media publicity, and educational materials such as the “You’re Not Alone” packet. Many students without proper documentation do not know the resources available to them. Sometimes they find out for the first time that they can attend college at one of our workshops. As a representative of S.C.I.R. I have also helped organize immigrant rights marches in Seattle and Bellingham; presented information about students without proper documentation at the National Association for Bilingual Education 2011 Conference; and done interviews with radio stations and newspapers about S.C.I.R.’s work. I also have co-written an academic paper on the struggles of students without proper documentation in the educational system accepted by the journal Relational Child & Youth Care Practice. I am currently working on another co-written academic article with similar subject matter.