Yesterday evening many of my fellow Texas Dreamers and Allies gathered at Texas A&M University for an event that, for many of us, was life changing. There have been “Undocumented and Unafraid” campaigns all over the nation, and I remember, when they began, that all I did was admire the bravery and boldness of these students who came forward and revealed their immigration status.
I remember sitting in my weekly meetings and going out with my CMSA (Council for Minority Student Affairs) buddies when I was still at Texas A&M last semester, and discussing hte possibility of coming out, but always psyching ourselves out because of the fear we had yet to overcome especially being in one of the most conservative campuses in Texas.
However, after a long silence and living in the shadows, the Coming Out of the Shadows event was put into place, and we did not back down. Going back to Aggieland, after being gone for a semester, to support my organization and my friends was a blessing. I decided, that because I am no longer in school, I had a lot less to lose than some of my friends, so I came out.
This decision was a long time coming, and it was time to finally free myself from the metaphorical prison in which all Dreamers are trapped. We struggle to be free from these confines, but whereas we can free our minds, our bodies, and our souls; we cannot let our talents, skills, and dreams be free, they will be trapped until the DREAM Act passes. Unfortunately, this is beyond our control, and all we can do is attempt to free as much as we can of ourselves, thus speaking out and being unashamed and unafraid of who we are. We are unafraid because once we let the fear go, we start to be free.
Coming out of the shadows yesterday was a moment of celebration for me. It was a process for me to be ready to do this, but when I decided to do it there was no turning back. It was like getting on a rollercoaster and building up all the suspense as you go slowly up the hills, and then let yourself drop trusting that you are safe , I trusted in my community of Dreamers and Allies, I trusted in my friends, and I trusted in my school.
These are some articles documenting what happened more or less:
The Eagle — I urge THE EAGLE to DROP THE I-Word!
copyright. 2011. T.A.
"For Families and Their Education" 
Thanks for your bravery!
Thank you for sharing your story, I believe it’s a story more people should hear. May I republish it in part on our RITA blog? We would of course link back here.
America loves a DREAMer!
Cristina,
Yes you may use this for your site. 🙂
Thanks for the continued support.
Paz,
Thay
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