This is my first time at Spring Lobby Weekend, but I was a member of the Advocacy Corps.
I’m DACAmented and I brought a delegation of 12 students, most of whom are also DACAmented. It will be their first time being politically engaged. They are here for themselves and their communities. We’re the day laborers of our area and live on the other side of the tracks. And we get the sense that the rest of the community wants us to stay there.
The idea that young people get to be part of this discussion is amazing. We started a community organization, and held a rally in November of 2017 to show that we are here. It’s up to us as young people to take lead of the conversation. The Advocacy Corps helped me to expand what our organization does.
A lot of the parents of these students feel like the system wasn’t made for them. But we believe that we ARE America. It encourages us to fight for a more just, fair America—what this place is supposed to be. It’s a matter of making it our own system. Because they’re never going to give you the power. You have to take it.
I’m not Quaker but I deeply respect that Quakers are willing to live out their faith. I don’t know how you can say that what we are doing this week doesn’t belong within the church. It’s so cool that even though we’re not of the same faith, they open their doors and their bodies on the line for us.
I am very excited, inspired, touched that 400 other kids are here at Spring Lobby Weekend to fight for people like me. You don’t get to see it all the time back home. So it’s a big deal to see that support.
I think we can make a change here. Politicians are human. If they’re business people, then this is their business. There is a way to pitch these issues to people regardless of their political standing. Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, you have to advocate for things you care about.
I’m incredibly grateful to FCNL for the opportunity to empower other immigrant youth. They’re not just talking the talk, they’re providing the tools.
Itzel lives in Red Bank, New Jersey and is a recent graduate of New Jersey City University with degrees in national security and political science.