Dear President Trump,
My world has been turned upside down and shot backwards. What did Martin Luther King Jr. die for? What did Elizabeth Stanton stand for? My country needs reminding. I look to the left and I see fear captivating the glossy eyes of those you call looters, terrorists, and un-American. I look to my right and see the growing hate and discrimination to those who look a shade different. I watch people lose sleep over what is to come of their American dreams or if they can even call themselves an American by 2018. Why must a nation built on immigration and the beautiful array of color be silenced? I do not hate you and I do not hate your supporters, but like a lion, if I feel threatened I will roar with ferociousness. Where you made your mistake was threatening minorities who are now the majority. Therefore, listen to my brothers and sisters because this is the generation that does not need guns — only their voices in this fight:
“I am undocumented and I fear at times I won’t be able to finish my schooling. But I am here to stay and I am not going to be afraid of what you do.”
-Esmeralda A.
“I was scared to come to school after the election since I heard my sister’s Asian friend got trash dumped on him. I just fear the discrimination in general.”
-Marie R.
“I fear for minorities. You already put a ban on Muslims- I just do not know what to expect for other minorities like Latinos.”
-Brenda G.
“I am worried about my friends who need the educational and health opportunities. I have family in Mexico who will be affected which really scares me.”
-Andrea R.
“My real concern lies on my family who do not have papers. I do not want you to deport my uncle who had a criminal past. He is much better now and I don’t want to see him go.”
-Andre M.
“Are you a misogynist? What is your objective?”
-Trinh N.
“I fear all these changes. I am Mexican and woman- what does that mean for me?”
– Leslie M.
“While I have the privledge of being born her, I fear for the lives of my loved ones that have not…I think thats what these changing times are called for-solidarity. Even if I do not understand everyone’s struggles, I know for some communites there is existent danger. That is what pushes me to be an activisit.”
-Jacqueline G.
“I want to make you understand my point of view and where I am coming from. I want to tell you my stories. I ask myself, how could our country sway that way?”
-Georgina T.
Why make students like these fear for their lives and their loved one’s lives in a country they call home? Why should I feel like an intruder in a place I grew up? These are the realties you have forced us to face. Your sad reality though is that you cannot stop a movement when it’s already alive and well. Not all people think like you. You cannot silence a group of people who are educated and are the poster children for a better tomorrow. Each one of us were born to tear down the hatred you are planting in our immigrant soil. I have got news for you: your discrimination and hate sparks a fiery movement of activists and dreamers who are vast in numbers. Each one of us has as much knowledge and access to resources to create a revolution that will take down your laws and ideals one by one.
With regards,