Every Dickinsonian’s worst nightmare was to set foot on the seal before graduation because legend told us that we then wouldn’t be able to graduate. A black graduation cap, however, was placed in the heart of the untouched seal two weeks ago during the campus protest over the administration’s decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). It represented the shattering of all dreams and pursuits that over 800,000 DREAMers, including the ones currently attending and attended Dickinson, after DACA program ended.
Independent of all the nuances of border security and the broken immigration system, the story of DACA was a tale of humanity and, to quote President Obama, basic decency. It symbolized an official nod to the American Dream in the 21st century. Brought here without giving consent to their parents’ decision, grew up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and cheering for Team USA during the Olympics, DREAMers knew no other motherland. America was their home, where their loved ones were, where their dreams lied.
To tell them that they did not belong to this land, that they must leave for a strange country where they had no relation or emotional attachment to, was heartless and inhumane.
Plain and simple, the President’s decision to rescind DACA was an overt attack on the good, old tale of American Dream. Once upon a time, people all around the world fought for a chance to sail to the land of the free. Whether they were there to pursue just a warm home with food or a doctor’s degree in astrophysics, these people abandoned their home and beloved ones for America because they believed that in this land they could have a chance of achieving their dreams.
It was evident that president Trump and his staff worked tirelessly to fulfill his many campaign promises of creating an “America First” future for Americans. Yet, it was also becoming increasing questionable if his vision for “American First” required an adjective, whether that modifier was to detail a certain race or socioeconomic status.
I am so proud of Dickinson’s campus-wide initiatives to protest and write to government officials regarding DACA. In times of fractured hopes, we are each other’s last line of defense. We need to stand together and resist any policies that do not represent all Americans’ interests equally. We give each other hugs. We cheer each other on. We dare each other to dream.