DREAM-ing for Equality

by Mónica Rodríguez, Detroit, Michigan

DREAM Act supports holding a banner created by Pedro. The banner shows a man holding his hand above a barbed wire and into a bright blue sky which has several clouds, one of which has stars and stripes like the American flag.

DREAM Act supporters hold up a banner created by Pedro.

Two young women hold a large banner that reads "Support the DREAM Act"

More supporters holding another banner.

A photo from a distance shows dozens of DREAM Act supporters alongside the street.

Supporters of the DREAM Act in front of Senator Stabanow's office.

Pedro López holding a colorful sketch he drew of a woman, a flower, a bird, and a fish.

Pedro shows one of his artworks.

The Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors Act, better known as the DREAM Act, is a proposed law intended to provide legal residency to undocumented young people who were brought to the United States as children. If passed, the DREAM Act would only give legal residency to young people who arrived in the U.S. before age 16, have lived continuously in the U.S. for at least five years prior to the law’s enactment, and have graduated from high school or received a GED.

Those youth who meet all of these requirements would be given six-years of temporary residency, during which time they would be required to complete at least two years of either military service or education at a two or four-year college. Upon completing this additional education or military service, they would become eligible for permanent residency.

Similar legislation has been presented in both the Senate and the House of Representatives at various points over the course of the last decade. The current version was introduced on March 26, 2009, in the Senate by Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), and co-sponsored by others, and in the House by Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R-FL), also co-sponsored by others. However, it has been a slow process, which some suggest has been because 2010 is an election year.

In spite of the slow process, enthusiasm is growing about the DREAM Act. People have been marching to bring attention to it and show their support throughout the U.S., and the state of Michigan is no exception. I spent a day in Detroit following a group trying to bring the DREAM Act to Senator Debbie Stabenow’s attention and quickly learned that one person, Pedro, was vital to the rallies in Detroit.

Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Pedro is a 29-year-old Deaf man living in the southwest part of Detroit locally referred to as Mexicantown. He was born hearing and for reasons unknown to him lost his hearing around 7 or 8 years of age. He began learning American Sign Language (ASL) when he lost his hearing and is more comfortable with it than with Spanish and English. While Pedro himself has not pursued an advanced degree, he supports individuals who do and thinks they should have the opportunity to do so.

At the rally outside of Senator Stabenow’s office, DREAM Act supporters waved signs and chanted as they tried to get her attention so they could speak to her about why they think the DREAM Act should be passed. Cars were driving by honking their horns in support. As they waved signs, one of the things that immediately came up was Pedro’s contribution to the rally. Pedro had spent much of his time creating the signs used in this rally. These were the same signs used at several other events that have taken place throughout the state of Michigan and a larger march that occurred in Washington, DC.

I got to talk to Pedro at another DREAM Act rally. He is high spirited and excited about getting the DREAM Act passed. Many of his fellow ralliers speak highly of his contributions at the rallies. What caught my attention about his interactions with his peers is that his communication with them was very effective, even when no one in the group could sign ASL. We had met at a park and he is clearly a well-known and liked member of the community. Children were asking him to play soccer with them, and he was communicating with everyone. I asked him how he was able to do this when no one else could sign ASL. He told me they communicate primarily using gesture, he reads their lips when possible, and if all else fails, he guesses. In addition, the community center at the park where we met also has a Video Relay System where he can get immediate translation when he needs it.

Pedro is very modest. One thing everyone talked about when we were outside of Stabenow’s office was his artistic talent. When I asked him about it, he told me he did not consider himself to be an artist. Yet the community center had several pieces of his work displayed inside. I had already seen the banner and signs he created for the protest, and the recreation center also displayed one of his paintings and a sculpture. It took some insistence, but he told me a little about his work. He’s a self-taught artist who started painting flowers and plants and now makes sculptures and jewelry. When I asked him what inspired him, he shied away and stated that he just paints.

Pedro is an important supporter and contributor to the rallies supporting the DREAM Act in Detroit. He serves as a positive young role model for all youth in Mexicantown through his art and work.

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