Latino Rights: Lane County Leaders' Assembly

Katie D.

February 10, 2011 - 10:03 PM

"We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality."

--Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tonight over eight hundred people gathered to support the rights of all residents of Eugene to have access to Drivers Licenses and In-State Tuition for graduates of Eugene high schools.

The event drew members from Eugene's high schools, churches, political communities, Latino residents, and University students. Folks came with their families and their church friends and crowded into the First Congregational United Church of Christ to come together as witnesses and activists for social justice and equality within our community. The evening began with music and continued with bilingual speeches and testimony to the importance of allowing non-citizen residents access to such basic needs as access to higher education and the ability to legally drive the streets of Eugene.

I was so moved by the evening. As with many issues surrounding the rights of undocumented members of our community, these questions of equality and human rights pull at my heart in a profound way. Tonight I felt myself a part of a movement for dramatic change, surrounded by members of all walks of life in Eugene.

Mayor Kitty Piercy herself was in attendance.

Until recently, all individuals who lived in Eugene had access to Oregon state drivers licenses. Now such access is limited to US citizens with documents to prove it. During the evening's events, we heard from members of the community testifying to the need to maintain their licenses in order to keep their jobs and to keep the streets of Eugene safe. If undocumented migrants do not have licenses, many will continue to drive but be without insurance or registration, which is an enormous hazard to the community.

The second main issue was tuition equity. Under the proposed legislative change, noncitizens could access in-state tuition if they: attend an Oregon school for at least three years, graduated from an Oregon high school, and intend to become lawful permanent residents.

During the evening, we heard about the statistics of safety and equity surrounding these issues. But the depth of meaning came from the speakers. Particularly the students at North Eugene High School, who came to testify about their desire to attend college and achieve their dreams. One young woman, speaking beautiful English, told the audience of her dream to become a microbiologist and to make her family proud, particularly her father, who had been deported five years ago and who they had not heard from since. She reported living in fear of deportation, and of her lack of agency in her legal status, as she had come here with her family when she was only one year old. She spoke of her desire to prove herself to be more than "just an immigrant" and that she didn't choose to be here. She apologized for her legal status, and asked the audience to help her to achieve her dreams and to live as a member of this adopted country, which she loves.

Most of the room was in tears. Six individuals spoke movingly of their experiences living in Eugene, attempting to assimilate into this adopted community. They spoke of their love of the American Dream, and their desire to live in this place as their home. One young woman, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, reminded us that migration is a fundamental right of us all.

The final event of the evening was the calling forward of the Lane County elected officials present. Each was asked to come to the microphone, and asked to pledge their support in the passage of these legislation to encourage equality within our community. We gave each a standing ovation, and we cried. We were members of church communities (Catholic as well as Protestant). We stood as members of the University community (including our Law School Dean, Micheal Moffitt), and as members of the Latino community. We were old and young, long-time residents and short-term visitors. And in that room, for those two hours, I felt such a surge of hope and power. We were members of a single community, in solidarity and in witness to a force for change.

While we shared tamales after the event, I saw many familiar faces. I saw fellow UO students and UO professors. I spoke with members of the two churches I attend. Many familiar faces from other social justice events were also in attendance. But as we spent the evening in bilingual solidarity, I felt new bonds formed and new hope formed. This is the future of this state and every state. As I have witnessed in my work on the border, immigration is a reality and not a passing "problem." We have to do everything we can to embrace the new members of our homes, and become a single community again.

As the future microbiologist ended her speech, so I will end this blog: !Somos un Oregon unido y diverso!"

We are one Oregon: united and diverse.