One of my absolute favorite things about living in New York City is going to see live music in small venues. Its not what you think; its not the intimate setting or the hipster status that comes from attending more “underground” shows. What I love about these shows is how excited the people/person on stage typically is to be playing in NYC. Playing a packed show to a NYC crowd is a huge deal and I love when bands can’t hide  their excitement about it. I love watching people have their “I’m going to make it” moment, ya know, living out their dreams. (This is also the reason that I cry while watching sporting events involving a championship of any sort, one shining moment anyone?).

Its on account of this “living the dream” fetish of mine, perhaps, that I was so saddened during a presentation I attended on Silver’s Common Day given by the DREAM team at NYU. The presentation centered on the NY State DREAM act. The passing of the DREAM act in NY would mean that undocumented students would be eligible for financial assistance with college tuition from the state, like financial aid and scholarships from a DREAM fund. When I think of undocumented immigrants, I typically think of people who made the choice to move here themselves. The presentation by the DREAM Team at NYU made me think of a different type of undocumented immigrant ; Children of undocumented immigrants who came here as a child, some of which may be unaware of their undocumented status. These children grew up here in the States just like myself. They attended elementary, middle and high school here. They made plans to go to college. The only difference between them and I, in that regard, is that I have a piece of paper that declares me a US citizen, and that makes my eligible for all kinds of financial assistance to enact my college plans. Undocumented students are not afforded that assistance. With the price of a college education what it is today, this creates a barrer for these students to higher education and, in turn, many career paths.

This week, the NY Senate had a chance to remove this barrier and offer, at least, some state assistance. They  failed to do so. In a 30-29 vote, the NY DREAM act was rejected.  This surprised many immigrants and advocates. While its certainly discouraging, it hasn’t stopped immigration reform groups from advocating for the passage of the bill the next time around and in a larger sense federal immigration reform. Perhaps those of us who weren’t involved in the advocacy efforts up to now, should consider joining them. After all, this is a bill that will likely offer opportunity to many of our clients. In this economy, a college degree could mean the difference between poverty or a middle-class lifestyle. It could bring that “I’m going to make it” moment that I love  to the faces of many undocumented students (I might cry now). If you are interested in getting involved you could start here or here….