Hey, it’s me! Nestor from United We Dream!
I’ve been thinking a lot about school lately.
When my father was deported, I couldn’t talk about it — I was told to keep quiet because ICE could come and get the rest of my family at any moment. So I didn’t say anything.
This all happened when I was a middle schooler. But I didn’t have the space or the trust to talk to my teachers about what happened, much less tell them that I’m undocumented.
After my father’s deportation, I was struggling and couldn’t focus in school. My grades drastically dropped and my school was forced to set up a meeting with my mom. My counselor told us that my declining grades were concerning. The only thing that my mom could do was blame herself, and that broke my heart. No solutions were given — “Just do better,” the counselor told us.
Saying “Just do better” is not good enough. When I think back on this, I realize how much better my life could have been if I had an undocumented-friendly school and classroom.
As a country, we’ve come a long way in recognizing the existence of undocumented people as friends, neighbors, and classmates.
The great thing now is that we have a chance to make change happen with our National Immigrant Resilience Day (N.I.R.D). Educators, faculty and school staff have the power to help and support undocumented students and parents like mine!
On April 18th we celebrate N.I.R.D., and we’re inviting educators and faculty to commit to being allies for undocumented students and make their classrooms welcoming spaces for undocumented communities. We’ll provide them all the tools they need and walk them through the process.
If you’re an educator or school faculty or know one, N.I.R.D. is the day to show your support and take action!
We’re looking for people who are ready to protect undocumented immigrants in classrooms and campuses all across the country. CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED!
N.I.R.D. out with us on April 18! Together anything is possible and yes N.I.R.D.s are cool!