Recently in Harvard Category
It's taken me much too long to do this. Better late than never.
People have been asking me for these stories ever since our coming out event at Harvard on March 10, 2010. Through Harvard College Act on a Dream, we were able to secure permission to publish three of the anonymous stories we read, publicly. Here are the links to the stories I just published on Citizen Orange:
To get a better sense of where these students are coming from, I recommend you read Elizabeth Pezza's excellent piece in the Harvard Crimson on living in the shadows at Harvard, which I reviewed here.
This story was read on March 10, 2010, during our coming
out event at Harvard.
Harvard, Class of 2009
Teachers, counselors, administrators, community members, and elected officials ... You, ALL OF YOU, LIED to me.
Every time you told me "hard work pays off," every time you said, "if you try your best, you can succeed," and every time you advised me, "believe in yourself and you can make all your dreams come true," you LIED to me.
Continue reading Anonymous Undocumented Harvard Student #3.
This story was read on March 10, 2010, during our coming
out event at Harvard.
Harvard, Class of 2009
Every great story begins with something about the self-evident human right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hope that one day my story will too, begin this way.
For now, all I have is a story about perseverance in the face of adversity; about patience through insurmountable frustrations; about a life full of hope, and about the dreams that someday will not only have to be just dreams.
Continue reading Anonymous Undocumented Harvard Student #2.
This story was read on March 10, 2010, during our coming out event at Harvard.
Harvard, Class of 2010
My parents met in the local pharmacy of a small town in El Salvador. Four years later, I was born. At the time, my older brother was a toddler. It was also the same time that my father began his journey to the north - out of necessity - because he wanted a better life for out family.
I don't remember seeing my dad more than a handful of times as I was growing up. The cardboard silhouette of father and son I made in school for Fathers' Day always went undelivered. Despite this, there was always food on our table, payments for school, and toys on Christmas.
Continue reading Anonymous Undocumented Harvard Student #1.
I was just informed about this last night. The Harvard Crimson and the Boston Globe are reporting that a student at the Harvard Divinity School, Nur Munir, has been detained. The Harvard Crimson Editorial Board has already come out in support of Munir and is asking Harvard to take a more active role to help him finish his education. Harvard Act on a Dream hope's to address Munir's detention during a rally, today. I will update this post as I receive more information.
