Win $500! No One is Illegal Contest!
USA TODAY refers to us as ‘illegal students’ and the rest of mainstream media is also guilty for using the word to label immigrants without legal status.
We are giving you a chance to get creative this holiday season. Tell us and the United States of America through music, creative writing, videos, graphics, and programs that NO ONE can be illegal.
This is a public education and awareness campaign, as well as a chance for you to show your talents for the prize of $500, a "Support the DREAM Act" T-shirt and button. Runners up will also get something.
The point is to explore why there is no such thing as an "illegal immigrant" let alone an "illegal student," why the term 'illegal' to describe people is derogatory, how that affects our sense of identity, both on an individual level and as a community, and really open up the dialogue leading up to our over-arching core value at DreamActivist that no human being is illegal.
REQUIREMENTS
There are no limits or restrictions on what you can do so do not let us limit you. All human beings, regardless of citizenship status, are eligible to participate.
However, all pieces should be your original creation and if you are adopting from a piece of work, it should have creative commons attribution. Exceptions can be made for satire.
Your submissions may be used by us for future campaigns, merchandise, and displayed on a website for the entire global community.
INSTRUCTIONS
Please send us your videos (link), writing, music (link) and graphics through the form below.
If your submission needs to be snail mailed, as in it is not digital, you can send it to No One is Illegal Contest, P.O. Box 7552, Ann Arbor, MI, 48107.
If you can't participate but would like to donate for this contest, please see http://action.dreamactivist.org/donate to donate to DreamActivist.
All submissions must be received by Jan 10, 2010. DreamActivist team will pick the winners.
Your Contact Information
The Petition
To the Editors of the New York Times:
I am now writing to express my dissatisfaction with the wording used in the article, "Whither the Dream" published online and in your newspaper on January 3, 2010. The use of the term "illegal student" is reprehensible and misleading as no student can attend an institution of higher learning illegally, regardless of citizenship status. Undocumented students abide by their respective states' regulations on how undocumented students can attend college, even if it means no access to scholarships or financial aid.
I ask that the New York Times cease use of the term "illegal student" when referring to undocumented students who are eligible for the DREAM Act, a legislative proposal that would create a path to legal status for young people who grew up in this country and worked hard in school. The immigration debate has been contentious and divisive for many years, often at the cost of these students' hopes and dreams. The loose terminology used in the article is hurtful and inaccurate.
I join others in demanding that the New York Times retract the term "illegal student" and refrain from ever using it again. We also ask that the newspaper strongly reconsiders its usage of the term "illegal" in general when referring to undocumented immigrants.
Thank You