4th Undocumented Student Action Week took place from October 19-23. This was the 4th annual event which aims and encourages all California Community Colleges to engage in a range of activities to support undocumented students.
Undocumented Student Action week takes place every year in the third week of October due to a January 26th, 2016 resolution passed by the California Community College’s Board of Governors. The resolution affirms that California Community Colleges are committed to providing an opening and welcoming environment for all students, regardless of immigration status.
California serves the highest number of undocumented students in the country.
Every year California Community Colleges provide workshops and webinars to not only support undocumented students, but to inform others on how to be an ally. The few webinars hosted this year were “Successfully Paying for College as an Undocumented Student in California,” “A Conversation on Current State and Federal Immigration Policies,” and “Equity Beyond A Status, Undocumented Students and How to Serve Them.”
Senior Specialist and one of the leads of the action week, Marisela Hernandez says, “I think overall we have seen the engagement increase every year. The event keeps getting better and better. I am amazed with the engagement from the community colleges and partners.”
California Community Colleges sponsored the fourth annual action week. Other partners who helped host the action week were the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the Community College League of California, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, Immigrants Rising and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. California Community Colleges plan the statewide week and each college is asked to engage in their own activities.
Participating in this student action week is not mandatory for all California community colleges. Last year all 116 campuses in California participated. Hernandez said, “We are hoping this year as well all 116 will participate. We won’t know an exact number until after the action week is over.”
In a press release, California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley said, “The California Community Colleges remains strongly committed to providing a welcoming and accessible place for all students, regardless of immigration status.”
Hernandez said, “What is powerful, I am undocumented myself and having these conversations at a state level means we are recoginizing the importance of undocumneted students in this space. We want undocumented students to feel welcomed. Not only do we welcome them but want them and we need them.”
Jose Gutierrez, LBCC Counselor and DREAM Services Coordinator said, “We had several webinars that were offered everyday at a state level. I hosted one online event at noon on Thursday, October 22nd for students, to hear their input and their voice about what they’d like to see on-campus in terms of representation and resources they’d like to have as an undocumented student.”
Gutierrez said that the program serves two primary objectives, those being to inform the campus as a whole of the importance of supporting undocumented students and to make that awareness stick so that undocumented students aren’t overlooked.
It’s difficult to know the exact number of undocumented students at Long Beach City College for various reasons as some students do not self-report that they are undocumented. “The average number is 650,” said Gutierrez.
Lastly Gutierrez said, “We encourage our students, faculty and staff to get involved. There are student webinars and webinars for educators as well.”
Friday was the last day of Undocumented Studnet Action Week, but it’s not too late to raise awareness on social media or engage in conversation with family and friends to help create a safe space for undcoumented students.
Click here for the list of events from LBCC.
Click here for the list of webinars and events.
Click here for information on federal and state advocacy.