Constructing a Counternarrative
It was from a personal juncture of social consciousness and a necessity to heal that we put together a theatrical show where we were the protagonists and the stories shared were our own. On stage we became more human than ever to others by baring naked memories of pain, rejection, love, and hope with a bit of humor. Creating this show was challenging—society had successfully kept us silent; conditioned us to believe that we had nothing important to say in the U.S. American eye. We were scared and challenged to perform our life experiences in front of an Replica Tag Heuer audience for the first time in our lives. What would our parents say we even thought about the possibility that someone in the audience could contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement and report us.
We knew that this show was going to revolutionize the way our administration, faculty, friends, and families perceived us. This show challenged well-digested ideas and beliefs held about undocumented people in the United States. It testified that we were complex humans who deal with more than our “illegality.” We deal with the fact that we are students of color in a university from poor working class families; we deal with our bodies, our sexuality, and memories. Today I speak as a man. I’m reconstructing my macho self. I don’t need to use violence, and yeah I like pink, purple, and flowers! Today I speak as a gay man. This monologue testifies to the fact that immigrants are complex humans who deserve to be treated with dignity and that only they can validate who they truly are, not the media.
S.I.N. also counters the mainstream belief that anyone who works hard enough can succeed in the United States. The media and theories that promote meritocracy fail to mention how immigrant communities are faced with institutionalized racism that makes it almost impossible to achieve the so called “American dream.” Immigrant children face many struggles in the U.S. school system. A member of S.I.N. recalled her high school experience: When I was in high school, I had a very hard time in math and science. I had a verbally abusive algebra teacher who said there was no way I would ever be able to reach a university. I felt like a failure and was deeply affected. Applying for college was one of the most depressing times in my life as I realized most doors were closed to me as an undocumented student. I resented myself for not being the exceptional undocumented student.
There are some cases of valedictorian undocumented high school students who are offered a full scholarship to a distinguished university based on their academic achievement, but this is not the case for Omega Replica Watches many undocumented high school students. However, even AB 540 advocates imply that it is those valedictorian undocumented students who deserve sympathy and rewards for their achievements, but they ignore the m/seducation, hopelessness, discrimination, and poverty that affect students’ access to higher education. S.I.N. exists because all students deserve access to an education regardless of their immigration status. In its fourth year, S.I.N. continues to challenge racist ideologies that shape education and immigration issues. By producing community texts like the show Voces S.I.N. Verguenza, S.I.N. members not only read the world and the word (Freire, 2000), but actively read and write against some of those texts to build a counternarrative about immigration and education. One of the things that the system has not been successful at is stripping these students completely of their cultural roots and memories. For this, S.I.N. thanks their families, their desires, and their love for humanity. As one S.I.N. member explained in his monologue, Yes I am an immigrant. But I want to make you an invitation… Forget the stereotypes and recognize yourself as a fellow human being, recognize the immigrant within you.
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