Thursday, Jan. 28th

6:00p-7:45p

TIRRC Office [446 Metroplex Dr., Building A, Suite 224]

We’re facing one of the best opportunities we’ve had yet to get the Dream Act passed!  These next few months will be extremely exciting and important for our campaign.  We need your energy and creativity to make this all happen! 

We know that Thursday evenings don’t work for everyone, and we’ll be switching off with Sunday afternoon meetings soon.  Let us know if you need help with rides. 

Please pass this on and invite anyone else who cares about this issue to join us!  

Click here to RSVP

Great article in the Nashville Scene about undocumented students in TN, the DREAM Act, and the TIRRC campaign to secure Rep. Cooper's support of reform. Click "Read more" to check out the full article. 

By: Kyle Swenson

...Immigration status is fodder these days for school-hall taunts, in part because the public education system is facing a growing gulf between undocumented students and those born here.

According to Oscar—who's been a student in the Metro school system since kindergarten—he never really considered himself, or was treated by others, as different. That changed, he says, in high school, when college became a conversation topic. All of a sudden, a Social Security number was the key to higher education—splitting the student body into the haves and have-nots.

"My freshman year, that's when everything just changed," he says. "Everyone started talking about college, the ACT and the SAT. I just felt out of place with everyone."

Read More...

Join us as we ask Rep. Cooper to take leadership on the DREAM Act!Date:  Thursday, Dec. 17th, 2009

Time:  3:00-5:00pm

Place: TO CARPOOL, meet at TIRRC at 3:00pm. FINAL LOCATION is outside the downtown library at 3:30pm

Come join teachers, students, and community members as we deliver a symbolic holiday tree to Rep. Cooper as we ask him to co-sponsor the DREAM Act.

Every year an estimated 65,000 students who grew up in the United States graduate from high school and can't go on to college because of their immigration status. The Dream Act would allow our students equal opportunity to access higher education as well as a pathway to citizenship so they can fully contribute to our society.

This holiday season let us come together and unite to turn our dreams into reality.

We are so pleased to announce that Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-9) has become the first Tennessee Representative to co-sponsor the DREAM Act (H.R. 1751)! Joining 104 others in the House, Rep. Cohen has made a strong statement in support of equal access to education and a brighter future for our youth.

Rep. Cohen has taken leadership on an issue that affects thousands in his district and throughout the nation. Hopefully, Rep. Cohen’s stance will persuade other TN Congressmen, like Nashville’s Jim Cooper, to do the same.

If you live in Rep. Cohen’s district, please thank him for his support! You can call his office at (202) 225-3265, or email him through this link: http://bit.ly/4gkLnk

My name is Ivan, I came to the U.S. when I was about eleven years old. My family and I left our homeland in search of more opportunities and a better future. Life was pretty much normal for me until I started high school; only then did I slowly started realize that I wasn’t like the rest of my fellow classmates.My world changed in a matter of months; graduation came around and everyone moved on to college while I stayed in the same spot not knowing what to do.

Life as an undocumented student is far from easy. How is it that we, the youth, should be punished for the decisions our parents made? I cannot work, drive, or go to school. I cannot lead a normal life due to the simple fact that I don’t have a Social Security Number. The DREAM act is important to me because it is the only way I can achieve my biggest goals, the only way I can give back to this country I now call my home.

The DREAM Act is a piece of legislation that would help many undocumented students go to college and become citizens of the United States.  It won’t give them any sort of special treatment; it will just let them have a better chance at a brighter future. School for an undocumented student without the DREAM Act is nearly impossible since they have to pay out of state tuition. So many students, whether it be your friends, your neighbors, maybe even one of your family members are unable to further their education after high school which is why this piece of legislation is so important.

Everyone deserves an education no matter where you’re from or what papers you do or do not have. Here in Middle Tennessee we have a group of students, teachers and allies called the Nashville DREAM Act Committee. The main goal of our campaign is to convince Representative Cooper to co-sponsor the DREAM Act, to take leadership and encourage others to do the same. We’ve been doing a lot of different things like: outreach, calling, emailing, going on radio shows, even actions in front of Cooper’s office, etc.

But, we still have a long way to go, which is why we need all the help we can get. If you’re interested in being a part of the Committee or supporting this movement in other ways, please contact Elias Feghali at elias@tnimmigrant.org or call him at 615-833-0384 (ext. 104).