In the midst of intensifying political rancor on the topic of immigration, a new video has been released to raise awareness for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that provides undocumented youth with work permits, driver’s licenses and has protected nearly 700,000 young people from deportation.
United We Dream, the nation’s largest network of immigrant youth, Voto Latino, a nonprofit civic engagement organization, and Wise Entertainment, producers of the Daytime Emmy® nominated series EAST LOS HIGH (HULU), are launching this initiative, as part of a campaign to lift up the stories of undocumented youth.
The campaign kicks off with a new video short produced by Wise Entertainment in consultation with United We Dream titled, “The Undocumented Truth.” The 4 minutes short captures a poignant conversation between 17 year-old “Eddie” (Carlito Olivero, The X Factor finalist)- an undocumented student – and his mother, Carmen (Academy-Award nominated actress, Catalina Sandino-Moreno) about his wish to apply for the DACA program and her experiences living undocumented in the U.S.
Watch the video:
“DACA was a huge victory won by immigrant youth and has benefited nearly 700,000 so far. But hundreds of thousands haven’t applied yet and with 90,000 more teens becoming eligible every year when they turn 15 years old, it’s critical to get the word out,” said Cristina Jimenez, managing director of United We Dream.”
“Wise Entertainment is committed to increasing awareness of social issues through the power of television,” stated Katie Elmore Mota, Co-President of Wise Entertainment and Executive Producer of EAST LOS HIGH. “It’s important for us to tell the stories of Latino culture and our partnerships with United We Dream and Voto Latino have been invaluable, as they’ve given us real world connections to Latino youth who live these experiences every day. I directed this short clip, ‘The Undocumented Truth,’ to showcase one of the many ways we intend to show examples of hope, resilience and possibilities for a better life.”
“Voto Latino is honored to join this campaign with United We Dream and East Los High to promote awareness of DACA and the immigrant youth that it serves,” said Jessica Reeves, Vice President at Voto Latino. “While many candidates have resorted to anti-immigrant rhetoric this election season, those with the power at the ballot box must support our immigrant youth and vote on their behalf.”
Both the video and a new website with information about DACA and ways to get involved will be promoted widely on social media to Latino and immigrant teens. The partners will also promote the results of a new United We Dream survey – to be released September 8, 2015 – of over 1,700 immigrant youth about their experiences of life with DACA as well as sharing information with educators across the country. The survey is a part of a broader initiative by United We Dream created to better understand immigrant youth and the barriers to economic stability.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE NEW WEBSITE.
More info:
About United We Dream:
United We Dream is the nation’s largest network of immigrant youth with 55 local groups in 23 states and an online reach of nearly 2 million. The network provides a safe space for undocumented youth across the country in local communities and online to express themselves, learn and become leaders. United We Dream members have stopped hundreds of deportations and won policy change – including DACA – at the national and local levels.
About Voto Latino:
Voto Latino is a national civic engagement organization that galvanizes Latino Millennials and their family members and friends into the political process to effect positive change. United by the belief that Latino issues are American issues and American issues are Latino issues, Voto Latino has influenced millions of Latino Millennials through its digital and traditional media campaigns, through the tireless work of its artist coalition, and the organization’s leadership initiatives. To learn more about Voto Latino, visit www.VotoLatino.org. Also engage Voto Latino on Facebook at www.FB.com/VotoLatino, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VotoLatino, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/VotoLatino.
For more info about Wise Entertainment, please visit www.wiseentertainment.com
For more info about East Los High, please visit: www.hulu.com/east-los-high
