The phrase “illegal alien” is often thrown around in the discussion of “undocumented people” in the United States, usually referring to Mexicans and Central Americans. It’s safe to say that the majority of people in the U.S. aren’t thinking of Canadians that may be working in the United States “illegally” when they hear the phrases “illegal aliens”, “illegal immigrants” or “undocumented workers”. Labeling people in this way makes it a lot easier for the public to forget that these are in fact humans, not some kind of alien invaders. Living in a community of immigrants such as Wilmington, we know that “illegal aliens” are not people stealing jobs from hard working Americans. They are our parents, our brothers and sisters, our neighbors; they are the people that we love. A common theme of The Wilmington Wire blog has been to address the issues that people without “papers” face living in the United States. One of those issues is access to higher education. My sister, an active member of the Association of Raza Educators (ARE), has been so kind to write a brief explanation of the ideology and community action behind ARE.

The Association of Raza Educators (ARE) is a group of educators that believes in community change through education. We believe in praxis which consists of action and reflection to change the world. We believe that this pedagogy (method of teaching) can be used to create community change. The organizations work focuses on three main goals education, organizing the Raza community, and fund raising for scholarships so that students who are undocumented can go on to higher education. Throughout the year the organization holds fund raisers. The groups scholarships are open to any LAUSD student who is undocumented. ARE holds periodic symposiums and lectures to help teachers think critically and further their teaching practice. ARE also holds a yearly educational conference. For more information visit www.RazaEducators.org or www.ARELosAngeles.com

Vanessa Herrera