Immigration Mic

Yessenia's story is one of a kind: after she hurt her knee and couldn't see a way to train to one day compete on Bailando Por Un Sueño anymore, she transferred her energy to #immigrationreform activism! She talks about Delaware, participating in the Trail Of Dreams walk in 2010, her personal motivations as an ally to protect her community, healing spaces, and how she's still living her dreams at Ballet Folklorico Xochiquetzal! Thank you Yessenia for such a great conversation, and looking forward to all the amazing things you will accomplish!

Let me tell you in 2 min about my #millennial-focused article detailing 5 ways to revitalize #Brentwood #READ: http://bit.ly/2dwjUDN We need more lighting in Brentwood We need to modernize police/community relations Creating opportunities for alumni to reinvest in the community A new community identity & common goals Owning our neighborhoods

#KanyeWest saved my life with #TheCollegeDropOut I destroy my most coveted poster bc he supports destroying 11 million lives, everyone I've ever met that needs #ImmigrationReform is a million times more important.

(HOST) Read Julissa Arce's new book, "My Underground American Dream!" by Hendel Leiva

She's Ecuadorean-American, she's woke, she's passionate, and she's from my hometown of Brentwood, NY, I'm proud to introduce 18-year old Lesley! Three AP classes deep into her senior year, Lesley makes the time to be an activist for immigrant rights and mental health, and of course to protest Trump in Patchogue, having a very personal tie to the event, so much so that she made it a priority to put it at the top of her list that day! She shares some very important anecdotes on the toll and heartbreak of our current immigration system on her family. We also discuss the current state of Brentwood today: how it is a community of people with unlimited potential, and the importance of having an overall identity where we promote success to counter the negative narratives in the media. Lesley is a brilliant, grounded young woman with unlimited potential, and I highly encourage everyone to check out her video! She is highly inspiring and I can't wait to hopefully work with her in the future!

I'm joined by Maria who was on her way of one of many actions due to constant surprise anti-immigrant legislation, a harsh reality for communities living in AZ. However, she still took the time to give me a mind-blowing, intellectually stimulating conversation around her lifelong love of math, her family's struggles in the immigration system, the reason why she decided to leave college and pursue immigrant rights organizing full-time, and told me about the beautiful bonding moment she and her mom shared as she translated "Lemonade" for her! Maria also gave me some insight into the challenges of the immigrant rights movement at the national level: providing support and resources, identity fragmentation, lack of healing spaces, and a reliance on funding being the ONLY form of sustainability.

From testifying in front of Congress to The @HendelMedia Project, Rosa shares her journey with me, for only the sixth time ever! This is an interview you cannot miss! In this fun, yet emotionally charged interview, Rosa speaks on her family's heartbreaking sacrifices, the moment she saw her dreams crumbling in her prospective college's financial aid office, the origins of President Obama's legislation and her being a part of the team that saw it implemented, all the way to shouting down Steve King last week in DC! We then talk about the direction of DAPA, the controversial "Low Profile/ High Profile Dreamers" pages, (we acknowledge there is real frustration behind those posts), and honest and challenging conversation about the lack of mental health resources, and Rosa's ongoing mission to continue training more people to do organizing work and continue empowering communities. PS: According to Rosa, not a good idea to target Supreme Court Justices with actions. She says this may be her favorite inter

Daniela is a recipient from Honduras who is a passionate self-taught makeup artist and immigration reform activist on Long Island! We talk about her early experiences transitioning to the United States, her struggle to be understood during her middle and high school years, her constant fear/paranoia of immigration authorities prior to President Obama's legislation, and her journey to finding her voice/ herself through college and her business ventures!

Maria is a high school student from Tennessee, following in her brothers' footsteps in activism, who fought for the original DREAM Act! Learn about Maria's passion for immigration reform, her experience as a Guatemalan growing up in Tennessee! She's currently a part of JUMP Junior Research Collective working to collect stories of undocumented students, and finding underlying themes that are most pressing, such as paying 3x as much for tuition, and a hesitation for activism out of fear of putting their parents in danger. Also that ONE annoying vote that would have won tuition equality!

I welcome Armando Lopez (@ra_dical), a 'millennial' Mexican American Chicago based activist that recently found himself in a near-altercation at the Trump rally that was shut down on March 11. Dissatisfied with both campaigns, Armando gives his honest assessment of Latinxs's role in this presidential election, how ICE is waiting outside people's doors, talk about having been ' too privileged' as a US-born American to have hobbies such as gaming and riding his motorcycle, how the concept of "respect your elders" holds movement building back (Dolores Huerta/ Rosario Dawson), and how he promotes unity amongst the Latinx community while still calling out inconsistencies. He also tells his account of the Trump rally, and how people from all walks of life came together for the common purpose of stopping Trump from entering THEIR city.

Originally from the Dominican Republic and part of the first Dominican families in Harlem, Hector is all-in on activism and 'getting people of the matrix'; but did you know as a young boy he was a gold medal winning gymnast, in high school he was about to graduate valedictorian, and made Boston University's basketball team? We talk about his activism origins, the dangers of existing under a 'slave mentality', how non-profits sometimes create an environment forcing activists to 'kiss ass', his very real experiences with mental health and self-harm, and his current Freedom Mic live events where he's working to showcase artists that don't have real opportunities to shine! Hector, thank you so much for all the work you do, thanks for supporting the show since the beginning, let's get free for real!

I talk to Rigo Garay about his new short documentary 'The Voice Of Dreams' featuring some of our most passionate immigration activists on Long Island! Rigo and I talk Wrestlemania predictions, his love for horror films, his parent's immigration backstory from El Salvador, his experiences growing up Latino in Mineola, and I talk to him about his potential producing a full-length documentary in the near future about immigration on Long Island, and helping to write the next chapter! Support this talented and enthusiastic filmmaker by watching the interview and by checking out + sharing his short film! 'The Voice Of Dreams': http://bit.ly/1RkTI8w

Such an exciting conversation! This energetic, positive, and inspiring young woman originally from El Salvador, transplanted to the Hudson Valley, and now about to graduate is here to talk about her journey, her dreams, and how finding the 'Special Immigration Juvenile Status' law changed her life! She's currently working to launch a summer program for undocumented students in the Hudson Valley this summer, and this Saturday she's hosting a birthday party at the Brooklyn Commons to raise funds for Adelante who is sponsoring the program!

Jonathan talks to me about growing up in South Central LA as a Chicano-American, how being jumped at school changed his future in a positive way, his experiences living in Kalamazoo Michigan, what ‘no era penal!’ means, why he stood up and delivered a POWERFUL call to action on the mic at a Bernie Sanders rally in LA, his new ‘Liberation’ poem… He boldly declares, “the immigration reform movement has been hijacked by big money and organizations.”

Ecuadorean born, a child witness to domestic violence, this young Latina advocate does incredible work providing services to victims of teen dating violence, including organizing the annual #NYCTeenWalk which has grown an incredible amount throughout the years. We talk about her passions, racism/sexism/classism in Ecuador, and her panoramic view of race growing up in Bushwick, Brooklyn!

Enjoyed talking with him about his perspective as a Salvadoran immigrant arriving at 15 to North Carolina, LGBTQ spaces and coming out, his mathematical talents, his view on why the immigration reform movement has slowed down in recent years, and how he finally burned out after arriving to Amarillo,TX with $26 dollars and had to utilize dating apps to get around. Man, I’d be burnt out too after that. Also within the first few minutes things get very REAL on the show.

Excited to be joined by Dulce; a passionate up and coming community organizer on Long Island, her activism was being molded since 2006: she tells the harrowing account of living in the same neighborhood as one of the leaders of the anti-immigrant Sachem Quality of Life, how her experiences as a Mexican-American placed her in a role of helping newcomers in high school, positive influences such as Professor Olgui Rios in college inspired her to action. She also discusses her current work for SEPA Mujer and helping victims of domestic violence, sexual assault become powerful leaders, advocating for the dignity of all Latina and immigrant women.

Lynda Nguyen's mission is to 'make racial equity sexy' -- and she's my guest on The@HendelMedia Project! We talk about her family's Vietnamese refugee heritage, her awesome chalkboard paint, how 'intersectionality' has been a big part of her schooling/ career; she curses the 'model minority myth', and how she's the worst person to approach to ask what type of Asian she is while she's buying donuts!

Jazmin is a student who is incredibly passionate and active in her immigrant rights work; we get into some pretty juicy conversations about her family’s journey from Mexico to Minnesota, bullying, DACA recipients that do not want to be called on to partake in the movement, what she really wants to tell her haters, and her fiery call for actual conversations about mental health in this sector.

"The process behind the " My Time In Line" immigration series on Medium" by Hendel Leiva