Oakland Community Organization Speak-Out

My heart beats fast as the host of Oakland Community Organization (OCO) introduces me in front of the crowd. My entire body freezes, but I try to be calm as I slowly crawl up to the stage. I think I am ready to speak, but I choke as I look at the crowd—I am standing front of thousands of people.

But I know I have to take this opportunity because it is the only opportunity that I can truly speak on behalf of underrepresented undocumented students. With sense of urgency, I speak with passion.

My throat burns with sense of energy,

“Good evening everyone!

First I just want to thank Oakland Community Organization to give me this opportunity to share my painful testimony. My name is Ju Hong and I study political science at Laney College and recently got elected as Student Body President. I was born in South Korea, and brought to the United States when I was twelve years old with my mother and my sister to seek a better life. But once we arrived here, we faced difficult challenges because we were labeled as “illegal aliens”. We felt deceived.

Just like any other single immigrant parent, it is painful for me to see my mother continuously working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, sacrificing her time to support my education and provide food on the table each day. She never once mentioned our struggles before but I am aware of our tough situation. She is constantly on the move of looking for a new job because she is discriminated against for her immigration status.

Despite of my mom’s hard work, it is still difficult for me to attend college because I am unable to get a legal job, obtain a driver’s license, or receive financial aid. I have no equal access to educational opportunities. Not only that, I face fear of deportation. Sometimes I wake up in horror, with nightmares of immigration enforcement banging on my door to arrest my family and me. I am depressed. I am scared— I feel like not only I have to toss away my dream, but also I have to be deal with being separated from my family.

But we still love this country because this is our home. So I want to invite our congress, senate and president Obama, and ask them to fix the immigration system and allow 12 million people and 65,000 undocumented students just like me to serve this country in a better way by giving us pathway to citizenship! I hope that through our representatives tonight, our voice would be heard in Washington DC and these changes could happen!

Thank you.”

As soon as I finish with my testimony, the crowd broke into applause. I am standing ovation with sense of dynamic energy in the room. And surely, this is what I wanted to do. I want to make a difference.