July - September 2006

DREAM Team leads the way to victory

Youth leaders from Sunflower Community Action's DREAM Team organized a city-wide school walk-out in just one night. Over 500 students participated in the rally.

WICHITA, Kan. – Sunflower Community Action’s “DREAM Team” is a powerful, close-knit group of student leaders. Through a tough year of moving on immigrant issues, the group has torn down walls for immigrants living in Wichita. The team’s first victory was organizing 150 people in December 2005 to meet in a high school gym and teach them about the DREAM Act, a bill that would allow children of immigrants to pay in-state tuition for college and also allow some immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for legal status.

In March the DREAM Team, along with Hispanos Unidos, organized a state-wide gathering on immigrant issues at the state capitol. Twenty school buses packed with students unloaded on the capitol steps, letting loose the passion of thousands for fair treatment of immigrant students and laborers. The streets of Topeka overflowed with marchers while successful meetings were held with Senators Brownback and Roberts staff. Sunflower youth told their powerful stories, which helped solidify Brownback’s position on comprehensive immigration reform. Leaders felt a sense of making history that day, but the organizing did not stop there.

Energized by the national movement on immigration reform, leadership organized a local school walk-out in only one night. On March 31 over 500 students from all of Wichita’s high schools united to march towards downtown Wichita, where Sunflower held a rally and press conference. The team was chastised by school administration and principals, but teachers and community members congratulated the youth on their bold statement.

That event inspired leaders to build their leadership skills, so in May the DREAM Team members traveled to Washington, DC to attend the National People’s Action conference. There the team united with white and African American neighborhood leaders from across the country to share stories and strategies.

“Our understanding of a national movement grew as we saw thousands of people united as one for all kinds of issues,” said Kristian Guzman, North High School leader. “We brought this back to our city and this summer we have been focusing on just that, unity. Unity with our community toward local issues – like street lighting – and nationally, with voter registration.”

This team is just beginning to grow its roots, fueled by a deep passion within. Community organizing has a serious role to play in the fighting and winning on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The team will certainly accomplish great things in its fight for justice, equality and freedom: everything NPA stands for!