Photo by Aaron Burson on Unsplash
Education Pioneers stands with the 800,000 Dreamers and is saddened by the President’s decision to end the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.
EP recruits, develops, and connects professionals from diverse backgrounds with education roles to solve problems from outside of the classroom so ALL students and teachers succeed inside of the classroom. We pride ourselves on our core values — among them diversity, equity, and inclusion, people-focus, and optimism. The decision to rescind DACA runs counter to our values, our mission, and the world we seek to create through our work.
DACA brought a spirit of hope, opportunity, and optimism to undocumented young people brought to America as children, many of whom were and are students in communities EP serves. The program gave hard-working, law-abiding individuals a chance to contribute meaningfully to their schools, to their communities, and to the economy. Like so many others, we’ve been impressed and inspired by what Dreamers have accomplished with doors opened to them.
This issue is personal to us because we know Dreamers are among our Fellows, our Alumni, and our staff. And we know DACA directly and personally impacts countless students and families served by our Partner schools and organizations. It is our moral responsibility to stand with Dreamers and to model the inclusive society promised by American ideals.
We encourage lawmakers to act swiftly on a bipartisan solution and will be speaking out in unity with other education leaders by signing ontopublicstatements in support of Dreamers.
We appreciate the Pioneers and Partners whose work supports Dreamers — as well as their families and all other immigrants — reaching their full potential as individuals and as contributors to our society. As an organization, EP remains committed to working on behalf of all students and families who are in America for a chance at a brighter future. Creating a more equitable country on their behalf will take sustained effort, and our charge has never been more important.
September 7, 2017
