Walk to Stay Home + DACA Renewal

Hello friends, 

As many of you know, I've had a very busy couple of months. About 2 weeks ago, I had the interesting opportunity to be one the 30+ Dreamers who attended the State of the Union address in Washington D.C. That experience was one of mixed feelings in which we once again put ourselves at risk in order to fight for our right to stay in the country that we call home. We also had to endure more than 2 hours of listening to the very person who has been so hurtful towards our families and has placed us in a cruel limbo. Since then, things have not been moving favorably towards the passage of the Clean Dream Act bill we so desperately need. 

I'm happy to announce that our fight continues and that I will be one of the 11 Dreamers that will walk from New York City to Washington D.C. from February 15th to March 1st. We are aiming to create more visibility on the crisis that Donald Trump created when he rescinded DACA, especially as the March 5th deadline approaches. For 14 days and with every step of the 250+ mile journey we will be demanding that congress and this administration stops the political games and passes a Clean Dream Act once and for all! We are not only doing this for ourselves but also for the 122 DACA recipients that lose status every day, the 15,000+ DACA recipients who have already lost status and for the almost 12 million undocumented HUMANS that reside in the US. Follow this link for more information on this action: The Walk To Stay Home: A Journey Of Hope 

I'm honored to be working with The Seed Project (Movimiento Cosecha) in this action and I'm grateful that most of the expenses for the trip will be covered including flight, lodging and food.  

Unfortunately, given that my apartment was broken into about a month ago and most of my cold weather clothing/gear was stolen, I'm not as prepared to embark on a trip like this as I would like. I imagine that I need roughly $500 to equip myself with the necessary clothes (rain/insulated jacket, comfortable/warm shoes or boots + scarves, beanie, gloves etc.) to stay warm and comfortable during the 250+ mile trek. I'm also asking for support to renew my DACA since renewal applications are once again being accepted but for an unknown amount of time. I've already worked out a way to cover legal fees for this but still need the $495 dollars for the application fee. I've left additional room in this donation campaign for emergency funds for the trip in case unexpected circumstances appear.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting me in my journey. For those of you who are not as familiar with who I am and what drives me, here is a brief bio:

My name is Aldo Solano and I’m a DACA recipient. I was only 6 years old when my family first immigrated to the US from the state of Colima, Mexico. Economic distress, corruption and a lack of opportunities pushed my parents to leave everything behind and go in search of the illusive American Dream. When we settled in Woodburn Oregon, my parents worked what seemed to be endless hours in different berry fields, canneries and nurseries across the beautiful Willamette Valley. As seasonal farmworkers, mom and dad endured inhuman working conditions, countless types of abuse, and even wage theft just so that my siblings and I could go to school and pursuit our dreams. They wanted a different life for us; one that didn’t change with the seasons and wasn’t lived backed bent under the scorching sun.

When I was in high school, I was VP for my class and also the lead singer for the Woodburn HS Mariachi Band. I maintained good grades and after school I was either playing sports or volunteering at my local after school program. I’ve spent each and every summer for the past 14 years volunteering for the 4H Latino Summer camp; engaging youth in the outdoors and facilitating career exploration in the STEM field. When I was 16, I interned for Farmworker Housing Development Corporation’s Funds Development Department and it was through this experience that I developed my passion for social equity and started my path to a career in community development.

One year after graduating from Woodburn High School (2012), I became a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient. Thanks to this program, I’ve been able to continue my dream of improving my community and fighting for the underrepresented & underserved. I currently work as the Advocacy Director for the Oregon Latino Health Coalition where fight to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes in low income Latino families. In the future I wish to enroll in Portland State University in order to eventually earn a Masters in Public Health.

Without DACA, none of this would be possible. Myself and thousands of undocumented youth across the country are relying on you to find a permanent solution to our situation. We need a clean Dream Act in order for us to continue to pursuit our happiness and fulfil our roles in American society. Our contributions social and economical contributions need to be valued as we stand to represent the progress of this nation. We are Americans and we deserved to be here.