Diane Guerrero, Our Very Own “Guerrera”
Guest blogger: Sally Horna, second-year law student, University of San Francisco:
Picture your very worst fear as a teenager. Was it getting caught sneaking out of the house on a school night, or perhaps failing your driver’s test
three times? These fears are practically juvenile when compared to the nightmare that became Diane Guerrero’s reality when she came home from school one day to find that her parents and brother had been detained and deported to Columbia. That tragic afternoon marked the beginning of Diane’s new life, where she had to grow up alone without the comfort and guidance of her family.
For the average American teenager, having your parents taken away from you seems like an odd concept, but for Diane and the millions of teens living with undocumented parents, it’s a fear they hope they never have to face. So what separate’s Diane’s experience from the many other accounts of family deportation? Her visibility and advocacy.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably recognize Diane from her standout role on Orange is the New Black where she plays “Martiza” – along with her comedic counterpart “Flaca” (Jackie Cruz)– as well as her supporting role as “Lina” on Jane the Virgin. One year ago on November 15, 2014, Diane shared her personal and heartbreaking experience in an Op-Ed for the Los Angeles Times where she boldly calls out the government for neglecting to see if she would even survive on her own as a fourteen-year-old without supervision.
Who would pay the rent and all the bills? How would she feed herself? The government could not care less. It’s clear that while the government was quick to invade her home and tear her family apart, they nevertheless turned a blind eye when it came to helping Diane solve a problem they created.
In the Op-Ed, Diane adds that the issues of the immigration system affect everyone, not just those who are undocumented. She issues a call to action targeted specifically at President Obama, urging him to follow through on his promise to provide deportation relief for families.
As with any opinion piece, Diane’s article received criticism from readers. One reader, Jeanne Mount, had the audacity to blame the victims–her parents–for “their own bad choices” and for failing to make arrangements for her in the event of their deportation. Her argument is, “If someone doesn’t want to be deported, then [they] shouldn’t violate the immigration laws laid out in Title 8 of the United States Code.” Congratulations, Jeanne, you’ve proven you know how to Google “Immigration Law Codes.”
Mount goes so far as to say, “The ‘system’ is not what needs fixing–it’s the attitudes of those who want to game and abuse the system that need fixing.” Seriously, Jeanne? People who come into this country, work themselves to the bone, and make countless sacrifices for their families need an attitude adjustment? That’s what you say about rowdy teenagers who talk back to their parents, not about people who risk their lives coming to America. It’s the “system” that needs an attitude adjustment because as of right now it’s almost impossible for people to enter the country legally. Not only that, the path to citizenship is no more than a lonely, unpaved dirt road.
Just as a contextual note, Jeanne Mount writes in from Beverly Hills, California. You read that correctly. Beverly Hills, the sheltered little superficial bubble where people’s biggest concern is what brunch spot to go to or what new yoga studio they want to try out next. Thanks for your insight, Jeanne from Beverly Hills.
Diane is living proof that immigrants are not abusing birthright citizenship, but instead using it to really affect change. For instance, she partnered up with Marriott International’s “#LoveTravels” Campaign, where she and many other notable Latin artists share their personal stories about traveling and how it connects them with their culture and their families. She also opens up about her passion for human rights, primarily immigration reform for separated families, and how traveling is her way of connecting to her roots, but also connecting with other organizations that are pushing for change. Through this campaign, Diane is using her citizenship and her status as a celebrity to bring awareness and visibility to this pressing issue.
But Diane’s activism doesn’t stop there. She also volunteers at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that advances immigrants’ rights. Additionally, Diane worked with the Obama administration on their “Commit to Citizenship” campaign that strives to make the path to citizenship much more attainable fore legal residents.
Most notably, Diane and fellow Orange co-star Jackie Cruz joined forces and appeared on a video released earlier this month¬– featured on MiFamiliaVota.org¬– urging young Latinos to register to vote in this upcoming presidential election. The video emphasizes that now is the time for Latinos to “show their political muscle,” and they are absolutely right. As citizens, especially birthright citizens, it is now within our power to make change happen, but that can’t be done if we as young Latinos are passive this election and in the elections to come. Small actions today can lead to a snowball effect that will have a significant effect on immigration reform in the future, but we need to act now.
I commend Diane, Jackie, and many other Latinos for not only starting a conversation on immigration reform, but for showing us that anyone can be an active participant. We don’t have to be celebrities to advocate for immigration reform, but it’s refreshing to see people in the spotlight who are bringing these issues out of the shadows and into the public eye. So I thank you, Diane Guerrero, for using your power for good, and for giving us, tu gente, an icon and someone to believe in.
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