For the third year in a row, Salt Lake Community College’s Dream Center has organized a monthlong series of events spotlighting undocumented, asylum-seeking, and mixed-status individuals in Utah.
Events highlighting the undocumented community are commonly observed annually during April at institutions of higher learning across the United States. However, Dream Center Manager Brenda Santoyo said SLCC is unique in being the only college in Utah that hosts events for an entire month. Other schools, like Westminster University and the University of Utah, typically host events for just one week.
“Just having events like these is one way to show [the undocumented] community that we see them … and not for their immigration status, but for what they bring to the table as humans, as people, and [considering] their aspirations and dreams,” said Santoyo.
While not a federally recognized heritage month, “UndocuMonth” at SLCC and the “undocu-weeks” observed at other colleges came about through the “advocacy from dream centers and undocumented student resource centers across the nation,” Santoyo explained.
SLCC’s five “UndocuMonth” events, spread throughout April, will each reflect the legal, cultural and social complexities that undocumented people face, with a focus on undocumented college students. However, Santoyo said the events are open to anyone, including allies and those with contrary conceptions about undocumented individuals.
“It’s important to invite people who aren’t as familiar with the [undocumented struggle],” Santoyo said, “so that they may better understand what [undocumented people] really want to achieve while they’re in the U.S.”
“In short,” she added, “these events are not exclusionary, and everyone is welcome to participate.”
Details of the coming five events are as follows:
UndocuHistory in Utah
This presentation will kick off the month’s events. It aims to address the complexities of transnational migration and the history of immigration in Utah. Two associate professors from the University of Utah will speak, followed by a panel of experts and immigration policy analysts.
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
• When: Friday, April 5, 4–6 p.m.
• Where: Student Event Center at the Taylorsville Redwood campus
Dignity march exhibit ‘Invisible No More’ — Opening reception and Dream Center art unveiling
In April 2006, 43,000 people took to the streets of Salt Lake City — in what was called the dignity march — to fight for immigration reform at the state and federal levels.
For this SLCC event, Xris Macias — former University of Utah Dream Center director and current language access coordinator for the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Equity and Inclusion — will assist in the unveiling of a new SLCC Dream Center mural, created by SLCC alumnus and muralist Beto Conejo. The center will also launch a photojournalism exhibit called “Invisible No More,” inspired by the 2006 march.
Pieces of the exhibit will be spread throughout the West Valley Center. The exhibit is also split in two, with another selection of works being viewable at the South City campus’ Eccles Art Gallery as early as April 1. Both locations will showcase the works until May 3.
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
• When: Friday, April 12, 6–8 p.m.
• Where: Dream Center, West Valley Center (room 130)
Piñata workshop
In celebration of National Day of the Piñata, which falls on April 18, facilitators at this workshop will teach attendees about the history of the piñata in Mexican culture and guide them in making miniature, butterfly-shaped piñatas.
Santoyo said the monarch butterfly as the Dream Center’s logo is “very intentional.” It is meant to represent the monarch’s seasonal transnational migration and acknowledge the normalcy of this process.
“It’s that symbolism relating to us as humans … We do migrate for better resources, for better opportunities, and for survival. So, in that way, migration is normal; it’s natural; it’s commonplace; it’s something that should be expected if we want to survive as a species,” Santoyo said.
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
• When: Thursday, April 18, 2–5 p.m.
• Where: Taylorsville Redwood campus (AAB 325)
Note: Space in the workshop is limited. Reserve a spot here.
Immigration help site
Law students and attorneys from the Pro Bono Initiative at the University of Utah will assist in hearing students’ immigration cases and making appropriate referrals at no cost. Santoyo said people usually start lining up in a queue around 5 p.m., and legal assistance is given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Coffee, tea and dessert will be available for students and accompanying family members as they wait for their consultation.
• When: Wednesday, April 24, 5–7:30 p.m.
• Where: West Valley Center computer lab
Dignity March exhibit closing reception
A reception at South City campus’ Eccles Art Gallery near the end of April will close out “UndocuMonth.” Because the “Invisible No More” exhibit is split in two, the closing reception will showcase its latter half.
• When: Tuesday, April 30, 5–7 p.m.
• Where: Eccles Art Gallery, South City campus
To learn more about April’s “UndocuMonth” events at SLCC, visit the Dream Center webpage or follow them on Instagram.
