Petition Works: 37-Year Hispanic Scholarship Fund Dream Policy Overturned

Friday, 06 December 2013 11:04 By Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, Truthout | Opinion 

Thanks to all who signed the petition, inspired by the DREAM 9 and Scholarship A-Z.

Petition Works: 37-Year Hispanic Scholarship Fund Dream Policy Overturned

Something remarkable happened last month during the nation's immigration debate; while the president and Congress continued their prolonged stalemate, the board of directors of the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) voted to reverse its 37-year-old policy of excluding DREAM students from its scholarship programs.

This reversal is actually huge news, and it is action that did not require permission from Congress or the executive branch.

The HSF is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, that, since its founding in 1975, has disbursed more than $400 million to more than 1.5 million recipients. Up to this point, not one cent has ever been granted to a DREAM student.

The reason this reversal is huge news is that DREAM students have been held hostage unnecessarily by extreme right-wing forces who believe DREAMers do not belong in college and, worse, do not belong in this country altogether. These right wingers, who are actually a minority in this country, also are seemingly unaware that many of these students were brought here as infants or small children and are thus not guilty of anything.

For rest of column: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/20428-petition-works-37-year-hispanic-scholarship-fund-dream-policy-overturned

Rodriguez can be reached at: XColumn@gmail.com