AOD: A Lens to its Past Events
In 2015 and the events preceding the 2016 Presidential Election, most events were panels and guest speakers discussing what does it mean to be undocumented from different perspectives. These panels were focused on helping people not directly impacted by this issue understand the implications of potential political actions. The urgency or sense of greater vulnerability increased more and more as Election Day (November 8th, 2016) approached.
Immediately following the election, Act on a Dream in collaboration with Harvard administration such as Carolina Gonzalez (CAMHS), began holding support groups to help undocumented students process what the election results could potentially mean in their personal lives. This created a shift in focus. These support groups and dinners sought to help students find safety in a community that didn't ask for an explanation of their identity, rather their silence was filled with mental understanding.
This greater support and sense of community was complemented by an increase in rallies on campus, workshops on how to share your narrative, and artivism segments such as the "illegal wall" demonstration and the DACA-thon. The biggest attempt to get involved with the national dialogue on immigration was holding the 8th Annual CAIR Conference. Since then, the events have driven back to building a sense of community.
The most current events have resorted to more community building, which is mostly attributed to a sense of "burnout" of AOD members. Putting these events and being students, while dealing with the emotional impact of these political actions has left students emotionally fatigued. However, notable events that AOD is planning in the near future will be VISITAS Global Mic, in order to welcome undocumented, mixed-status, (undocu+) students to Harvard as well working with Harvard's Undocumented Working Group and Administration to better serve the undocumented students needs, whether that is academically, politically, or emotionally.
