Over the past 15 years, across the country, undocumented youth have come together to fight for access to education, opportunity, and a path to citizenship for themselves and their families. Courageously sharing their stories and employing direct action organizing tactics, young people have had an incredible impact on the broader movement for immigrants’ rights, shifting the conversation, and winning some of the most groundbreaking victories in a generation.
Members of PFF Grantee partner, CT students for a Dream (C4D), are pivotal leaders of this movement in our state. In 2011, C4D successfully won legislation allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students who want to pursue higher education in CT institutions through their #AffordtoDream Campaign. This summer, the group pushed this victory a step further, winning expanded access to in-state tuition by dropping the number of years that an undocumented student needs to attend a Connecticut high school in order to qualify from four years to two years.
“More than the legislative victories, we were able to bring our issue to the forefront of the administration’s priorities and made our voices and our stories heard,” says Camila Bortolleto, C4D’s Policy Committee Coordinator. “We changed the narrative in CT as regards higher education equality and we are ready to keep fighting next year and how ever long it takes. This isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning of our fight.”
PFF is proud to support C4D’s ongoing efforts to increase access to higher education through their #AffordtoDream Campaign.