In 2012, President Barack Obama exercised his executive authority to create a new policy that would defer action for qualified undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as children. This program is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which began in August of 2012.
According to government data, as of the spring of 2014, 86% of the 643,000 accepted applications for DACA status had been approved. Among those “DACA-mented” young people is Education Austin leader, and first-grade bilingual teacher, Maria Dominguez. The White House has chosen to honor folks who are doing extraordinary things in their communities as Champions of Change, and Maria among those chosen. She has worked hard with Education Austin to support citizenship drives and DACA educational forums and clinics alongside United We Dream, the Equal Justice Center, and the Mexican Consulate.
Our work with the immigrant community is a vital part of what Education Austin does. We recognize that a vital function of a union is the promotion of social justice, and supporting our immigrant communities is an important piece of the larger labor movement within which we operate. We couldn’t be prouder of Maria Dominguez for all of her work, both in the classroom and in the community.
The recognition will take place on Friday, July 24th at 8:00 a.m.
