Alex Gibilisco, our Civic Engagement and Organizing Coordinator, and I attended the “Undocumented and Unafraid” Book Tour held on Friday afternoon, September 14, at the Most Holy Trinity Church in Tucson, Arizona. Attendees were welcomed by Josue Saldivar, himself an undocumented youth who came to the United States from Agua Prieta, Sonora in 1993. Josue started school in the U.S. in the third grade not speaking English. He became interested in social justice in high school when he realized that he did not qualify for federal financial aid to college. He is currently finishing community college and is a volunteer with Undocumented Youth In Action. Josue introduced the three panelists; moderator Kent Wong, Director, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Fabiola Azuza and Sophia Campos.

The presentation was mostly the oral stories presented by two UCLA grads, Fabiola Azuza and Sophia Campos. Two books, “undocumented and unafraid: Tam Tran, Cinthya Felix, and the Immigrant Youth Movement” and “underground undergrads: UCLA Undocumented Immigrant Students Speak Out” were offered for sale after the presentations. “Underground Undergrads” was the first book in the country written by and about these young people. Since then, the immigrant youth movement has developed into a significant force nationally.  Both books are published by the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education. Information about the books can be found at http://labor.ucla.edu/