Dreamers share stories at Tuesday Hartnell gathering

Dozens of Central Coast dreamers have stepped out of the shadows to make their stories known on a website called “Faces of DACA”.

The project hosted a panel discussion Tuesday featuring some of those Dreamers. So far more than twenty stories have been released online, Tuesday, five people shared their stories in person at Hartnell.

“I came here when I was 8-years old,” said Kathy Hernandez, one of the five panelists, “I came from El Salvador and we were fleeing all of the violence.”

Since then, Hernandez has enjoyed her life here in the U.S. and is on the path to becoming a social worker.

Her story is similar to those shared by others who spoke to a crowded room at Hartnell College on Tuesday.

“It truly felt like I have a family within my community that really supports me, I forgot about all the people that don’t support DACA it felt like the whole world was for me,” Hernandez said.

The project “Faces of DACA”, started in September. It hopes to show what Dreamers have accomplished despite challenges.

More than four months later 21 personal stories have been shared.

Kathy and others say it’s just the beginning, as they continue to fight for a clean Dream act and an opportunity to stay in the country they call home.

“Even if it gets removed, even if there’s nothing more to it, we’re going to keep fighting for something, we’re going to keep going,” Hernandez said, “We’re not going back, we’re already here, we already graduated, we have our degrees, we have jobs.”

To see “Faces of DACA” click here.