Changing the World one Youth Member at a Time
While scrolling on Twitter last night and this morning, I saw several tweets discussing the Democratic National Convention. Candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and First Lady Michelle Obama flooded my timeline and the “Moments” tab but as I continued, I came upon an unfamiliar face in a video.
A child by the name of Karla Ortiz, from Las Vegas, Nevada who was joined by her undocumented mother, Francisca, gave a Hillary Clinton endorsement speech regarding the topic of immigration. Ortiz was originally featured in a Hillary Clinton campaign ad about the struggles families of immigrants face on a daily basis, which led her to take the stage at the convention.
As she introduced herself within in the beginning of the speech, all I can think about is the courage she displayed. At only 11 years old, she was able to confront thousands of people, government representatives and national media organizations, admitting that she is a child of immigrants, she is in fear and that she’s not alone in her situation.
The fact that it was a child makes it so much more real. Yes, anyone could’ve gotten up on stage and share their personal story, but the fact that someone so young addressed this struggle made it so much more impactful.
“Soy Americana” (I am American) Ortiz said within the first minute of the speech. She incorporated words and phrases from the Spanish language that Clinton used to describe Ortiz. Other words such as “valiente” (brave) and “esperanza” (hope) were used by Ortiz to express her fear of her parents being deported.
I have several people in my life who have immigrated here or who have family members who have come here searching for the “American Dream” and opportunities. They’re just some of the many people whose stories need to be heard. Therefore, Ortiz’s act of speaking out about this controversial topic and shining a light of reality into her own life and other immigrants in the United States who feel the same way she does, is amazing.
This speech is just one of the several examples involving people speaking out about important issues and the youth changing the world. To view Karla Ortiz’s speech visit the links below:
Original tweet I saw: https://twitter.com/CNN/status/757731293127925760
More articles: http://www.aol.com/article/2016/07/25/karla-ortiz-the-daughter-of-undocumented-parents-impresses-cro/21438789/
This is timely and important... perhaps more than you might know! Making sure others' voices and stories are heard through your writing is so necessary!
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