Liliana Luna was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States without documents at age 15. As you’ll hear in Liliana’s story, after seeing that many undocumented youths did not have access to higher education, she became a vocal advocate for the rights of undocumented people. In 2012, Liliana came out as “undocumented and unafraid” and was arrested during an act of civil disobedience intended to raise awareness of — and force President Obama to take action regarding — the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (aka the DREAM Act). She has continued to protest and has been arrested a number of times. She continues to lobby state and national lawmakers. She also takes many trips to help provide relief to migrants at the border. Liliana helped establish the DREAM Center at Portland Community College, as well as a $100,000 scholarship fund at the college. With a master’s in marriage and family therapy/counseling, she founded the Esperanza Wellness Center, where she provides individual, couples, and family counseling by combining traditional ancestral knowledge with modern psychology.
DREAMs Deferred Live is a production of the award-winning nonprofit The Immigrant Story. The stories were broadcast live on YouTube from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. With a focus on stories and experiences from our undocumented community, DREAMs Deferred Live provided a space for storytelling, cultural exchange and empathy in light of looming threats to DACA. They were coached by Erin Briddick and assisted by Marie Gettel-Gilmartin.
Subscribe to The Immigrant Story Live channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPai…
Major funding for DREAMS Deferred Live is provided by the generous contribution of the presenting sponsor Zidell Family Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the City of Beaverton as a part of the Beaverton Welcoming Week.