{"id":720,"date":"2016-10-21T20:38:44","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T20:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/?page_id=720"},"modified":"2016-10-25T21:50:09","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T21:50:09","slug":"raising-her-hand","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/raising-her-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising Her Hand"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” title=”Raising Her Hand” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”off” background_url=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/001_sami_LEAD.jpg” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”on” content_orientation=”center” image_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ subhead_font=”|on|||” subhead_font_size=”20px” custom_css_title=”text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px #000000;”]<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

When a professor asked the Intro to Ethnic Studies class to raise their hands if they were born in the U.S., Sacramento State student Martha Ancajas left hers in her lap. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d said Ancajas, 20. \u201cI was sitting in front and he noticed me not raising my hand. He started asking me questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what are you then?<\/p>\n

Why aren\u2019t you raising your hand?<\/span><\/p>\n

That means that you’re not a citizen?<\/span><\/p>\n

Martha felt uncomfortable and stayed silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was that moment where I felt really confused of who I am,\u201d she said. \u201cMy identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a year later, she uses that experience to remind herself to keep advocating.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_audio admin_label=”Audio” audio=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/Sami_FinalPiece_Master.mp3″ title=”Martha’s Story” artist_name=”Sami Soto” background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_audio_content=”background-color: #F1F0EF;||border-left: 20px solid #B32317;”]<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_audio][et_pb_testimonial admin_label=”Testimonial” url_new_window=”off” quote_icon=”on” use_background_color=”on” background_color=”#f5f5f5″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”justified” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why aren\u2019t you raising your hand?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That means that you’re not a citizen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/002_sami.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

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Ancajas is the Sacramento State chapter president of <\/span>Define American<\/span><\/a>, a non-profit organization trying to change the conversation about undocumented immigrants. She organizes events on campus and encourages others by sharing her story. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ancajas found her voice as an immigrant advocate after she realized she was not alone. She learned she was one of 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. by reading a \u00a0<\/span>Pew Research Center report<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ancajas said learning that fact inspired her to speak out. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Ancajas immigrated from the Philippines in June 2012 with her grandma who raised her and her three siblings. Ancajas\u2019 said her mother wasn\u2019t around much and her father died in a motorcycle accident about a year before she traveled to the U.S.<\/p>\n

The family could only afford to send one grandchild.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why it was me, but all I really know is that my brother had a visa, my sister was pregnant so she couldn’t come,\u201d Ancajas said.<\/p>\n

Ancajas hasn\u2019t seen her siblings since she left the Philippines but she has built a community of friends in Sacramento that serve as family. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t see me as different,\u201d she said. \u201cThey see me as Martha who is quite weird, who laughs all the time, who always takes a nap. They know I\u2019m undocumented but they still say hi to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” title=”\u201cMy mom has been hospitalized because of pneumonia \u2026I don\u2019t even know if she\u2019s awake or asleep. I wanna see her. I wanna hear her voice. I wanna hug her.\u201d -Martha’s Journal” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”off” background_url=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/journal2.png” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” content_orientation=”center” image_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ subhead_font=”|on|||” subhead_font_size=”30px” custom_css_subtitle=”align: right”]<\/p>\n

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