As an educational foundation that is intentionally diverse and inclusive, our goal is to foster an environment in which all scholars can have a safe space to learn, grow and empower one another with their work for social justice. We tirelessly work for the ideal that everyone in the Puksta community and beyond are treated equitably.
We are both grateful and enthusiastic to share with you our thoughts regarding the two historic U.S. Supreme Court decisions this week: Monday’s ruling that protects LGBTQ employees from workplace discrimination and Thursday’s decision upholding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. These rulings affirm two populations that the Puksta Foundation has been a long-standing advocate for.
We have many Puksta Scholars and Alumni that are Dreamers carrying the banner for hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients nationwide. I would like to take this opportunity to share the words of one of our alumni, Marco Dorado (CU Boulder Puksta Alumni 2014), who has been an unwavering and a vocal advocate for Dreamers both in Colorado and throughout the United States. Marco is now a Fellow at the National Development Council and graduated last week from the University of Washington with a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Click on the link below to listen to Marco’s thoughts about the impact of the Supreme Court’s DACA decision on Colorado:
As these rulings provide us with a glimmer of hope, the fight is not over, there is still much work to be done. As a Foundation, we are committed to being true to the values of diversity and inclusion that we stand for, creating a more just world for all of us.
Ways to continue to advocate for DACA and LGBTQ rights:
- 1. Contacting their Congressional Representatives and US Senators to ask for a bi-partisan bill that creates a permanent solution for DACA recipients (and opening the program back up for new applicants)
- 2. Donate to DACA renewal funds – renewals are still being processed and it’s more important than ever that those who can renew do so https://www.thedream.us/news/daca-renewal-fee-assistance/ https://unitedwedream.org/2018/04/daca-renewal-fund/
- 3. Three ways to be an informed advocate to transgender people https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/three-ways-be-informed-advocate-transgender-people
- 4. 6 Ways to Respectfully Be a Better LGBTQ Ally https://www.oprahmag.com/life/relationships-love/a28159555/how-to-be-lgbtq-ally/
