Issue date: 9/28/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Andres Cuevas Jr. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Andres Cuevas Jr. Students protest at the Capitol for the signing of the DREAM act. [Click to enlarge]

About 15 Sacramento State students left the library quad early Friday morning to put pressure on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign the California Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.

"Education is a right, even if we have to fight!"

Students chanted their way through campus and headed towards the downtown area, arriving at Cesar Chavez Park where they met college and high school students from across the state.

The California DREAM Act intends to make college financial assistance available for students who are undocumented but have attended and graduated from high school in the state.

"Schwarzenegger don't be cruel, we just wanna go to school!"

The chants continued at the park, where talks of a new Civil Rights Movement filled the air and peoples' minds.

Organizations chanted together, uniting through the fact that they were all California students who wanted to make a difference in their state.

"Arnold, Arnold can't you see, we want a piece of the American Dream."

Along with student organizations from colleges across the state, local high schools also had a large representation with hundreds of students.

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan from Sacramento State and Cosumnes River College were present, as well as By Any Means Necessary from Los Angeles and SPEAK from UC Davis.

Joaquin Castaneda, co-chair of MEChA at Sac State, was impressed by seeing the activism coming from the high school students.

"It's important that the youth become the leaders of the future and understand their role in society and politics," Castaneda said.

After several hours of waiting for everyone to arrive, the crowd began its journey from the park to the Capitol.

Police followed on bikes and horses to guide the protesters so they wouldn't cause any dangerous disruptions to the city.

Andres Cuevas can be reached at acuevas@statehornet.com

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