On the recordNovember 3, 2017
I am proud to recognize and congratulate an immigrant advocate, and now MacArthur genius, Cristina Jimenez Moreta. Like me, she is a CUNY alumni and she grew up undocumented. Since founding United We Dream in 2008, Cristina Jimenez Moreta has become a powerhouse champion for immigrant groups across the country. By elevating the stories of DREAMers and putting faces and names to a discussion that was, at times, dismissive and dehumanizing, she changed the dialogue surrounding undocumented young people. Her work has impacted the lives of young immigrants nationwide, and in honor of her significant contributions, she was recently selected as one of 24 MacArthur Fellow winners worldwide in 2017. I congratulate Ms. Jimenez on her MacArthur Fellowship, and I applaud her decision to use the grant money to further the development of other undocumented young people. Cristina, your work is paramount now more than ever now that we brace as a nation to give rich people a big tax write-off that will put our country in jeopardy, a big gambling casino effort that has seen a failed attempt in the past with trickle-down economy. ``Because we are not one. We are not 100. We are millions. Count us well.'' ``Porque no somos uno. No somos cien. Somos millones. Cuentanos bien.'' ____________________
