“Nada bueno es fácil y nada fácil es bueno.”
Nothing good comes easy and nothing easy is good.
For Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient Brenda Lizeth Vargas Pioquinto, her mother’s saying was a reminder to keep on achieving in the face of growing up undocumented.
“Despite knowing my status, despite knowing every day we could be separated, my mother gave me the encouragement to excel in my education,” Vargas Pioquinto said.
Vargas Pioquinto was one of a few immigrants to share their personal stories at the Women’s March Day Of Action at Williams Park on Sunday.
The event marked the one-year anniversary of last year’s inaugural Women’s March, which drew some 25,000 protesters to downtown St. Pete’s waterfront. Other cities across the U.S. also held events Saturday and Sunday to commemorate their marches last year.
Once again, a sea of pink "pussy" hats and pink t-shirts and snarky anti-Trump signs congregated, this time in Williams Park, after they marched along Central Avenue from Mirror Lake Park.
The event served to remind attendees to continue the political fight into 2018 and to rally voters for this year’s upcoming midterm elections, locally and nationally. Local activist groups like Indivisible FL-13 and political candidates manned information and voter registration booths along the sidewalks of the park.
Speakers at the event ranged from Mayor Rick Kriseman to members of local activist groups like American Promise - Tampa Bay. Performers included One City Chorus, a local choir.
“As mayor, there’s a lot of things I get to do and a lot of events I get to go to that are impactful...and it was a year ago that I saw one of the coolest and most inspiring things that I’ve ever seen in my four years as mayor,” Rick Kriseman said, referring to last year’s march. “And here you all are again today...and you’ve showed up to speak out.”
Gina Driscoll, District 6 City Councilwoman, credited last year’s Women’s March for inspiring her to run for St. Pete City Council. She defeated Justin Bean last November to help create majority-female City Council.
Beyond the speeches by Kriseman and Driscoll as well as Councilwoman Darden Rice, the stories shared by female immigrants were among the most inspiring speeches of the afternoon.
“After 24 years of working, paying my taxes, giving back to my community and being the ideal American citizen, you know what I’ve realized, the American Dream is only for the select few,” said Aida Mackic, an outspoken community organizer and Muslim American woman. “History has proven us that it takes a lot of tolerance to be a woman.”
Mackic also highlighted the story of Ahed Tamimi, a 16-year-old Palestinian activist who was arrested last December by Israeli authorities for slapping an Israeli soldier.
Maria Jose Chapa, the event’s emcee and a Mexican American, told her personal story of finally becoming a American citizen not long after the November 2016 election.
Unlike Chapa, DREAMers like Vargas Pioquinto have their futures in the U.S. halted with DACA set to expire in March and no concrete solution from Washington. But she won’t let an uncertain future end her dreams.
“I am a first generation college student," she said, "I am a working adult, I am a volunteer, (I am a) traditional folkloric dancer, I am a big sister, I am undocumented and I have big dreams.”
