Thank you for posting those letters, the facts and tone were very helpful in writing my own letter.

Here's a shortened version of mine. Warning: I dug deep and found the touchy-feely side of me (some parts are a bit too sentimental for my taste, but it might just work). Feel free to borrow whatever words you want but make sure to make it your own.

Dear President Elect Barack Obama:

This past Tuesday November 4th was one of the most exciting evenings in my life. Glued to the television, I watched as each state gave you their electoral votes and people went out to the streets to celebrate when they added to 270 making you our next President and the first African-American to occupy this position. It is not surprising that people from all walks of life cast their vote for you. Your policy proposals address issues, such as healthcare and education reform, that have been ignored for far too long to the detriment of most Americans and to the benefit of a privileged few. When the economic crisis hit I was relieved to see you calmly assess the situation and propose an infrastructure-based plan that would keep the country moving, provide jobs, and benefit our economy. Aside from your ideas and proposals, I was inspired by your message of hope and change. Your campaign has reminded us of that hope for the future is one of the foundations of our country. As a consequence everyday citizens like me have been empowered to create the change their communities need.

In addition, your message of hope struck a chord with me at a very personal level for the very reason that did not allow me to vote for you. I am college graduate, a Dreamer, and what some politicians like to call an “illegal” immigrant. (My story cut for brevity, insert yours)

Like me, each year across the United States, 50,000 to 60,000 undocumented students graduate from high school after having spent at least five years in this country. We can count among us future scientists, academics, activists, teachers, artists, nurses, business owners, and much more. We are being punished for the actions of our parents and left without a path to success and to citizenship. The potential additional tax dollars we would pay are ignored and our dreams are deferred. In the meantime our intellectual capital, which this country desperately needs, and this country’s investment in us go to waste. However, we are still hopeful. We are organizing ourselves and working together to reintroduce the Dream Act and work with Congress to pass it in 2009. As you know, this piece of legislation provides a thoughtfully mapped-out path to citizenship that would allow us to contribute to our country by sharing our talents and our success.

I ask you to please support the Dream Act as President of the United States and to provide the leadership needed for Congress members to support it. Please let us come out of the shadows. Please help us help you restore the greatness of our home, the United States of America. I am looking forward to have you as my President and working with you on this issue and many others.

Sincerely,


ABC Dreamer


I'll come back for a chat tomorrow afternoon/evening. Hope you guys are having a good weekend!