Since she was young, Yesenia Sanchez has been familiar with the concept of sacrifice.
Sanchez was born in Mexico and came to the United States with her family when she was eight.
Her dad, who dropped out of high school, stayed in Mexico for months at a time working in restaurants. Sanchez saw him, perhaps, twice each year, she said. Her mom’s education was only at a sixth grade level.
The family moved to Melrose Park so that Sanchez, her five-year-old brother and her two-year-old sister could get a better education. There were times when her parents were working two or three jobs, but they wanted to see their children go to college.
Sanchez said the move to a new place, far from everything her parents knew, was something she would find difficult doing for her own children.
“I don’t know if I’d do it at this moment,” she said during an interview at her Melrose Park office this week.
Sanchez, 28, is now the lead community organizer with PASO, Proyecto de Accion de los Suburbios del Oeste, known in English as the West Suburban Action Project.
The organization encourages leadership development and civic participation among the Latino communities in Melrose Park, Stone Park, Maywood, Bellwood, Northlake and Franklin Park.
Sanchez said the love and commitment she sees among parents of children involved in PASO is not unlike that of her own parents.
She heard testimonies that reflected the journey of her parents during trips to Springfield last spring, when parents and students lobbied for passage of the Illinois Dream Act. Many parents took days off from work to get their children involved in passing the legislation.
The act, signed by Governor Pat Quinn in August, ensures that undocumented students who have attended Illinois schools can go to college.
The students have earned the right to an education, Sanchez said. It will only benefit the state to have educated, skilled people who are American youth in all senses.
Last month, PASO and two of its member organizations hosted a training on the Dream Act that was the first of its kind at River Forest’s Dominican University. More than 200 parents, students, teachers and counselors were trained by volunteers to ensure students could get correct information about college options.
Sanchez said volunteers are always willing to step up because their work to ensure things like education and voting rights is so important. Most people in the tight-knit community know others who are affected if they are not, she said.
One of the hardest aspects of her job is seeing people “in their darkest moments” who have suffered from the injustices of a broken immigration system.
But Sanchez said she also sees incredible courage and faith of people in difficult situations. She mentioned the fearlessness of a mother whose husband was detained for four months. Their child was only two weeks old.
Sanchez said the key is to show people their voices are respected, and she continues to knock on doors and make connections in the community so that justice is served.
“I found that it’s been my journey, my calling, to do this work,” she said.