Make it Make Cents: What America Really Owes Undocumented Workers

A cruel math shapes life in this country: even as our government takes the labor and taxes of undocumented people, it excludes these same workers from programs like healthcare and unemployment. As a result, these essential workers struggle to get their own basic needs met, from healthcare to education, from the right to organize to the ability to drive to work without looking for ICE in the rearview mirror.

When Alix Dick’s family found themselves in the crosshairs of cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico, she and her siblings were forced to flee to the U.S. Many of the scenes that she shares are difficult and unforgettable: escaping from a relationship in which her partner threatened to report her to immigration; getting root canals done in an underground dental clinic. But there are moments of triumph, too: founding her own nonprofit; working on films that tell important stories; and working with her co-author Dr. Garcia to tell her story to show how the system is rigged against people like her.

As Alix and Antero tally the costs of undocumented life, they present a final bill of what is owed to the immigrant community. In this way, their book turns the usual story about immigration on its head — because it turns out, America owes them.

• Limited availability of free tacos and beverages!
• Books for sale on-site at a discounted price of $20 a book!

Event hosts and sponsors: Fresno DRIVE, Hops & Talks, Education & Leadership Foundation, Jakara Movement

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Host or Publisher DRIVE & CBO Coalition