Widesmunoz and the making of a dream. This is an amazing book that shes going to tell you a lot more about, but just to say that this was called a must read to understand the new america. Our distinguished moderator, tim padgett, is going to be introducing and sing more about laura and our panelists. Paper just to introduce tim, he is wlrn americas correspondent covering latin america in the caribbean from miami here keys covered latin america for almost 25 years for newsweek as its Mexico City Bureau chief from 19901996, and for time as is latin america your chief first in mexico from 19961999, and then in miami where he also covers florida and they u. S. Southeast 19992013. So welcome tim, and have a great evening. [applause] thank you very much. And thank you to mitchell and books and books. Its always a delight to comment just present the very important books such as the one we are going to hear from in the minute. You all know lauara widesmunoz, veteran miami journalist one of the best journalists to cover immigration in this city, in my estimation. And sitting with her are some of the dreamers that you will be reading about in this book, felipe sousarodriguez and Maria Rodriguez come head of the Florida Immigrant Coalition beware also have with us if im introduce another, alex obama. There you are, right there. [applause] a big hand. And its wonderful for another reason to be amongst all of you talked about this book tonight because i i remember one of the things that were told they in our interview a couple weeks ago was that as she was writing this book it became as she called it a love letter to south florida because so much of the Dreamers Movement really had its genesis here, and not only the genesis of the movement but the genesis of one of the most important moments of that movement which was the 2010 walk to washington headed by dreamers like felipe, and its one of the most moving parts of our book and what of the most moving passages of her book that id like her to read for us right now if she would, laura, thanks. [applause] thanks. First i just want to say that books and books is one of the reason i wanted to come to florida. When i first came here i had the good fortune to stop in and the fellow that books and books and that help me fall in love with miami. Its a thrill to be here. I had covered immigration for more than a decade, and at some point get very frustrated to doing the ap stories here and there, although of course i love ap, but i was thinking theres a bigger store to be done about this movement of young people, and somebody should write a book about these guys. And someone turned to me and said, youre a journalist, you cover immigration. What are you waiting for . That was in 2012, and here we are. Im going to read from a section that starts with this walk from miami to deceive which really invigorated the Immigration Rights movement. I january 1, 2010, just as felipe had envisioned he and isabelle, gabby and carlos stood on the steps outside miamis historic Freedom Tower, across from a a basketball arena in te heart of downtown. About 100 family and friends gathered as well as reporters from the new york times, the miami herald, local tv reporters and other journalists looking for an alternative to the traditional miami beach new years hangover story. Felipe tried not to let his nervous show. As the new sun rose high over the skein bay and he looked to the small crowd that had gathered but his usual smile was absent. The elegant sand colored toe the Miami Dade College had agreed to let them use had been built during prohibition and modeled after the bell tower in the cathedral. Thats true throughout the 1960s and the 70s as a Reception Center for cuban exiles. Now it was a gallery and a Cultural Center for the college. But older cubanamericans refer to the building as the refuge. A place with the u. S. Government had first welcomed them with open arms. The symbolism was not lost on felipe. People want liberty, economic liberty, political liberty but the opposite is happening, felipe told a a correspondent r the mexican paper. With this walk we are now saying to the world were coming out of the shadows. The four walkers were loose sweatpants. The motto of the group of farm worker activist who were driven up nearly an hour for the nations come from the nations witter Strawberry Fields in and around southern floridas cultural town homestead to show their solidarity. Many of the farm workers were accompanied by the wide eyed Young Children clasping their mothers hands. One woman had lost her husband to deportation. Another were a dhs tracking bracelet as she waited for the u. S. Government to determine our fate. They were not need to protest. They had fought for immigrants and farm workers rights for years but unlike the students they couldnt afford to take off work and walk for months at a time. And unlike at least felipe and isabel who could pass as white and addressed the media and fluid english the farmworkers indigenous heritage was clear. They spoke mostly in plain spanish sentences as described their barely livable wages, abuses in the field and the constant threat of immigration raids. The farmworkers present was essential as a students kicked off the trail. The farmworkers couldnt walk but their solidarity would activate a network the farmworkers across florida to provide student support. As they stood with the students the workers also anchored the call to action in the broader story at 11 by immigrant to get to out of the shadows. In history, dont have center early farmworker organizer cesar chavez fledgling union had joined filipino grape workers in protest and the more than 300mile march to sacramento to demand better wages. The florida farmworkers might not join the trail but for the four students were not walking alone. The florida immigrant advocacy had donated money for a refurbished rv that would accompany them. This center would provide Pro Bono Legal support. Another group was running logistics. Despite the precautions, polyphase system word about her Little Brothers safety. She drove 45 minutes on new years day to attend the rally in to see him off. Promise me youll come back, she whispered to him. Felipe wondered if he could really promise that much but he nodded and he hugged her. As maria had predicted the four students were not well prepared. That winter was one of the coldest in the Sunshine State history, it was a balmy 65 in miami in miami the day they left, but the temperature kept dropping and while the students were busy contemplating life and death none had thought to buy a winter jacket. [laughing] by the time they reach Boynton Beach some 70 miles north of miami the temperature had dropped to an extended record low of 50 during the day. The group made a quick shopping teacher for jackets and gloves. For city kids his experience of nature generally involves the trip to the turquoise water of miami beach, the pure physicality of the walk, often 60 miles away and intensity and exposure to stretches of untamed florida habitat were shocked to their system. Their days started at dawn and ended at midnight. Early on they decide to give up coffee is not to lose time in the morning. Everyone was cranky. Their feet were covered in blisters and the quickly ran out of bandages which slipped off halfway threat that it would. Felipe took to protecting his feet with duct tape. By day six felipe had visited a podiatrist who taught about to pop blisters with a sterile needle. Told him to changes duct tape record and use multiple bandages and antibiotics. [applause] were just going to make this. That was beautiful, thanks. I think as it also in our interview this is obviously, its a wonderful book. Its a remarkably rich and informative book about the dreamers and their movement but obviously this book has another key attribute. It has impeccable timing. Everyone who watches cnn would agree. But thats a blessing but also a curse as again before a book because while it heightens awareness of your book, it also makes people want to talk about the news surrounds the book rather than the book itself. We are not going to do that. Because as he said it is such a rich book. And by way of introducing you a little fuller, one of the things i want to ask you right off the bat was because youre a journalist, you mentioned you covered immigration for the ap for many years. You are currently Vice President of special projects at fusion network. You were just one of the most respected veteran journalist here in miami, south florida, and so i wanted to ask you one of the things as as a journalit myself that intrigues me whenever a journalist put out an excellent book like this is how do you arrive at the process of moving from an event that may be you would written articles about to blowing that into a fulllength feature, as it were, about an entire movement . Im also interested in the moment when a journalist like you sort of loses her sanity and decides to write a book. [laughing] but could you describe the process have journalist moves from periodical work too, as i said, this wonderful fulllength feature that you book about the movement, one of the most important immigration movements of this century. Well, it was an exciting shift, and i will tell you that in my house i had a timeline going across my wall on tracing paper that really went maybe tei wanted to start the story, which was in 2000 when the first dream act proposal was made, back then didnt seem like a very big deal, sort of a bipartisan thing right by dick durbin, democrat, and orrin hatch from utah. This was something that was moving forward, and then september 11 happened and everything stopped. And so i really knew i had this structure from that until now that it wanted to cover. I i knew i wanted to get a lot f different voices because its very important for me to show that this wasnt just a Movement Made by one or two people. People didnt come out formed as activist leaders. This is something that you develop. I think its unrealistic, and we set up these perfect heroes have led movement because none of us are perfect. Not the best in leader. There are parts in the book for felipe had lot of doubt and serious moments. I chose people who are willing to be written about as humans with flaws and all. And a chose people from many different backgrounds, different parts of the movement, different generations, different geographic areas to really try to flush out all the different players in different ways, who could be part of the movement. But how, for example, do you make the transition from a daily story and telling fascinating subjects like this hey, and a talk to for a story on doing . And to make the switch to say that i talk to you for about a year wax five years. I first one ask you how do you make that shift to approaching them and such a drastically different manner. But also would ask felipe and maria how do you give up the trust for an entire five years to a journalist who, as a sai, now decide to write about something much bigger . It definitely helps that a covered this issue for more than a decade. So i knew people. They had a track record for my writing. I have a novel in my desk drawer, so i got into journalism in part because of wanted to document the world but part because i love telling stories and talking to people. For me i knew i did want to make a book for the choir. I wanted this to be a book that could start conversations. The other day i was sitting in new york in a cafe and i overheard two people talk about some of the trunk policies and rumsfeld and george w. Bush, and had my book out and we started talking. The book was a vehicle to have a real open discussion which we dont have very much these days. And so i knew i really wanted to tell good stories and when i is looking for people i look for people who had really compelling stories to tell. And i knew i could sit with this person for five years. I dont know if they could sit with me but i could sit with them for five years. If i could sit with them and their stories make you laugh and cry, i i hope i audience will l the same way. Felipe and maria, why was this been the vehicle . It was difficult at first. When laura called me she said i would like to write a book, okay, great, good for you. We have talked for many years on and off because of articles or whatever something will come up, call her or she will call me. So there were some trust and Relationship Building that happened way before the book was written. So then she said no, actually i would like to write a book and i want you to be one of the people that i sure a personal story. And after you want me to look like a hero or jewelry to look like a person . Like i would not like, because one of the main issues that i think the movement has had is that we picture, the dreamer or the and document use, as perfect immigrant. Like the person that came, work hard, got good grades, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And honestly thats not how my life was. Sure, i had good grades but i was depressed. I tried to commit suicide. I struggled with coming out. I had many struggles with my family about being gay. There were many, many problems throughout my life, and there were many times during, there were many where i was socalled the leader and a really doubted myself, and he did know what i was doing. I was trying my best. I was actually sure that i didnt know what i was doing. And he really wanted to show. I think she did a good job. There are many unflattering things about me in this book. [laughing] so im not a a dreamer but m not the only one. [applause] [laughing] now that trumppence declared we are all dreamers. What a and is an organizer, and organizers take a lot of pride in being organizers not activists, not political operatives, but organizers. I was excited about lauras venture, and i knew that within my sometimes, not my particular, but does everybody, because of the movement, so within our movement that would be people who might be hypercritical, shes not an organizer, she doesnt know strategy. But i have to tell you this is the first time ive seen her since i read the book, and its beautiful. It really is beautiful. She gave me the first copy and dedicated, she had like ten minutes worth of disclaimers. [laughing] but i think thats a really important book, and its such an appealing book, like it has both the combination of the stories as well as such a great documentation of history. And so i really hope that people not only read it, but i hope that other people are inspired to write about it, about their experience. Because this is one of infinite number of perspectives of a particular slice of american history. I think early on theres a description you write that i think crystallizes maybe what you saw as a journalist that could make a more full ethic really of these people in this moment. You say that the fight to save themselves from deportation, dreamers come heralded a Quiet Revolution among advocates. It was the beginning to dawn on them what they had in their corner, Young American raised immigrants whom the rest of the country could more easily relate to than the less assimilated relatives. And im curious now that im sitting not just with you but within as well, i want to ask you, was that really the sort of the linchpin of why you thought they should be a larger story . And did you, felipe, as dreamers, did you realize that about yourselves as well . Did you realize that was really the factor that could make you, your movement, so different . I think what made me captivated by this movement or movements by the time was just the energy and the power of youth. It sounds really corny when i say it, but in this very hyper cynical, polarized moment to see the impact that so many young people just throwing themselves into our democracy and trying to be cynically engaged, and they couldnt even vote. It reminded me so much, i grew up watching eyes on the prize of watching civil rights of the 1960s and the ideal version of people putting their lives on the line for making our democracy what its supposed to be. So i saw those parallels and i saw the legacy and that inspired me. To me really its not just immigration, its the young people who are doing this. So thats what motivated me. You know, its black black y month so i feel like i actually bought a quote that i live by. Pickets as of those who profess for freedom and yet appreciate agitation are people they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one or it may be a physical one or it may be both but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a domain. You never have and you never will. Patrick douglas. I think the best way to explain it is, and your question, is really through this quote. It wasnt necessary the fact that we speak english over knew the system a little bit better that our families. What really made it special when we first started, when i first start is we were willing to put our bodies on the line. And we were willing to struggle. Not always wearing a tie and going to congress. We will willing to protest we were willing to go outside of the Detention Centers or inside of the Detention Centers. We willing to do things that other people were not willing to do. It has to do with the fact that we were young, we could risk more. Also to do with the fact we were trying to change the game. So when isabel came home and told me that they wanted to walk from miami to d. C. , my first reaction was like, what . What do you mean . Thats a really long way. [laughing] and he literally put on their shoes and started walking. So i called isabel several times, if you ever meet isabel, she can be passive aggressive. And finally when isabel answers their phone, i talk and then i am like what if we do it on january 1 of 2010 . It will be a whole new decade where we get to tell our stories from her own perspectives on our own terms. And then we went on to calling a bunch of other people. You should read the book because theres more details on it. But i say that because i think there are many moments like that that happen all over the country, different, people took different actions. So i dont know, i would say that its because we feel like we are more assimilated quoteunquote that our parents but it is that there was something that clicked in our mind and we saw that we are powerful because we are willing to struggle. Then we had people, i i would y i personally have people like maria in my life who took me under her wing and who taught me the skills, taught me to organize, to strategize, to think beyond the obvious. I remember one of the first times i talk to her she said, felipe, lets stop playing checkers. Lets play chess together. Because of people like her, true, we are able to advance o much. I would also say everything he said, there are also people in my book who just graduated from harvard last year who is not directly in the struggle and you isnt an activist, but i also wanted to include people who are making a difference through their education, through their participation in our american society. So i think there are a lot of different ways that this movement has moved forward and some of the direct action, some of it is in washington, some of it is like alex at the border, selfsupporting, coming back. Theres a lot of different ways, like felipe said, so that was really important to me in the book to capture all those angles as well. But you also capture, this, what makes this book such a great read really is as you and i discussed is these are not just the perfect immigrant activists that felipe was just talking about. These are real kids, they are adults now but back then these are real kids having real teenage young adult problems, and family problems. It wasnt just their problems. There is a wrenching passage member in the book about a dreamer, her whole situation seems to be in jeopardy when her father gets a dui. And i think thats how this book really took us into the flesh and blood really of this movement. In that vein i wanted to ask, how hard was it for you as a dreamers and as activists, maria, to let laura, you know, peak into the warts and all facets of this . Not just its triumphs but sometimes its failures and its tragedies. And how hard it was for you as an author to balance this need to celebrate this movement but also to show the nittygritty. I just knew that he could write a book that wasnt real. So i needed to include as much as i could and as much as was relevant to the book, that included also sometimes perspectives of people in washington, people who were not necessarily on the side of the dreamers. So i incredibly grateful for the people who bared their souls and were very honest with me, and i think we all want to root for real humans. I guess i would say that in terms of the youth, going back to your previous question, the first hire we did at the Florida Immigrant Coalition was of a haitian woman, as a youth organizer. Because we understood that we needed a cultural bridge. So i think its important sorry. I think its important to understand that we all live in a context and we are all a product of a series of experiences. And as organizers what were trying to do is to connect people to their own story, but to understand that its not an individual, in this case, problem. Its a social situation, and thats why the story, the narrative, like thats a Human Experience of like connecting to the characters in this book. And as an organizer you also try to awaken peoples protagonist him. I say this often, we are not objects of systems in history. Where subjects of her own history. We are making things happen in small ways for big ways. Sometimes they get noticed and are put in the book, and sometimes you later on for decades and its not recognized. But anyway. I like the fact that you mentioned civil Rights Movement, another comparative movement. Because i think one of the most insightful things lower does in his book also is to realize that the Dreamer Movement took a lot of, i dont know if inspiration is the right word, but a certain amount of guidance from the Lgbtq Movement and its successes that he was having at a time when you were experiencing setbacks. And the fact that during this drama you are wrestling with your own sexuality, and you mentioned, for example, that for you and isabel, your partner, it felt safer to be a book about the immigration status than their sexual orientation. For another dreamer named tonya to it, as lesbian in college but kept her immigration status quite for fear of losing her humanitarian parole, the opposite had been true. The lgbtq Rights Movement was in many ways the foremost civil Rights Movement of these young activists generation. How important and what code of lessons did you take from that movement that eventually led to then successes like daca in 2012 . Okay, well, no one, a lot of us are actually part of the lgbtq community. Im one of them. Look at that, like i i kissed a boy and i really liked it. [laughing] you know, its still true today. I mean, like the fact that so many of us were part of the Lgbtq Movement and were in leadership of different local organizations across the country really help us to see ourselves now only part of one movement but part of many movements. And part of many struggles. So if i become a u. S. Citizen today, like say magically, that does not take away all of the racism and xenophobia and also homophobia that i live in my everyday life. So i dont get to pick and choose, right . Like today im going to be an immigrant. Tomorrow im going to be a person. Thats not how it works. I and william all the time and a live my life the way i do. Some of the lessons that we took on, like the concert the coming out is one of the big ones, we came out and tonya with someone who really kind of like push that not only as something were doing sporadically but actually as a strategy. She, like him had discussions with us and she said we are coming out of the closet you came out of the closet. Yeah, i did, i remember that. That was awful. But gave us this sort of like,e me a thicker skin i guess. But then this idea of coming out of the shadows, right . So like people dont quite realize that this whole shadow concept was actually created by antiimmigrants. They were like oh, youre living in the shadows come you should be scared of them. We took it back that we are like no, we are not living in the shadows to actually we are right here with you all the time. So thats one. But really liked this idea of being unapologetically us, and embrace the fact that we are part of multiple struggles, that we are part of multiple movements is also a huge lesson that we have learned and we continued exercise. I also wanted to kind of quickly say that there is amazing immigrant organizers here to want to say hi to alex but marco from orlando, came all the way from orlando to be here today. [applause] i saw halle come in. I dont know where she is at. Paula . And i see thomas of their, and im sorry [applause] i run. I run, a veteran immigration attorney, no not only in miami but he literally wrote the book on immigration, has his name on it. He was very helpful for Immigration Law and he figures into this book and he gets back of his because it work with a Haitian Community and had some wins early on legally, and i think he saw in the dreamers and in felipe sort of himself a little bit as coming in and just trying to fight the big fight. So he was one of many veteran leaders in miami and nationwide who these young people learn from, who backed the early on and through their support for them. Thats also part of the story. And i remember distinctly running down the steps of the Freedom Tower on january 1, 2010, because i was moderating or facilitating very embarrassed to say we have to go, iraq, we have to go. Ira has been there and has been an incredible pioneer in support of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and many other organizations. Also want to add, do you feel that south florida and florida have been largely overlooked in its role as nurturing the Dreamer Movement . And do you think and do you hope that this book will be a a corrective, if it has been overlooked, as sort of a nurturer, an incubator i think you called up for the Dreamer Movement . I dont know if its been overlooked, but i certainly became fascinated with the rolled south florida had played and included immigrants in this community are such leaders, from the mayor to the doctors, the businesspeople. And so lawmakers, early on, bipartisan support for immigrants, republicans, democrats across the board. So theres a different dynamic year, in some ways it helps the movement a lot because theres access and strength and money. Other ways you dont see this same level of people taking to the streets because they do have other avenues and so it can appear theres less interest and less active is a mere i dont is any think its amazing so many leaders have come out of south florida in particular. The south Florida Movement is actually pretty awesome and active and its been active for many years, right . Of the Haitian Community has been organizing for a very, very, very long time. One of the many campaigns that we took on, swear, citizens working for equal rights. Paul is like thanks for the shout out. Back in 2000 we had this whole process of choosing our top three priorities, and our top priority at the time was haitian tps in 2009. So i was sent off to speak to a crowd of haitians, haitian immigrants. I dont know creole so i went up and i said oh my god, just tell me something to say, something that i can actually pronounce. So she said america is for everyone pick an addict at a and they were like five people outside of the century, buses and buses of people coming from little haiti to protest. So just because were not showing up in the headlines doesnt mean that we are not active. When i joined Miamidade College, we quickly understood that there were like a bunch of campuses and the bunch of neighborhoods and that we could sort of like in my church days, go to the neighborhood and try to organize neighborhoods. Thats what we did. We use the Miamidade College infrastructure because it would let us use their rooms if we were a student club. And sometimes they would give us a little bit of money to have pizza, too. [laughing] so those are, yes, there is infrastructure access. There are organizations like the Florida Immigration Coalition that i just want acknowledge theres been many years of activism and organizing, and several communities that many times as overlooked by the media and also by us. Just because we dont see them does not mean, that doesnt mean they are not in struggle. Actually i dont. Im a little behind. Im stuck on, im not satisfied. So im not going to sit here and celebrate and glow our movement because while we have had many wins in many campaigns, i think with underperformed what we could actually do in south florida. And so i was going back to the question about the Lgbtq Movement and immigrant Rights Movement, and vote in 2010 to see the failure of the dream act but the passage of the dont ask, dont tell, and then in texas we saw the failure of the bathroom bill and the passage of the and the immigrant bill. And i feel like in this country there is this series disconnect between where the people are, when you see, for example, support for the dream act is that 86 among all americans and 79 among republicans, but yet we cant even get the bill to be heard and voted on. So theres a disconnect and i think thats just on immigration in south florida is also similar like that. Where the electorate or the population, which we wished the population was the electorate reflected the population a lot closer, where we are is not where our leaders are. And i take the mayor as an example with this detainer. And i so agree with maria that theres been a cultural shift. You have people tweeting all sorts of support. You have the polls, all of that, and the gerrymandering and the way our congress is set up, not just on immigration, makes these extremes which they wont compromise which my seven and nineyearold how to do better, and we have a logjam and, but it do think the cultural shift often comes first and that leads to political shifts. I think we want to move to questions from the audience. But just on that too sort of launch that, i just had one last question. As the chronicler of this movement going back to what you just touching on, why did they have so much success then, eventually getting president obama to finally decree the daca program but yet the movement hasnt had success as maria was pointing out in getting the daca bill, the dream act that the movement so desperately wants . Why that one success but yet so far this failure . The short answer is read the book. [laughing] but daca was a temporary fix. It was an executive action which means ultimately one person and his advisers can do, giving congress to act and getting you to be there, getting many more people is much more messy. But ultimately is as much more permanent. The daca was never meant to be a permanent solution, and i am optimistic that we will get there with our laws. Felipe, your perspectives on that . Well, we pressured president obama and we won because people took action. Because people came out, because people put their lives on the line. It always makes me kind of mad when people get all the credit to the president. The truth is that, i mean, alex here, you know, like literally organize an action inside one of his, one of the Campaign Offices in colorado. And that was a critical moment. I had to freaking walk all the way to washington, d. C. [laughing] to get a little bit of attention. [laughing] people got arrested left and right, and we finally won because we were able to push politically, socially. We were able to pull different strategic things in order to move the president. Why not the dream act . One, i think that there is a lot of political football that goes here, right . People in this country or politicians in this country are willing to play with peoples lives, destroy peoples lives. Some of us had family members who are in deportation, and then every single day we live with the anxiety of we dont know what the text message is going to be. We dont know the next call, and we live with it. We have to live without anxiety every day. Thats not fair. And to say that there are 11 when people in this Country Living like this . I, i have no words. We have failed this country as a nation. And i do believe that this is a fight for the soul of this country. Are we going to acknowledge that people are people, or are we going to take republican and democrat excuse my french year bs . And its not going to be resolved in congress, i can guarantee you this. Its going to be resolved in the streets. [applause] take questions. Id like to take some questions from audience if you have any. [inaudible] im sorry. This is the mic. This is a this is a question. Im curious, you covered immigration for a long time, but obviously you did not spin everyday writing about dreamers. You were writing about other topics outside of immigrations im wondering whether your perspective on this issue changed at all during the course of this . If you saw things in a different way by getting to spend years with them as opposed to ten, 15 minute interviews at a time. I will just yell. Yes. I did not understand when i started the extent to which dreamers felt incredibly pained and divided. One of the young women talk about literally feeling sick to his stomach when chest to talk about how she comes to the United States through no fault of her own, essentially throwing her parents under the bus. And that some of the divisions, the good dreamer versus bad dream or have really been put upon the young undocumented immigrants themselves. And also, honestly, this is a complex issue. I had a sabbatical and spending are trying to study economics and immigration and trying to figure it all out. Theres a million studies but is not so simple. What did come through overwhelmingly is how many immigrants are contributing to the country in so many different ways, economically and socially, that we often glossed over in these soundbites that you hear on tv. And i think that gets lost not only the Human Experience for these individuals but how provides are affecting and benefiting the rest of us. I learned through a documentary called deported that it was actually clinton and the Obama Administration that supported so many and maybe you can check by fax, that they supported so many haitians, back to haiti that it created a whole class sector in haiti that is already, theres already a class system there anyway but now theres like this growing population of deportees in haiti. And i know that with the media, that we tried to pin everything on trump because we just wanted out of their very quickly, but at the same time do we really reflect on the things that the Obama Administration and even the Clinton Administration has really caused for this . I try i know we dont have much times i was a quickly i i will try to do that in the book. [laughing] this sure is a one that was war may 1, 2010, in front of the white house as were getting arrested, pressuring obama. We have time for just one more. Im sorry. Congratulations, laura. Thank you so much writing this very important book. My question is for felipe. As a Syrian American i can tell you the struggle in syria is, it doesnt seem like its ending anytime soon so there is, time starts, i lose hope and then have to remind myself theres a light at the end of the tunnel. What is that like for you . Does it exist and what is it if it does . Well, thats a very deep question. You know, i try not to be jaded. Thats one thing that i tried with heart and i think about a lot. Ive seen defeat your guys in victory. Ive seen change that i did not expect, and then change that i kind of expected. But one thing that really eats me grounded, i want to be really honest with you, is my Close Friends who are also in the struggle. So sebastian who is not here but is mentioned in the book, he told me something that really stayed with me. He said sometimes in the movement we value pain, but we forget that the struggle is actually beautiful, that everyday the resilience our communities have is beautiful. The fact that my mom had the strength to put me on a plane and not know if i was ever going to see her again, just so i could have a little bit of an opportunity, is beautiful. Thats courage. Thats a light. A tight hold on to it because, honestly, sometimes it gets really bleak. And i said bleak moments. And also, you know, i will be honest, coming here is actually very emotional for me. I grew up in miami. Miami is the only place in the entire world that i feel at home. Like you know when you go home and you feel like im at home . Like its the only place i was driving with marco from orlando and i was like oh, my god, i cant wait to get there and drink, playing my whole day. And every big moment in my life was in this very city. And let somebody to tell me that i dont belong here, like oh, hell no. I do belong here. And that really big certainty also grasping in moments of difficulty, too. [applause] so well have to end on that wonderful note actually. I want to thank maria, felipe and especially laura widesmunoz, and thank you for this wonderful book on a movement that is gripping us right now, not just you but in washington as well and we wish all the best of luck. Thanks and congratulations, laura. Thanks to all of you for coming. [applause] i just want to say you do belong and you are not alone and you always have a place to come to at books and books. [laughing] [applause] have some drinks, some food. Go out this way for the book signing. Laura will be signing books over on the west side, so just follow the crowd. And i just want to say a quick thanks to our sponsors, and knight foundation, fusion tv, and to Miamidade College. You have provided your food and, of course, to books and books, thank you. [applause] and cspan. Cspan. Cspan which will keep this going. Thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] theres a look at some authors recently featured on booktvs after words, our weekly Author Interview program. You can differ with people politically. We all do that, democrats, i will accept that you wear a little left of center party at least, bear right of center moving right rapidly. Maybe were moving left. But politics was supposed to be about finding a way to overcome some of those differences through principled, through extended discussion and a real legislative process, through principled compromise. It wasnt supposed to be about one Party Winning on their own. At times as you know, the times in history when one party is been able to do this on your own, are very few. Maybe 1933 and 34, fdr dealing with the depression. Lbj, 6465 people even lbj reached out to republicans and fdr had republican support the first two years. When mitch mcconnell, it will probably come back to a couple of times, when senator mcconnell started doing healthcare and trying to get 50 of his 52 votes from his caucus, my reaction was, well, that shouldnt work and couldnt work. And its not supposed to work that way. You were supposed to be looking for some people on the other side to get 65 or 70 votes took of course he would say that would be impossible because none of them would vote with us because they are against trump, et cetera. But this notion that one party has ruled by themselves brings us to some bad places. Absolutely. After words airs on booktv every saturday at 10 p. M. Eastern and sunday at 9 p. M. Eastern and pacific. All previous after words are available to watch online at our website booktv. Org. The title came in the spring of 2016 before george w. Bush had purportedly said aides off the record, i may be the last republican president. It was very clear to me that regardless of who won the presidency in 2016 there was a kind of republicanism that was dead. And when he said that, i remember talking to my wife, i sort of hit my head, its gone now, i cant call it that. Wait a minute, all the more reason to call it that. He said the same thing to me when i made them i may well be the last republican president. If you think about donald trump is absolutely anathema to the bushes. George h. W. Bush campaign under a platform of trying to create a kinder, gentler nation. George w. Bush campaigned under platform of compassionate conservatism. When we were attacked even after 9 11, george w. Bush raises taking the path of least resistance, and sounding this message of xenophobia in nativism. And instead visits a mosque to emerge and say that islam is peace. Its quite remarkable by todays standards. To take this further, if i may, look at Ronald Reagan. Ronald reagan is the republican icon. He is the emblem of republicanism. Hes called of course the great communicator. What is his most favorite writer . Is standing at the Brandenburg Gate and saying to soviet counterpart, mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. America at its best stands for literally and figuratively tearing walls down, not building them. And then you have donald trump [applause] if i can think it just a little further. Just look at Ronald Reagans policy towards the soviet union, which was trust but verify. What he was talking to gorbachev during the same at summits during the course of reagans Administration Come he would say repeatedly geniculate gorbachev, trust but verify. So much so that gorbachev got sick of it. Gorbachev stood on the stage and talked about how sick he was a Ronald Reagan say trust but verify. Donald trump, his policy towards russia is trust. Trust vladimir putin. Not trust his own intelligence apparatus. That is remarkable. That is absolutely astounding that the republican would say oh, this whole business about russians meddling with our election is over because my counterpart denied it. Think about how so that sound you hear is one oregan rolling in his grave in simi valley, california,. You can watch this and other programs online at booktv. Org