Zuckerberg Puts His Money Where His Passion Is, Gives Dreamers $5 Million for Education
An article about Mark and Pricilla Zuckerberg donating $5 million to an education fund for DACA Dreamers.
An article about Mark and Pricilla Zuckerberg donating $5 million to an education fund for DACA Dreamers.
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schools, afterschool programs, friends from African American and Anglo communities, exposure to the American<br />
“melting pot” <strong>for</strong> the entirety of your life, then out of nowhere… a tiny village with no employment, straddling<br />
the poverty line, and in many cases, speaking a language these students are not always fluent in. For those who<br />
don’t understand, imagine being told you were born on Mars, and it’s time to go back—because that’s where<br />
you were born—it’s really no different.<br />
Clearly, <strong>Zuckerberg</strong> agrees, and with his name on the banner of the Dreamer’s <strong>Education</strong> cause, there’s much<br />
more to this donation than the <strong>$5</strong> million. The exposure to this cause on Facebook given by its progenitor and<br />
sitting CEO is a big deal. In addition to all this fanfare and incredible publicity, this is not the first step <strong>Zuckerberg</strong><br />
has taken to enhance the possibilities <strong>for</strong> young, undocumented students who wish to continue on to college. In<br />
2013, <strong>Zuckerberg</strong> was one of the initial co-founders of FWD.US—an organization that purports to utilize<br />
technology and tech culture to help push immigration re<strong>for</strong>m in a progressive direction. Engaging everyone from<br />
Facebook's own denizens to heavy hitting tech companies who support bills and other legislation to bring <strong>for</strong>th<br />
comprehensive immigration re<strong>for</strong>m in the US is the common goal. <strong>Zuckerberg</strong> is at the top of his <strong>for</strong>wardthinking<br />
game to supporting it — he understands the generation of tomorrow is not a neat package of people,<br />
but a diverse group of multicultural thinkers who have a lot to bring to the table — especially in the tech world.<br />
TheDream.US funding <strong>for</strong> college gives qualifying applicants as much as $25,000 to seek a college degree and<br />
half as much <strong>for</strong> those seeking an associate’s degree. But it isn't a free-<strong>for</strong>-all; this has to be made clear. For<br />
applicants to qualify, they cannot just be anyone who just arrived here, or, say, a 30-year-old person who wants<br />
to go back to school just… because. Applicants must be DACA (Deferred Action <strong>for</strong> Childhood Arrivals) approved.<br />
Essentially, this means they have to be able to ensure TheDream.US that they will be able to stay in the US to<br />
complete their education. Applicants can also successfully apply if they have TPS (Temporary Protected Status),<br />
which will ensure they cannot be deported at any point during their studies.<br />
Calling immigration re<strong>for</strong>m the “biggest civil rights issue of our time,” <strong>Zuckerberg</strong> is well on track to do great<br />
things <strong>for</strong> immigrants seeking an education. Of course, the $120 million he and wife Priscilla gave to schools with<br />
inadequate facilities in the Bay Area didn’t hurt his reputation or the students there, either. But beyond that, as<br />
the best-known face of any social media plat<strong>for</strong>m, <strong>Zuckerberg</strong> has the power to leverage his personal passion on<br />
this issue into part of Facebook’s brand identity. Win, win.