Emily Romero Gonzalez

Thesis Title: "Felons, not Families": The Construction of Immigrant Criminality in Obama-era policies and discourses, 2011-2016

What Now: Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager, Massachusetts Advocates for Children

Follow Me: LinkedIn

In college, I've found the most meaning and motivation in community-oriented, advocacy work. My studies in Hist and Lit deepened this interested as I explored Ethnic Studies and learned the subversive and resilient histories of Black and Brown communities. I was equipped with strong understandings of systemic violence and historical erasure that silences and oppress communities—finally able to put words to my own experiences as a woman of color. In all my roles since graduating, including those in city government and non profit spaces, I see the world through this lens developed in Hist and Lit; it shapes the projects that I choose to lead, the directions that they go, and the liberatory vision that fuels them. Currently I'm doing education advocacy work and recently have led legislative victories at the state level to protect the right to education for immigrant students and prepare schools for threats of immigration enforcement. I hope to continue to work in public services spaces to protect and serve the immigrant community in the US and around the world.