By Mike Finney

DOVER – Delaware State University will premiere the Sharon Baker documentary film “United We Are Dreaming,” which focuses on the challenges of “Dreamers” in the United States, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16, in the second floor Parlor A of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center on campus.

The premiere screening is free and open to the public.

“United We Are Dreaming” (USA/2022) is a 52-minute documentary that looks at the life circumstances of five “Dreamers,” adults now 22 to 40 years of age, who were brought to the U.S. as small children by undocumented parents.

They have grown up in the U.S., attended K-12 schools here and have now progressed to college, military service, and/or employment.

Two of the film’s featured Dreamers attended Delaware State University through the Opportunity Scholarship – a private scholarship program specifically for high academic achieving undocumented students – and have graduated.

The term “Dreamer” derives from the Dream Act, bipartisan legislation originally introduced in 2001, which if passed would have provided a special pathway to citizenship for these young undocumented residents, estimated at times to be up to a million in number.

The legislation has yet to pass.

Production of “United We Are Dreaming” began in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.

The documentary features stories of five Dreamers with connections to Delaware.

During production, two graduated from college, another had a child, and the others transitioned to graduate programs and careers.

In an unanticipated event, the mother of a participating Dreamer becomes a naturalized American citizen after decades of residency and petitioning.

Collectively, these segments offer a compelling picture of the impact that the immigration system is having on the lives of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and their families.

“United We Are Dreaming” is a Hearts and Minds Film, produced by the Delaware-based production company www.Teleduction.com.

The award-winning Teleduction team specializes in the production of human-focused stories that have appeared on American Public Television, The History Channel, and others, and in prestigious film festivals.

Following the Nov. 16 screening at DSU, there will be two subsequent public screenings at the following locations in Delaware:

Wilmington – Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. – Penn Cinema on the Riverfront (presented by LACC)

Georgetown – Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. – Screening for Delaware Tech Community College students, “live” at Owens and “streamed” to other DTCC campuses; Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. – Community screening at Owens.