27 Jose Antonio Vargas Quotes for You to Enjoy

Jose Antonio Vargas

Filipino Journalist

Born: Feb 3, 1981

Culture Immigration Me People Politics You

Related authors: Ambrose Bierce Dave Barry Erma Bombeck Hunter S. Thompson Mignon McLaughlin Walter Cronkite William F. Buckley, Jr. William Lloyd Garrison

A broken immigration system means broken families and broken lives. Jose Antonio Vargas

Broken Immigration System Families Means Lives

You can call me whatever you want to call me, but I am an American. No one can take that away from me. No, no one can. Jose Antonio Vargas

Me You Whatever Take No-One Call Am American Want Away

You have to do what you have to do. I wanted to work. I wanted to prove that I was worthy of being here... and I was gonna do whatever it took to prove that. Jose Antonio Vargas

Work You Whatever Took Worthy Prove Being Wanted Gonna Here

As a newcomer to America who learned to 'speak American' by watching movies, I firmly believe that to change the politics of immigration and citizenship, we must change culture - the way we portray undocumented people like me and our role in society. Jose Antonio Vargas

Politics Me Change Culture People Speak Immigration Believe Society Our Way Must Citizenship Firmly Like Learned Undocumented Role America American Movies Who Portray Watching

You know, I'm one of millions of undocumented people in this country who are living kind of under the shadows. And in many ways, coming out, it was my way of - at the end of the day, I think we have to tell the truth about this immigration system. And because of that, I had to tell the truth about myself. Jose Antonio Vargas

Truth Myself Day You People Immigration End Of The Day Country Living Think Way Ways System Out Tell Kind Shadows About Had Know Because Coming Undocumented End Who Many Millions

When I was a kid, I resented my grandparents not speaking the perfect English I wanted to speak. Jose Antonio Vargas

Speak Kid Perfect Wanted Grandparents Speaking English

Since I got to this country when I was 12, I've been obsessed with this idea of whiteness and blackness because I realized I was neither. For me, it was so important to me to make a film that focused on whiteness because you wouldn't have blackness if you didn't have whiteness. Jose Antonio Vargas

Me You Country Important Focused Neither Blackness Idea Obsessed Since Make Because Got Been Realized Whiteness Film

When I'm writing, I can always play around with tense. I can always make past present. I can always kind of manipulate, and I can always be delusional in a way that's completely self-serving. With film, it's like, the camera can't really lie. It can manipulate to a certain extent. Jose Antonio Vargas

I can't marry my way into citizenship like straight people can. I can get married in the state of New York where I live, but because of the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal government, which hands out visas, won't recognize my marriage. Jose Antonio Vargas

Government Marriage People Live Defense State Way Recognize Out Married Citizenship Marry Federal Federal Government New Like Because Get Hands York Get Married New York Where Which Straight Straight People Act

I'm sure the president doesn't enjoy being called deporter-in-chief. Jose Antonio Vargas

Enjoy President Sure Being

As a gay man, I think the role of culture is central to how you change politics - culture is politics. Jose Antonio Vargas

Politics Gay You Man Change Culture Think How Role Central

People don't really assume that I'm Filipino. Of course, they're gonna think, 'Oh, are you some sort of Hispanic?' and you say, 'No, I'm actually not.' I get Korean or Chinese a lot. Jose Antonio Vargas

You People Think Assume Say Some Sort Course Korean Hispanic Lot Get Oh Chinese Gonna Really Filipino Actually

Demographically speaking, young white people are not in the majority in this country; they're in the minority. My question is, if they're not the majority anymore, then what happens? How do things change? Or do they change at all? Jose Antonio Vargas

Change People Minority Country Young White Majority How Question Anymore Happens Then Speaking Things

After I arrived in Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, I entered sixth grade and quickly grew to love my new home, family and culture. I discovered a passion for language, though it was hard to learn the difference between formal English and American slang. Jose Antonio Vargas

Love Home Family Culture Passion Language Francisco Though Entered Bay Bay Area Area Between New California Learn Arrived Discovered Quickly Mountain American Grade Sixth Difference Grew Formal After San San Francisco To Love View Hard English Slang

I am undoubtedly one of the more, if not the most, privileged undocumented immigrants in America. And for us at Define American, which is this culture campaign group that I founded with some friends, culture trumps politics. Jose Antonio Vargas

Politics Culture Group Define Immigrants Some More Most Am Campaign Undocumented Undoubtedly Friends Privileged America American Which Us Founded

I am more than an immigration activist. Jose Antonio Vargas

Immigration More Am Than Activist

Facebook's headquarters is a two-story building at the end of a quiet, tree-lined street. Zuckerberg nicknamed it the Bunker. Facebook has grown so fast that this is the company's fifth home in six years - the third in Palo Alto. There is virtually no indication outside of the Bunker's tenant. Jose Antonio Vargas

Home Facebook Building Virtually Indication Outside Headquarters Alto Years End Bunker Quiet Six Fifth Company Grown Fast Street Third

Facebook's privacy policies are confusing to many people, and the company has changed them frequently, almost always allowing more information to be exposed in more ways. Jose Antonio Vargas

Privacy Facebook People Changed Ways More Allowing Almost Policies Frequently Always Information Them Confusing Many Exposed Company

In 2007, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would become a 'platform,' meaning that outside developers could start creating applications that would run inside the site. It worked. Jose Antonio Vargas

Facebook Become Run Would Inside Could Outside Developers Announced Site Meaning Worked Creating Platform Start Applications

Film in many ways is very literal. Jose Antonio Vargas

Ways Very Literal Many Film

The story of undocumented immigrants in this country is not just about undocumented immigrants. It's about the country as a whole, and it's about us being able to tell the truth about where we are with this issue because we haven't been telling the truth about where we are with this issue. Jose Antonio Vargas

Truth Country Tell Immigrants Telling Telling The Truth Able About Because Issue Been Undocumented Just Being Where Story Us Whole

When it comes to fighting for citizenship that many people take for granted, there isn't anyone I would not talk to. When it comes to immigration, there isn't any question I will not answer. Jose Antonio Vargas

People Immigration Take For Granted Will Fighting Would Citizenship Take Talk Answer Question Any Anyone Granted Many

Culture is about humanizing people. You look at the African-American civil rights movement, you look at the LGBT rights movement - the culture changed before the politics did. Jose Antonio Vargas

Politics You Rights Culture People Before Changed Rights Movement Civil Civil Rights Civil Rights Movement About Look Did Movement African-American

I believe fundamentally in the kindness of the American people because I have been a beneficiary of it. Jose Antonio Vargas

Kindness People Believe Because Been American American People Fundamentally

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