Philadelphia comedian is using humor to break barriers after growing up undocumented
A Philadelphia-based comedian, Che Guerrero, is using laughter and jokes to teach others about the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his immigration status after growing up undocumented.
For Guerrero, making people laugh is just one reason why he gets up on stage.
His main motivation lies in sharing what it means to grow up undocumented.
"People usually think that being undocumented means you don't have papers at all," Guerrero said. "You fall in and out of status all the time … Sometimes I do shows where people go 'I never thought about laughing about this, about not having a social, about how crazy it is to not have a driver's license.' Yeah, it's goofy."
Before starting his 16-year-long comedy career, Guerrero came to New York City at 6 years old from the Dominican Republic.
His family was in search of a better life.
Guerrero said he wasn't fully aware of his immigration status until he couldn't accept a college scholarship.
"I finished school doing the bare minimum because I didn't see a future for college," Guerrero said. "And that's where it stayed. I'm really lucky I found standup comedy because for a year and a half, I was just dead inside, not thinking about anything about the future."
Stand-up comedy allowed Guerrero to make a living.
Once the pandemic hit, he turned to making content online.
For the first time in his career, he spoke publicly about his journey. He amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.
"I've gotten to the point where even my family understands how important this work is and they're very, very proud of me and I'm proud of them for the work that they've done to come to this place," Guerrero said.
He's played in countless venues across the country, including Next In Line Comedy in Spring Garden.
"Philadelphia is just the perfect balance for who I am as a person and my comedy," Guerrero said.
When he's not performing, Guerrero is working with a storytelling nonprofit in Philadelphia called First Person Arts.
"Che is fiercely, unapologetically Latino," First Person Arts executive director Jamie Brunson said. "And he brings in that voice and we love that and we need that in every room...Now he's giving back by sharing his story with other people."
"Every little drop in the bucket that is us telling our stories helps combat what they're doing on the other side," Guerrero said.
It's a story that's reaching audiences through laughter and celebrating his culture.