Tuesday January 24*
7-8:30 p.m.
Von der Ahe Family Suite
A young Latina ventures out one summer day to discover a place called Duroville in the Eastern Coachella Valley - a mere two and a half hours from her own home in a disadvantaged neighborhood. She always thought she was poor until she discovers firsthand the conditions under which these migrant families live and work. Lauded by both First Lady Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey, "The Purepecha: Poorest of the Poor" documents the historical ruling by then U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Larson, who realized that those providing our fruits and vegetables are being caught in the crossroads of our Nation's incongruous immigration and agricultural policies.
His ruling, which provided adequate and safe housing for a community of 2-6,000 poor families, (several whom are uneducated, disenfranchised and in many respects exploited) stated "On the one hand, the U.S. portends that the undocumented workers lack legal status while at the same time predicating the economic efficiency of an agricultural industry on their hard work. It appears that the U.S. has once again, established a rather 'peculiar institution' to service our agrarian needs."
After the screening, a guest panel will discuss the film and the issues covered. Guest Panelists include: Former U.S. District Court Judge, Stephen Larson, LMU Chair/Assoc. Professor, Chicana/o Studies, Dr. Karen Mary Davalos, UFW President, Arturo Rodriguez, and two time CINE Golden Eagle Award-winning filmmaker, Cheryl Quintana Leader (Indivision 2000 Productions)
The screening is free, but the courtesy of an RSVP is requested. To RSVP, email KarenMary.Davalos@lmu.edu.
This event is sponsored by the Chicana/o Studies Department and the Latina/o Staff Assocation
*An earlier version of this post listed the date as 2/24, which is incorrect.
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