Professor KarenMary Davalos wants me to invite all of you to attend this event — I’m going to be there — it should be very good.
o0o
You and a guest are cordially invited to attend:
“The Purepecha: Poorest of the Poor”
SCREENING & PANEL PRESENTATION
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 – 7-8:30 pm
@ William H. Hannon Library
In Celebration of Hispanic Heritage
Moderated by:
Invited Guest Panelists: 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)
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.
Cited 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 provided for a community of 2-6,000 poor families, (several whom are uneducated, disenfranchised and in many respects exploited), adequate and safe housing. Stating,
“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.”
R.S.V.P. ~ Let me know if you want to come. It sounds interesting and would be a good topic to blog about. You can also email your R.S.V.P. to Professor KarenMary Davalos.