From the research community:
An exceptional film! It succeeds in capturing the intersection of the larger forces shaping migration and the details that shape these migrants' lives. As they join in the daily routines of a community, we begin to see the many ties that bind newcomers with established residents, changing both.
| — | Saskia Sassen, author of Guests and Aliens. |
Immigration is the human component of globalization and a hallmark of the 21st century. This video reminds us that behind the rhetoric, slogans, and political posturing there are always immigrants with faces, names, feelings, and aspirations. It strips away the stereotypes to show that immigrants are simply human beings who, caught up in powerful social and economic transformations unfolding around them, have adapted by coming to America in search of peace, acceptance, and a chance for a better life. Listen to their stories.
| — | Douglas Massey, professor of sociology, University of Pennsylvania |
A very informative video about the lives, struggles and tribulations of immigrants in the United States. Focusing mostly on Latino workers but including also voices from other nationalities — Asian and African — it highlights key issues, from the reasons for leaving their country of origin to the difficulties encountered in the United States as well as some of the victories won. The accounts are often moving, including details about working conditions, racist attitudes, and obstacles found in the communities where their lives and their new roots unfold. Perhaps this is best summarized by a Spanish-speaking woman who refers to Perry, Iowa, as a place that is both "calm and tense" and where she feels free but not comfortable ("me siento libre pero no c—moda"). The video will be of interest to a variety of audiences and it should be useful for academic and community use, for teaching and organizing.
| — | Lourdes Bener’a, director, Program on Gender and Global Change, Cornell University |
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From the activist community:
A perfect opportunity to build bridges among diverse communities. It shows some of the tensions between immigrants and non-immigrants — and also how people's minds can be changed. A very rich presentation, seen through the eyes of immigrants themselves. They show not a hint of self-pity but fierce determination against unbelievable odds.
Interracial work is usually a white-Black paradigm, but it's important for people of color to talk about Black-Latino or Latino-Asian relationships. This video offers a strong treatment of diversity and tensions between our communities.
| — | Loretta Ross, executive director, Center for Human Rights Education. |
These three stories of dignity and resistance in California, Iowa and Texas are a breath of fresh air that motivates us to keep fighting for justice and human rights. The voices and faces of the women and men in the film tell us "Si se puede/Yes we can", not as a slogan; but as a testimony of their lives.
| — | Pancho Arguelles Paz y Puente, National Organizers Alliance |
An excellent look at the context of today's immigration. The film has three important strengths. It demonstrates how capitalist-initiated competition among workers produces a bitterness that is often focused from workers against other workers. The film also portrays new immigrants with the dignity and respect they deserve, rather than as victims. Finally, efforts described in the film on the part of immigrants at self-organization are examples to be applauded and popularized.
| — | Bill Fletcher, Jr., President, TransAfrica Forum |
This video is another public statement on the existence of a growing immigrants' rights movement ready to stand up for justice and to defend their demands. Immigrants in the USA cannot be silent anymore.
| — | Baldemar Velasquez, president, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), AFL-CIO |
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