The Case Western Reserve University Radical Student Union will host a film screening of Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in Thwing Center’s ballroom.
Based on the book by award-winning journalist and Democracy Now! co-host Juan González, Harvest of Empire is a documentary that looks at the role that U.S. economic and military interests played in a wave of migration that is transforming our nation’s cultural and economic landscape.
From the wars that gave the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, Cuba and more than half of Mexico, to the covert operations that imposed oppressive military regimes in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador, Harvest of Empire unveils a moving human story that is largely unknown to citizens in the U.S.
At the beginning of the film, González says, “They never teach us in school that the huge Latino presence here is a direct result of our own government’s actions in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America over many decades—actions that forced millions from that region to leave their homeland and journey north.”
Harvest of Empire provides a glimpse into the sacrifices and triumphs of the nation’s growing Latino community. The film features present-day immigrant stories, rarely seen archival material, as well as interviews with such respected figures as:
- Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchú;
- The Rev. Jesse Jackson;
- American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero;
- Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Junot Díaz;
- Mexican historian Lorenzo Meyer;
- Journalists María Hinojosa and Geraldo Rivera;
- Grammy award-winning singer Luis Enrique; and
- Poet Martín Espada.
This screening is the first part in the Radical Student Union’s two-part event series on Latinos in America. The second part will be held Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Tinkham Veale University Center ballroom B and feature a panel discussion on the movie and other issues concerning immigration and the broader Latino experience.