21st Century Human Borders

               I don't possess the Ebola virus or any other communicable disease. I don't steal and indulge in drug trade. I pay my taxes. I help my local community and country as a whole. And yes, I'm the son of Latino immigrants. Nationality is accidental. I am so lucky to have been born in the United States – but I had nothing to do with that. It is remarkable to recently see a slew of films and theatrical productions being created and produced by Latinos on the subject of immigration –- and specifically on the subject of "Dreamers," 700,000 young undocumented immigrants who over the course of the last 30 years were brought to this country as children by their parents seeking the same universal goal that connect all parents globally – desiring a better future for their family.

               Art is social policy and the two are inextricably linked. Is it any surprise with 70,000 immigrant children from Central America and Mexico surrendering themselves at our border, as well as the siege of attacks under which Latino immigrants have been scrutinized nationwide fanned by regional and national election campaigns' divisive rhetoric that there is an explosion of artistic expression responding from the very community and individuals under attack? Last night, case in point the private screening in Queens of the feature film, the Inquisition of Camilo Sanz dealing with the story of a Colombian baby boy brought without papers to the U.S. by his undocumented mother in tow with her small daughter possessing the same legal status. Now as a grown working adult having lived his entire life in this country, he is faced with the unimaginable nightmare of being deported to a country he knows not or marry a US resident simply to remain in the country he reveres and supports.

               Even as a U.S.-born, light-skinned, Caucasian-Latino often mistaken for an Anglo, I constantly undergo taxing situations when registering at Manhattan VIP functions and at one in particular when not locating my name due to both my foreign-sounding surnames, was questioned by the manager as to “whether I belonged here” -- a similarly offensive term slung often at new kids wanting to enter our block of land only to be taunted by U.S.-born protesters blaring, "Go back to where you belong."

               When I hear the argument that we are the bread basket of the world, but we can't even afford to feed our own used as a call to arms to strengthen our borders, these same sentiments hark back to an Ellis Island when rigorous tests were carried out to deny entry to people who came and built this country at the beginning of the 20th century. All I can focus on is that I, like so many others, born here and not – being full & contributing members of this country, belong here. This is akin to the innate feelings of patriotism brandished in the U.S. by those proud to carry the legacy of being children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren of millions of immigrants who paved the way for them as they reap the benefits enjoyed today in this land. But our primal nature rears its ugly head by building walls, roadblocks and legal obstacles keeping the new kid and adult from being part of the fabric that defines this country. Yet, while beaming with pride to be the world's leading “superpower,” many born here fail to grasp its history defining us as a country of immigrants for over 500 years.

               What have we learned as we see in xenophobic and sectarian crisis after crisis in other regions of the globe today; that if we don't stick together we're not going anywhere – and we're certainly not going to be a stronger country. So as I have always fervently believed and practiced as a multimedia-maker, if our community faces a problem, it is incumbent upon us to develop a solution or pose an alternative through the messages we inject in the art we create. That's why I wake heartened today by what I see around me by those who have taken a stand in reaction to social issues through the arts that inspire us to take up a cause in advancing community, as well as enhancing our nation-at-large. By conveying a compelling message that shines the spotlight on pain suffered when access is denied can pose an alternative path in winning hearts and minds in pursuing alternative courses that render a win-win for all.

               When it comes to immigration reform and offering humanitarian assistance to political refugees, call me Pollyanna. Call me a perennial optimist when I ascribe to the belief that I come from a fundamentally moral country and grasp onto the term coined by Dolores Huerta, the civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association and adopted by Obama in his presidential run, "Si se puede!” – “Yes we can!”

               Lastly, in spreading the wealth, watch or DVR on Telemundo nationally this Sunday, August 03rd at 6PM the Spanish-language documentary, Muriendo por Cruzar (Dying to Cross). Check the following link:

Muriendo por Cruzar

TIO LOUIE/Louis E. Perego Moreno

Executive Producer of PRIME LATINO MEDIA, a metro-NY network of Latino multimedia-makers and actors.

An interactive content producer and educator who for the past 32 years has owned Skyline Features, a bilingual (English and Spanish-language) multimedia and educational production company developing documentaries, television programming and advertising commercials featuring Latinos, Blacks, Women, Urban Youth and LGBT.

Fightin' Friday

Yeah, yeah, yeah... we know, all too well as this OpEd piece reads below, "The Unbearable Whiteness of Liberal Media" (actually most media, when we're concerned), but the bottom line is that Latinos don't support Latino media ~ and forget about Spanish-language independent cinema.

So, it's incumbent on us, first and foremost to support & then educate community in bringing them around. According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are 52 million Latinos living in the USA ~ representing approximately 16.7% of the U.S. total population, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority.

We're the largest consumer of mainstream media at the box office, but we need to develop outreach strategies for our community to support beyond Spiderman 3.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=dc98f0d2-9d9e-4f32-95ad-8d7c7bb84bae&c=ae89fc60-32a8-11e3-8cfd-d4ae52753a3b&ch=afcd03b0-32a8-11e3-8d86-d4ae52753a3b

RACIAL REALISM OR MAGICAL REALITY?

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act we are also cognizant of how the gains of Affirmative Action over the course of the last 40 years have eroded. John D. Skrentnya writes an OpEd piece in the New York Times (05/07/14) citing and opposing hiring practices of “Racial Realism,” which entails matching ethnic groups with their own as positive role models and to serve their market. I counter the case he presents in the realm of media and education. As someone who has devoted the last 20 years to improving the images of Latinos in media, one key game changer in the industry occurs when we increase our numbers behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera there is an implicit effect upon the messages that affect how others view us and our community views itself.

The author, a professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California, San Diego, takes it a step farther, “Film producers manipulate audience reactions by displaying the right races in the right roles. This may be motivated by artistic goals — obviously, a film like “12 Years a Slave” required actors of particular races in particular roles. More often, these are business decisions. Whites in starring roles are thought to generate more box-office revenue, though adding nonwhites can broaden appeal.”

He goes on further to state, “Nevertheless, racial realism is too slippery, and too widely used, to stamp out completely. And so rather than trying to end racial realism, we need to make sure that it doesn’t block opportunities for minorities. For one thing, we could require more transparency and verification. If employers think race is a legitimate qualification for a job, they must rely on evidence, not stereotypes.”

Evidence, not stereotypes? First of all, as a Latino multimedia advocate, I entered education reform to train inner city Latino and Black youth to become media literate. Over the course of 10 years, there were 1,500 teen youth who produced 70 documentary shorts on positive role models or address issues inherent to their community. But what was key to the success of this program was that their “mentor” was reflective of their culture and came from the inner city community of the South Bronx constantly drumming into them that, “If I can do it, so can you.”

Then working extensively on the college level with Latino and Black youth by screening these and other cultural documentaries nationally, I noticed that at best 2-3% of the faculty reflect our youth and what a difference it would make for retention in stemming a 50% drop-out rate if their mentors, advisors, counselors, teachers and Deans looked like them and came from their community.

Then just recently, coinciding with Cinco de Mayo, an early morning program on MSNBC had one of the network's producers stumble on-screen donning a sombrero while taking a few sips of tequila directly from a bottle and later waving maracas. When he later took a shot of tequila he remarked, "Ole" and the anchor referred to it as "go-go juice." Here’s what makes the difference and what it boils down to? Is there a Latino anchor on the network? Where are the Latino Producers behind-the-scenes? Or, do they still believe that there aren’t any talented ones? Latinos occupying a place at the table would have ensured that this critique of the network that embarrassed the top brass and had to generate an apology would not have occurred. But more importantly, we would not have to endure the continual proliferation of these negative stereotypes that affect all Latinos.

No, Mr. Skrentnya it is not about advocating “ghettoization,” quotas or limiting in certain arenas employment opportunities for the very ethnic groups you purport to defend, it is about opening the doors for diversity in grooming the next generation through education and when it comes to media, in front of the camera and behind – plus it is a long-established fact that diversity is good for the bottom line. I am completely open to others who are culturally-competent and sensitive being part of the team telling our stories. But when our stories are told without our involvement they are not authentic and often times inaccurate. But more importantly, it is about fostering deeper ties of understanding with those outside of our culture when we are part of the picture telling our stories and helping those from our culture. It makes us better and the whole country stronger.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/opinion/only-minorities-need-apply.html?hpw&rref=opinion&action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3As&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry250%23%2FOnly+Minorities+Need+Apply&_r=0