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:
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.
