The National Press Club Events and International Correspondence committees are sponsoring a film review and discussion of "Harvest of Empire, The Untold Story of Latinos in America," with producer Wendy Thompson-Marquez and co-producer and co-director Eduardo Lopez Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6 to 7 p.m. The event, a nod to the observation of Hispanic Heritage Month that wraps up Oct. 15, will be co-moderated by committee chairs Carmen Russell Sluchanksy and Aileen Schlef. Questions can be submitted in advance to [email protected].
Watch 'Harvest of Empire,' then join discussion of policy impacts on U.S. Latinos, Wednesday
The documentary can be viewed ahead of the discussion. A copy of it is available on YouTube.
View the documentary "Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America" at any time before the moderated discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Register here to participate in the film review and discussion.
Eduardo Lopez
The documentary examines the role this nation’s economic and military interests plays in the lives of Latinos in America. As immigration issues continue to mystify policymakers to this day, the U.S. Latino community is now approaching a population of 63 million, represents 20 nations, and produced a $2.3 trillion GDP for the United States in 2018. Many Mexican-American families recollect that “we did not cross the border; it crossed us.”
Juan González
Juan González, the award-winning journalist who authored the book, "Harvest of Empire," opens the film stating, “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.”
When it was first released in 2012, the New York Daily News wrote: “In an era of anti-immigrant fervor, this sobering and much-needed look at Latino migration is built on an undeniably optimist premise: that once Americans have accurate facts, ‘They Rarely Allow Injustices to Stand.'” The New York Times wrote: “Harvest of Empire has a journalistic pedigree and a punch that comes from political advocacy … the filmmakers retain a touching faith that most Americans won’t tolerate injustice when they know about it. This film is meant to teach them.”