Communities Respond to Immigration

Posted in Events

The Kalmanovitz Initiative hosted screenings of two films that explore community reactions to immigration: “9500 Liberty” and “On the Line.”

9500 Liberty
April 2, 2012
7ː00 PM
McShain Large

“9500 Liberty” documents the first time in U.S. history that an Arizona-style immigration law was actually implemented—and the surprising grassroots opposition that led to its repeal.

Racial tension and threats of violence erupt when Prince William County, Virginia adopts a law requiring the police to question people who appear to be undocumented immigrants. Supporters of the law ride a wave of hysteria to an election victory. But many reconsider when the local economy feels the impact of a sudden exodus of workers, consumers, and business owners. Despite fears of reprisal, a group of concerned citizens launches a “virtual resistance” using social media, setting up a final showdown with the law’s ferocious advocates.

Discussion to follow withː
-Community activist Elena Schlossberg
-Community activist Alanna Almeda
-Professor Denise Brennan
-Professor Katie Benton-Cohen

On the Line
April 18, 2012
5ː00 PM
Walsh 499

“On the Line” documents a Latina journalist as she patrols the US-Mexican border with the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, the controversial self-described neighborhood watch group whose mission is to secure the United States Border.
Carolyn Brown struggles with her own identity as she examines the troubled history of immigration in the United States, and spends time getting to know the Minutemen in the desert of Arizona.

The daughter of an immigrant, Brown finds her place among the Minutemen, and eventually is forced to look at her own ethnicity, her family history and where she fits within American Society.
“This film is about how we identify ourselves, who we are as Americans, and who we want to be,” says Brown.

Discussion to follow with…
-Filmmaker Carolyn Brown
-Community advocate Edgar Aranda-Yanoc