Jose Antonio Vargas introducing his documentary, Undocumented |
SACRAMENTO- The Guild Theater was host to the second private
screening of Jose Antonio Vargas' documentary Undocumented Tuesday evening, October 8, with
its first held in San Francisco in August.
Jose Antonio Vargas has lived in America since the age of 12 in
Silicon Valley. His grandparents raised him until moving to San Francisco then
New York to continue his career as a Journalist. Vargas and several of his
colleagues would later earned a Pulitzer Prize Award through coverage of the
Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. However, unbeknownst to the people he worked
for and met, he had a very dark secret: he was living as an undocumented
immigrant.
Undocumented is shot in multiple locations, but primarily shot in:
New York City, Mountain View, California, and a small village in the
Philippines called Antipolo. It starts with the establishment of his
organization Define
American, then follows his journey of speaking at various
college campuses, Latino mothers of undocumented families, and experiencing
Vargas' disappointments and victories throughout.
Audiences witness Vargas testifying before congress, addressing
other DREAMers, and are even invited to discover the rocky relationship he and
his mother share. She remains in the Philippines and has not seen him since his
departure 20 years ago. An emotionally wrought yet passionately charged film
bound to bring tears to your eyes, is not what Vargas has in mind for his
audience.
"So often we're treated as abstractions, faceless, and
nameless-subjects of debate rather than individuals with families, hopes,
fears, and dreams..." he says a scene while testifying before members of
Congress. Beyond himself, he fights to bring more illustrations of people with
stories of strife, and force Congress to realize the humanity behind such a
hot-button issue. He goes on to say, "We have so politicized this issue
for so long, we have forgotten the humanity in it. And I think that's what we
need to come back to... so much so that it transcends languages and it
transcends cultures. That in many ways strikes at the heart of who we are as a
country."
Undocumented post panel discussion |
A panel discussion with speakers of leaders in immigration
organizations included Sergio Garcia, who recently fought for Gov. Brown to
sign AB1024. Vargas expressed how he fought his partners on including his
mother in the film. "I can barely handle it, much less give it to you and
when I say this... the question I had to ask myself was 'How do I tell the
story in the most universal, accessible way I could?' Never mind my own
pain."
Discussion leading to the Trust Act, Dean Kevin Johnson of UC
Davis Law says, "It's important to remember the Trust Act is in response
to the Obama Administration's Secured Communities Program which is the result
of deportation of roughly 400,000 a year," He goes onto say, "This
administration has deported more people in than any other in United States
History."
Moving forward May Liang, Campaign Organizer for ASPIRE, Asian
Students Promoting Immigrant Rights Through Education suggests, "one of
the things [people] can do is talk to your friends and family, get online, see
what's happening in your local community in terms of people deported to spread
the word and support those rallies."
Word on whether the film will be screened in other location are to be announced at a later date. If you'd like to learn how you'd like to join Jose's or the other panelists' fight you can visit the following websites: ASPIRE, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Define American.
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