Filmmaker Gil Gonzalez draws lessons from the past to inform the current immigration debate

The Institute for Labor Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) invites the community to a screening of “Harvest of Loneliness: The Bracero Program” – a new documentary about the Bracero Program, one of the largest government-managed migrations in history. A reception begins at 6 p.m. and the documentary airs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4 in the UMKC Student Union Theatre, 5100 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.

Filmmaker Gil Gonzalez, who also serves as a Professor Emeritus of Chicano/Latino Studies & Social Sciences at the University of California, Irvine will lead a discussion following the film. He will be joined by an immigration attorney and a former bracero. The program is sponsored by The Institute for Labor Studies, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, the UMKC Division of Diversity, Access & Equity and the Cross-Border Network for Justice and Solidarity. For more information, call (816) 235-1470.

The Bracero Program brought millions of Mexican workers to the U.S. between 1942 and 1964 to work as cheap, controlled and disposable workers. We hear their voices and those of the wives and families left behind. To see the trailer and read more about the film, visit www.harvestofloneliness.com.

“When we see the legacy of abuse of braceros and the price their families paid, we have to ask whether proposed guest-worker programs are the immigration reform we really want,” said Judy Ancel, director of The Institute for Labor Studies at UMKC. “This film gives us important lessons for today’s immigration debate.”

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit http://www.umkc.edu/. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.