Synopsis:
The story of Oregon’s first immigrant Latina legislator, Teresa Alonso Leon, the film follows her journey to the Oregon capitol from San Jeronimo, Michoacán, México. As a child of migrant farmers, Teresa worked in the fields alongside her parents and gained leadership skills helping care for her younger siblings. Encouraged by her teachers, Teresa became the first in her family to graduate college and pursued a career developing education opportunities for young people of underrepresented and low income communities. As the Representative for District 22, one of the most diverse districts and home to the largest Latino community in the state, Teresa works to pass policies that support education, health, affordable housing, and social justice.
Producer’s Bio:
Kisa Clark is a second-year PhD student in Media Studies. As a researcher interested in the role of culture in communicative processes, this course helped develop my understanding of the important historical, racial, and political factors that shape a place and the communities within it. Utilizing documentary film as an effective research tool to better understand and add to the underdeveloped narrative of Oregon’s Latino history has been a uniquely valuable and thought-provoking experience.
