Archives

Synopsis:

Encontrando Pertenencia/Finding Belonging by Adamaryz Lopez Navarrete

“Encontrando Pertenencia/Finding Belonging” follows Eleodoro, a 59-year-old father, husband and musician. Born in the mountainous and rural San Juan Peyotan of Nayarit Mexico, Eleodoro explores his love for his roots among the need to immigrate in pursuit of work. After years of seasonal work in the United States, he settles in Hermiston, Oregon where he has been now for 32 years. Yoyo reflects on building a life in Eastern Oregon and his constant commitment to persevere for himself and his family. Although far from his home country, Eleodoro remains connected to his heritage through music, familial relationships and customs. He explores the important role music has played in his life among the nuances of being a musician. He shares a story of culture, passion, and the importance that those closest around him provide to his life.

Producer’s Bio:

Adamaryz Lopez Navarrete is an undergraduate student from Hermiston, Oregon. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Geography with a minor in Latinx Studies. Born and raised in Eastern Oregon to immigrant parents, the Latino Roots course perfectly matched her personal background and interests in Geography, History and Ethnic Studies. She sets out to share a personal story that spans the contributions of Latinos in Eastern Oregon, as represented by her dad, Eleodoro. Adamaryz is thankful that a program like Latino Roots gives students on campus a space to feel seen and their stories valued.

Synopsis:

Blended Roots By Andrea Plymale

Sierra Gonnerman’s journey is one of resilience, identity, and reconnection. Adopted into a white family after years in foster care, Sierra lost contact with her birth family for over a decade. Moving from Tacoma, WA, to Las Vegas, NV, and finally settling in Portland, OR. Sierra’s high school years were a mission to find her roots and reconnect with her birth family. With the support of her best friend, they were able to. This documentary captures the emotional rollercoaster of reuniting with her birth family. Sierra finally sees faces and smiles that resemble her own. As Sierra navigates the complexities of being a part of two families, she explains the challenges of growing up as an adoptee. The film highlights the powerful moments of discovery and how she finds her own belonging. Sierra hopes to blend her two families into one united family to create lasting memories.

Producer’s Bio:

Andrea Plymale is an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising at the School of Journalism and Communications (SOJC) with a minor in Latinx Studies. Her focus is account management and film direction. Through this course, Andrea has been able to apply the skills of a film director and draw from her personal experience as an adoptee. Her goal is to spread awareness and provide insight into an adopted person’s life.

Synopsis:

La Frontera by Sonoma Frederick

This is the story of Adriana Miramontes Olivas who is the curator of academic programs and Latin American and Caribbean art at the University of Oregon Jordan Schnitzer Museum. Adriana uses art to create dialogue and connect with the world around her. Growing up in Ciudad Juárez, a bordering city (“la frontera”), she always felt a connection to other cultures and languages. From a young age, she was aware of what existed beyond Mexico. During higher education, she had the opportunity to explore these connections in depth. She realized that regardless of her geographical location, a part of her would always be in Ciudad Juárez. Today, the art Adriana curates embodies this idea of connecting cultures beyond physical borders. Adriana emphasizes that art allows us to feel and talk about our emotions, our roots, and the world around us.

Producer’s Bio:

Sonoma Frederick is an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon studying Psychology and Anthropology. Her focus is on the adaptation of psychological treatment for Latinx communities. The Latino Roots course has allowed her to connect with her Latino roots and reflect on what it means to be a member of the Latinx community.

Synopsis:

Chasing Our Origins by Nina-Grace Montes

Raised in a single-parent household, Tracy Montes often wondered about the role her absent father played in her life. Manuel Montes, born in Havana, Cuba, in 1952, came to the United States with his parents when he was eight years old. As Tracy grew older, she felt a growing connection to her Cuban Roots but never fully understood it. Twenty-seven years later, through research and reconnection, she finally uncovered the full story.

 

Producer’s Bio:

Nina-Grace Montes is an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Journalism at the School of Journalism and Communications with a minor of Latinx Studies. Her focus is on print and multimedia storytelling. Through this course and her time in the SOJC, she’s been able to tell powerful stories through research. Her overall goal with this film was to find her family’s roots.

Synopsis:

La Chicana Academica: Dr. Yvette Saavedra’s Story by Claire Aspeitia

Dr. Yvette Saavedra is an author, historian, and a passionately kind professor in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department at the University of Oregon. Despite barriers of inequality early in her life that suppressed her potential to succeed, she has done more than persevere. Through the transformative presence of a supportive mentor during this difficult time in her life, she now passes on the same sense of encouragement for her own students. Dr. Saavedra’s life experiences help us understand why she aims to foster an inclusive community in her classroom that imparts a sense of empowerment within each one of her students. Her story provides hope that we are capable of living life to its fullest despite facing obstacles outside of our control.

Producer’s Bio:

Claire Aspeitia is an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon. They are pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a double minor in Queer Studies and Latinx Studies. This documentary helped them to discover their own strength through the power of storytelling. They hope for queer Chicanx people to feel represented through this documentary and empowered to share their own stories of perseverance and self-discovery.

Synopsis:

Mr. Freelance is about Luis Ramirez who works in the Duck Athletic Fund. He went from working on managing suites at Pk Park and Autzen stadium to working on fundraising for the athletic department. Luis is from Nyssa, Oregon, but has family ties that go back to Jalisco, Mexico. His roots run deep with his grandfather migrating over through the Bracero program. His grandpa’s lifestyle of hard work and dedication inspired Luis’ father to work hard as well to provide for his family. Luis’ father love for sports instilled in him a love of soccer and baseball and it inspired Luis to become a sportswriter in college. In this film, Luis speaks about his journey as a journalism student, and the difficulties he faced in the Journalism School at the University of Oregon, including the positive outcome of his experiences. Luis became a prominent sportswriter in the Salem and Springfield area and has since moved to impact his alma mater by raising money for what he loves most, the Oregon Ducks!

 

Producer’s Bio:

Logan Mercado is an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon. Logan is a senior majoring in Anthropology and will graduate summer 2024. He also plays baseball for the University of Oregon.

Synopsis:

Pedro: A Journey to Activism by Liesl Cohn De León

Pedro, a 37-year-old Mayan-Chuj from Nentón, Huehuetenango, arrived in Oregon as a teenager. He worked in nurseries and the grape and blueberry fields for several years. In 2019, there was a car accident where Pedro’s cousins died and his father went into a severe coma for several months. Two years after that tragedy, in 2021, Pedro’s uncle died working in the fields due to extreme heat. The organization Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) helped Pedro to overcome these difficult times, providing him with emotional and legal support, which made him reflect on the lives of his paisanos, so he decided he wanted to help other indigenous farmworkers who experience the same difficulties for them to learn their rights. Now, Pedro works as an indigenous leader and activist at PCUN with the Guatemalan community in Woodburn. 

 

Producer’s Bio:

Liesl Cohn De León is a Cultural Anthropology doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon. Her current research is about how Guatemalan Maya migrants in Oregon build their identities and sense of community in this new territory as a process of construction of collective memory. 

Synopsis:

Rediscovering My Puerto Rican Roots By David Ainsworth

Growing up in Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and California, Karolyn Pettingell Ainsworth has long been interested in her roots. As a child, she was exposed to the rich cultural experiences of her father’s English ancestry and her mother’s Puerto Rican background. However, her mother was reluctant to pass down her Puerto Rican heritage and language, due to suffering discrimination because of her accent. This affected Karolyn deeply and inspired her to examine her roots more closely. Since moving to Oregon, Karolyn has passed down what she learned about her Latino roots not only to classes she taught, but also to me, her son. The documentary addresses Karolyn’s journey for her roots.

Producer’s Bio:

David Ainsworth is a graduate student at the University of Oregon, focusing on journalism. Although his main focus has been print reporting, he has been interested in exploring other avenues of storytelling. When he discovered the Latino Roots course focusing on documentary storytelling and learning about Latino history in Oregon, David knew he could not pass that up. Through the course, he had the privilege of telling the life story of his mother, Karolyn. David has learned more about himself and where he comes from through this course, and he hopes this film will inspire others to discover their own roots.

Synopsis:

Growing Roots by Daniela Cortes-Montesinos is about family and farm labor representing and acknowledging the contributions made by underappreciated/underrepresented farmworkers in Oregon and overall in the US. Growing Roots follows the story of Jocelyn Martínez, a 23-year-old self-defining Hispanic, daughter of farm worker parents, oldest of 3 siblings, working as an office assistant and living in Albany, Oregon. Jocelyn currently studies agricultural science at Linn-Benton Community College in hopes to fulfill her long-term goal of establishing a farm of her own. Having this future goal set, her father, Paulo, and uncle, Floriberto, who both run and own an organic farm together in Albany, Oregon, are the ones she turns to and acknowledges them as her inspiration.

Producer’s Bio:

Daniela Cortes-Montesinos is an undergraduate student majoring in Art while double-minoring in Latinx Studies and Multimedia. Their main art medium is photography; however, they do enjoy working with other various media including videography. Daniela first started creating videos early on in middle school and continues to do so. Creating a film has been a dream goal for Daniela; so, the Latino Roots course has served as a gateway to combine both what they are passionate about and their identity as a Latinx/e individual.

Synopsis:

Being an Activist: Ramón Ramírez, tells the story of Ramón’s life, beginning with his youth in Los Angeles as a witness and participant in the Chicano movement, the anti-war movement, and meeting Cesar Chavez. Inspired by what empowered farmworkers can do and by his participation in numerous Latino organizations, Ramón was one of the founders of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Oregon’s farmworker union. In the film Ramón shares his growth as an activist and reflects on some of the key lessons learned and challenges he faced through his work with PCUN, eventually becoming president when Cipriano Ferrel died suddenly in 1995.  Being an Activist brings to life what it takes to sustain activism and win important rights for farmworkers.

Producer’s Bio:

Lynn Stephen, Philip H. Knight Chair and Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Anthropology, focuses her research on immigration and asylum, gendered violence, race, transborder communities, Latinx and Mesoamerican Indigenous Communities in Mexico, Guatemala and in diaspora in California and the Northwest.  Her current research explores access to justice for survivors of gendered violence, the impact of COVID-19 on farmworker health and well-being, and mapping Mesoamerican Indigenous languages and communities in diaspora in the U.S. She is the author of 15 academic books and many articles and chapters. Social justice and collaboration are at the center of her research and teaching. Empowering students and co-researchers and people she works with to put forward their own critical questions, answers, and telling their own stories is a top priority.  She has a strong commitment to research projects that produce findings accessible to the wider public and her work includes films, websites as well as scholarly publications. She serves as an expert on immigration, asylum and gendered asylum in the U.S.