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vicete,please help there is a mexican employer that treats his employees like shit he yiels at them,calls them names and recently fired one of them because he had to go use the restroom.most of these workers are illegal if not all of them,they are scared to stand up for their righs
I wish someone can face this bully without getting the employees in trouble he is the owner of Perez tree landscaping co.tel-847-360-0694 please do something the stories are ongoing and very dissapointing thanking you in advance,if you need to contact me 708-351-8400
I like this film I have never heard of anything of this. Thank you Vicente Cerrano for going to Juarez High School. I told this to my mom and she neither knew anything about this. She was very interested in this and now she wants to see this film.
We had a great time at the last screening. A couple of thoughts.
The legal question was important, I believe you can make a stronger impact by highlighting that the victims were all CITIZENS. I would be interested in learning more from legal scholars on what remedies are available today.
Second, why don’t you mention FDR at all? He was president for the vast majority of the years this injustice took place (1933-1945). Not only did FDR oversee the injustice to citizens of Mexican decent, but also the Internment of Japanese Americans. I believe we see a pattern of racial based injustices from FDR. This is a great example of what can happen when we give big government too much power.
Estimado Vicente,
Tu pelicula me toco mucho, principalmente por saber de una parte “olvidada” de la historia de los Estados Unidos. Es importantissimo que se muestre tu filme en las escuelas secundarias y universidades. Envie una nota a todos mis amigos y conocidos em mi lista de emails y espero que vayan. Te congratulo y te deseo mucho sucesso. Un abrazo.
My father, grandfather, uncles, and friends of the family still go through tremendous discrimination here in Chicago. I overhear many comments b/c I have brown hair, hazel eyes and very light skin. People think I am caucasian. That’s how I get hear bad comments about Mexicans which greatly disturb me.
I saw the film last night. Very touching story. However, the English subtitles has the word remember spelled incorrectly twice. It was spelled as “remeber”. If you want to make an impact as American citizen, spell the English language correctly!!!!
I saw your film today and was moved by the context of the it. I would like if you would get into communication with the Executive Director of Pan America Theater Company. To create a possibility of showing the film there.
Please reply to my email for phone numbers etc…
honestly I am very honored and happy. I just read your message and something inside almost make me cry. I will do my best to reach the goal of getting the message to as many people I can. I hope that many people see what you saw and many more come back to share their feelings and opinions here.
It’s great to see many people going to the screenings but is more rewarding to read messages like yours.
Vicente,
My boyfriend and I recently attended a showing of your film and we both were deeply moved and touched. You emphasized that you have met your goal if you had succeeded in touching one single person. You definitely have achieved that and therefore I challenge you to get this movie out and show it at as many venues as possible, including in areas such as the town in Virginia that was showcased in your documentary. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “fear always springs from ignorance” and that recurring scene of the Townhall is an example of just that. The more people that see this film, the better our country will be for it.
If a copy of your film was ever available for purchase, please notify me. I would like to “spread the word” by passing it around among my family members (as I know that they would be interested) as well as showing it at work as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank You.
I hope we can find a good sponsor that can see the potential of “A Forgotten Injustice” ASAP. I will be very happy to start traveling around the States with the film. Earthling, I have no idea when are we going to NY but feel free to contact us with any idea or contact you may have.
Arlene, Why don’t we start looking at the possibility of taking the film to the theatre you mentioned in your message?
Thank you for the review. Can I use it for promotional purposes when we go to schools??? I really liked it. I am glad you enjoyed the film and I hope you can share your opinions with other teachers.
Mi querida Flor Crisostomo,
Gracias por apoyarnos. Claro que tenemos una version en espanol. Vamos planeando un apresentacion especial en la iglesia. Ustedes me dicen el dia y la hora y yo empiezo a promocionarla…
I really have no words to thank you for not only watching the film but for taking the extra step to make your comments public… I hope this is just the beggining…
Vicente
For Yolanda,
We have the last screenings at Instituto Cervantes this coming Saturday at 4pm and 6:30pm. I hope to see you and your family there.
SORRY FOR NOT RESPONDING TO SOME OF THE POSTS EARLIER.
We have been extremely busy but I am very happy to see that many of you are using this important tool to share stories and comments about the film.
To Marie,
Thank you very much for your comments, I agree with you that it is URGENT to get the message out. We need help, so if someone is interested in finding a non profit organization, church or school to host a screening please lets us know.
Again Marie, Thank you for your support.
Vicente
Maria from Olive Harvey College,
Thank you for making the screening of “A Forgotten Injustice” a reality. The team shared with me the deatils of the Q&A after the presentation and I am very happy that many of your African American students were interested in participating.
Thank you and I hope you can recommend the project to other schools.
I just finish reading the comments from others. WOW!! How fast can you make reproductions of this documentary? Do you realize you may wake up a sleeping giant?! The US historians have been very careful to cover up this “black cloud” of history of the US politicians. And they must not get away with it…once again. Your film is timely and must be made for every citizen of the US to see “A Forgotten Injustice.”
Please let me know if I can be of assistance to bring it to a theater in Dallas, Tx., called the Angelica, a theater that welcomes foreigen and documents such as yours.
Thank you,
Arlene Gallegos
My family lives in Chicago, Il. I live in Dallas, Tx. They told me of the documentary you have produced. I am interested in finding out when will it come to Texas?
I hope this message gets out to all of the Mexican-American people in the US and we can make a difference to stop the deportation of Mexican people today in our culture.
Thank you for your efforts.
Sincerely,
Arlene Young
Dear Vincente…is there a tour in NYC that we could attend?? please let us know!
am interested in knowing more about this becoz i believe that very soon we will erase all the political boundaries and live in love!
hola vicente me gusto tu pelicula merece un premio por esto tiene que haber una segunda parte.Te pide que cuando los demas grupo reclaman por algo muestrales tu trabajo para que sepan que quieren cuando reclaman.y ENTIENDAN LAS NECESIDADES DE LOS OTROS GRUPOS. esto FUE MUY PENOSO EN NUESTRA HISTORIA PERO NO SE DEBE OLVIDAR . Y TE PREGUNTO VICENTE QUE HUBIERA PASADO SI MEXICO NO LOS HUBIERA RECIBIDO EN SU SUELO . SI LLEGARA A PASAR ESTO OTRA VEZ COMO SERIA LA OPINION DEL MUNDO,Y PENSAR QIE ESTE PAIS PELEA POR LA LIBERTAD DE OTROS LADO DEL MUNDO ,PERO HAY CHAPARRO DEL SUR ,NO SELE TOMA ENCUENTA EN LO MAS MINIMO, PERO QUE ME PAGUE LOS IMPUESTOS QUE NOS DEBEN AL PAIS . TE SALUDA TU AMIGO DAVID DEL PROGRAMA ‘AMIGOS DEPORT-VIDA’ DE TU AMIGA MONICA VILLA ,USAHISPANOS Y LA 1450AM
An intimate, personal, and touching account appropriately interspersed with historical context and explicitly tied to today’s immigration issues.
Were there no legal cases of note that grew out of this like the Korematsu case?
I will be sharing some of your stories this week as we discuss the Great Depression in my class.
Thanks for what is clearly a labor of love.
Bill Lamme
Kelly High School
Chicago Public Schools
Hola Vicente, espero que estes muy bien en este momento.
Primero que nada muchisimas felicidades por tu trabajo, y el de todo el equipo que colaboro contigo para hacer posible esta gran obra.
Y por hacer que el mundo entero vea lo que este sistema despreciable de leyes rotas nos ha benido haciendo por cientos de anos.
mi pregunta seria si el documental tiene subtitulos en espanol, para ver si se pudiera hacer una presentacion aqui en la iglesia.
My father-in-law was living here during that time and went back to Mexico with his mom. Of course he came back as a teenager and has been living here ever since. I’d like to know if the film will be playing again because I’d like for him to see it. I’m sure he’d enjoy it very much as well as myself and my husband.
Thanks,
The film really blew my mind. I had no idea this was another black cloud of our history. Mr Cerrano did a fantastic job telling his story and has touched many hears like he did mine. I am very proud of my heritage and I am blessed to be Mexican. There are people who may not agree with this film but like Mr Cerrano said, we all have our own opinions and that is what’s good freedom of speech. We are not asking people to like us but to respect us as human beings that we are. No matter what we are all God’s children and no document or law will ever change that. Thank you!
Mr. Cerrano, I wish you all the luck in the world. May God bless you with many more great films and stories.
I loved the film. My mother was orphaned at a young age. All of her siblings were born here in the U.S. She believes that her father travelled back to Mexico because he was ill and preferred to be in his motherland. After wathcing the film and considering the year my mother was born, I’m wondering if the trip was not voluntary.
I spoke with Maria and asked if you would be able to show the film and have a discussion at the high school where I teach social studies. The principal, the students, and I would love to have you here. Please let me know if you have time on a Friday morning.
Thank you,
Maria Hernandez
Olive Harvey Middle College
10001 S. Woodlawn
773/291-6144
Ms. Rita Pietrzak, Principal
I attended the viewing of your extraordinary yet eye-opener and powerful film last night. You might remember that I was the individual who made the comment about the similarities between the generation of the 1930’s and the presentent generation (Mexican-American). I also stated that one of the differences was that this modern-day generation, should the U.S. government come knocking on our doors just for being (or looking) Mexican, was not going to take it “sitting down.”
I have had some time to think about my comment and I would like to say that by no means would I ever, ever disrespect the generation/s of the 1930’s and especially the survivors.
I believe that “they” paved the way for future Mexican-American generations to be here and to prosper here. They were a courageous generation who paid a dear and ultimate price just for being who they were.
Yes there are similarities with then and now–and “raids” are occuring across rural America deporting Mexicans and Mexican-Americans; however, the generation of today has a voice. Whether it is “their” own voice or the voice of political activists, politicians, community organizations, even modern day technology i.e. the internet, main-stream-media, 24-hour news and communications, someone “is” speaking–letting the government know of the effects its actions are causing.
I also stated that should the government knock on “my” door that he would have to “k i ll” me because I will “not” leave. I would like to say that I do not fear this as I do not believe that it will come to this.
The U.S. government is very careful as to not repeat the mistakes of the past. It will not come knocking on people’s doors, weapons drawn, a-la Elian Gonzalez style, and remove you by force with weapons pointed at the faces of children, mothers, fathers and grandfathers. The government can’t afford to do this anymore because it will then prove to the world that is is no better than those governments which it looks down upon. Hence the “raids” in factories and companies because this is “politically correct” and more acceptable and those that are anti-immigration can say, “the government is doing its job.”
In closing, Mr Serrano, I would like to say that your film is so important. Extremely important.
Thank you for educating me on a topic I had no idea about. It is now my duty and responsibility to pass it on to those that follow me.
To:
Melanie Schikore and Daniel Ventura.
Thank you both for coming to see “A Forgotten Injustice”. I agree with you on the need of getting the message out as soon as possible. I appreciate the comment about the silence and pain of the survivors, I tought it was necessary. I hope you can help us out to spread the word about “A Forgotten Injustice”.
Thank you again! I was also remembering that while I was serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1967 I had a conversation with a former German POW incarcerated in the U.S. during the second world war. He said that he was in a camp in Kansas and how well he was treated and that he would get a pass to go downtown to see movies, eat popcorn and have a nice time. Interesting how we can get rid of the Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and incarcerate the Japanese-Americans but give passes to the German POW’s during the war to have a nice week end.
I saw the film last Friday evening. Thank you for your fine work. My older bother who is 82 said our father was working at Inland Steel in Indiana at that time and the company offered Mexicans the “opportunity” to return to Mexico at company expense on a train. Many took the train back. My mother refused, we are still here. This is a short version of my bothers’ description.
Also, my parents left the Catholic church because another mission in Chicago provided food to the hungry. Our home was known to immigrants as a safe place to come and have a meal on there travels to places beyond.
Thank you very much for this important contribution. Thanks especially for not being uncomfortable with the painful silence of the people who inform this work. It’s so important that these moments not be edited out for viewer comfort. Pause and pain is what is authentic and necessary and it is well done in your film. Thanks to the people who shared their experiences with you and I hope it was cathartic for them. This film must be part of what informs the decisions being made right now with regard to immigration reform and I encourage you to make copies available to the public sooner, not later, to give to public officials, policy makers, and also to use in classes with a popular education pedagogy. Furthermore, I hope that you can get the film shown on the Spanish language channels, on PBS - “Independent Lens” is one possibility, and also be a guest on NPR to talk about this important work and this piece of history which must not be forgotten. Les felicito y les mando un saludo muy cordial.
Alma,
Wow what a message!!! Thank your for your good vibes and for your commitment to spread the word about “A Forgotten Injustice”. Thank you, Thank you, thank you for your support.
Please keep sending us deatils about the repatriation of your mother’s family. Why don’t you ask more questions to your Mom? You will be surprise about how much you can learn from her experience. I hope that you and your mother get to see “A Forgotten Injustice” and compare the film to her experiences.
Thank you for your nice words. I really hope this chapter gets included in text books. It is the least we can offer to the survivors, don’t you think?
Gracias
Vicente Serrano
To Patricia Hernandez,
It will be an honor to see you Wednesday night at Instituto Cervantes. I hope we can get to talk about the posibility of taking “A Forgotten Injustice” to Little Village Lawndale High School. I love the idea. Or at least we can see if a non profit organization or a local bussines is interested on sponsoring a screening in Little Village.
We are going to start the tour soon and for sure we want to take the film to LA. What are you up to? Do you know who can help us out to put a presentation together in Los Angeles area or Orange County?
Take care and I am glad you wrote. Keep in touch.
Attention Rene Pena,
I am glad you are waiting for the film. I am sure you will remember a lot of things from those years. Any idea about who to contact or where to go in Irving, Texas to organize a presentation of “A Forgotten Injustice”?
Thank you for sharing your family story with us. We are planning to release “A Forgotten Injustice” on DVD later on 2009. We are now planning a tour around the U.S and Mexico. We are open to ideas about places and dates.
Saludos a la familia and please, if you can, share more details about the repatriation of your wife’s family. Use this site and tell people about it.
Wow what a film! I’m a US citizen-first generation. I feel like this film has completely educated me all over again. I can’t believe I did not know about this. Schools’ should definitely adopt this information into their text books. I feel like part of this film relates to what our people are going through right now such as deportation and the separation of families. You bet I will be voting this year and every time I can be heard.
This film is moving and very educational. It was great to learn about what our people went through in the early 1900’s-1930’s and, even to this day. We are re-living it in some way or another.
Vicente,
Thank you for taking the time to uncover a secret past. So secret even those kids-affect by this were to hurt to talk about it. You have giving them a voice and in a way relief just to be heard. Hopefully they can get an apology.
I shall share your story in hopes to bring awareness.
David,
Thank you for letting us know about the typo. We will fix the Unites for United as soon as possible.
Don Gerardo,
Gracias por tus comentarios, trato de poner mi granito de arena en la sociedad. Suena trillado pero es la verdad, si todos pusieramos nuestro granito de arena estariamos en otro nivel ?No?
Gina Gamboa,
El film esta espanol e ingles y la version que se esta presentando en el Instituto Cervantes es con subtitulos en ingles. Tambien tenemos preparada la version con subtitulos en espanol cuando la llevemos a Mexico.
I am honored with your comments. I hope this chapter in American history really becomes part of our children’s education. I do think is necessary to appreciate our community better.
Thank you very much for your message. I really appreciate it. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the work of Maria Morales-Salazar who edited the film, Casey Mitchell who is the chief of photography, Sandra Torres who was in charge of the translations, my brother Ricardo Serrano who took care of the behind the scenes at the premiere week and Nelly Carreno who helped us organizing every single detail of the presentations.
Don Carlos, sus comentarios me los llevo en el corazon.
My name is Patricia Hernandez and I am a teacher at the Little Village Lawndale High School. I have not seen the movie yet, however I am planning to watch on Wednesday.
Just like many other episodes of our American History, this one has also been untold. It personally upsets me as a daughter of immigrants, as an educator, but most of all as an American citizen. As educators, we intend to teach our students as best we can. I feel that this episode of our history should be a part of the history text books from which we teach our students, but it unfortunately it is not.
As an educator I feel it is my obligation to educate my students about this. Is there any way that you can do a showing of this film at our high school? It would provoke awakening and a sense of empowerment not only to the students but the entire community as well…
My mother’s parents were deported in 1939, my grandparents lost everything. As a result, my mother and her siblings went back to Mexico as well. Because of the financial strains, my mother and one of her siblings were forced to live apart from their parents. My mother is now 76. She once told me that she wondered what she did wrong as a child that her mother did not want to live with her. The long lasting damages to her and her offspring will never truly be known. She returned to the US when she was 18.
Thank you, Vicente, for making this incredibly informative and moving film. All Americans should see it. Perhaps if they did, the country would be a better place and there would be a better understanding between its people. Like many others, I was angry when I learned of this “forgotten” part of our past. I was angry for not being taught about it and more angry that many other people are unaware of it. I hope your efforts will inform many others and help to stop further injustice in this country.
Cant wait to see the film. I am sure it will bring back memories of my childhood. I am 61 years old,and I remember when my father had approx.100 plus braceros working in South Texas picking oranges and other fruits and whatever needed to be picked.I remember how very nice and humble the workers were. These men are still trying to collect on the taxes that were held back while working in the USA. Perhaps,someday you will research the inhumane treatment that these men went through including their living conditions. God Bless, rene Pena Irving,Texas
La calidad se impone ante la cantidad, misma que es mediocre y escasa entre nuetros medios de comunicción, que cada vez màs se ven alejados de nuestra realidad e ignoran las necesidades por difundir, como Ud lo ha hecho hasta ahora, uno de los pocos, por ende muy necesarios, importantes programas, que nos hacen falta.
Ya no podemos seguir aguantando la mediocridad que existe de nuetros medios, en epecial la radio que tiene un creciente defícit por realizar programas como el que tan acertadmente Ud se ha travido a realizar.
Necesitamos que haya más difuiòn de programas de este calibre y poder lanzar al aire aún más la superación que traemos entre nuetros epiritus como emprendedores,
Thank you for your time in working on such an important journalist topic. As an activist of Latina empowerment and through my music I empower La Raza. You Vicente, have given me a fresh surge of pride in seeing that work like this is produced and will now be a part of our children’s education.
Is very sad to see what happened back in the 1930’s or is it 2008? i cant tell the difference in the pictures…why are we letting them do this AGAIN to la Raza?…
where are the politicians that suppose to represent us? we most stick together more than ever, we have to stop this crime of the racist anglos…viva la raza!!!
This is the history of forgotten injustice , at least the way I see it
Immigration is the one government agency that should not work under ( in God we trust ) motto
They destroy whole families , and they don’t seem to care.
There system is corrupted and they even call us terrorist when all we do is come to work.
I believe when the Immigration agency was created there principals were different .
They used to care more for people . They were professionals that guarded the border
But done it with responsibility and humanity .
There were created to help people fix there status , to become ONE TRUE American
Some one who can defend this land of our ancestors .
My father come to the USA on the late 50’s to work in the California fields . As my grand pa did.
When I was a little kid in the middle 80’s he brought me with him.
We had to feed the rest of the family so I have to work as little as I was when I should being in school
But I have to help my father feed my little brothers so I understood back then.
TOO BAD some people still se us as ALIENS .
We were here , we are here and I pretend to be here for a long time , and my kids will be here
So my grand kids and so on, and so on .
It was about time someone put together a documentary film on this crucial and mostly-ignored chapter of, not just Mexican-American but of American history. !Como abunda la amnesia colectiva! Se “olvidan” muchas injusticias cometidas en contra nuestra y de otros grupos.
La incorporacion de esta infamia a la historia de este pais es de urgencia. Representa otro episodio como “the Trail of Tears,” o “the Long Walk” en la comunidad nativoamericana.
He leido “The Age of Betrayal” y otros articulos sobre ese triste episodio, como tambien he platicado con personas que vivieron esa experiencia.
It is long overdue! Thanks for working on this vital film. I’m proud of your work.
I had read about the 30’s Mexican repatriation. I was shocked and became angry that this ‘episode’ of cultural bogotry has been buried by the anglo media. I later leard first-hand of it’s affect on someone close to me while visiting a Tia in Arizona. How shamless of a society that claims to be PC and an exporter of Democracy. Whose Democracy! My Tia told me of the fears she had as a teenager in the 30’s…working in 110 degree heat and yet treated like animals and blamed for the ills of the country. By the government! Sound familiar?
The 1930’s forced removal of tens of thousands of U.S. born citizens from their native USA to the land of their Mexican parents is a missing page of history. The vicious and heartless anti-immigrant sentiments of the 1930’s are sadly and cruelly being repeated today. Today, elected and appointed officials across the country are clammoring for the removal of Mexican descent babies, born on US soil - a fundamental denial of Constitutional rights. This topical movie serves as a reminder that our government doesn’t always learn from its worst mistakes.
Amigos,
Thank you for helping us to uncover “A Forgotten Injustice”. Please use this space to connect with other people, share stories of the massive deportation of the 1930s or simply let us know what you think about this tragic episode in American history buried for almost 80 years.
Vicente Serrano
Director of “A Forgotten Injustice”
vicete,please help there is a mexican employer that treats his employees like shit he yiels at them,calls them names and recently fired one of them because he had to go use the restroom.most of these workers are illegal if not all of them,they are scared to stand up for their righs
I wish someone can face this bully without getting the employees in trouble he is the owner of Perez tree landscaping co.tel-847-360-0694 please do something the stories are ongoing and very dissapointing thanking you in advance,if you need to contact me 708-351-8400
I like this film I have never heard of anything of this. Thank you Vicente Cerrano for going to Juarez High School. I told this to my mom and she neither knew anything about this. She was very interested in this and now she wants to see this film.
Vicente,
We had a great time at the last screening. A couple of thoughts.
The legal question was important, I believe you can make a stronger impact by highlighting that the victims were all CITIZENS. I would be interested in learning more from legal scholars on what remedies are available today.
Second, why don’t you mention FDR at all? He was president for the vast majority of the years this injustice took place (1933-1945). Not only did FDR oversee the injustice to citizens of Mexican decent, but also the Internment of Japanese Americans. I believe we see a pattern of racial based injustices from FDR. This is a great example of what can happen when we give big government too much power.
Continued success Vicente,
AG
Estimado Vicente,
Tu pelicula me toco mucho, principalmente por saber de una parte “olvidada” de la historia de los Estados Unidos. Es importantissimo que se muestre tu filme en las escuelas secundarias y universidades. Envie una nota a todos mis amigos y conocidos em mi lista de emails y espero que vayan. Te congratulo y te deseo mucho sucesso. Un abrazo.
Ariani Friedl
My father, grandfather, uncles, and friends of the family still go through tremendous discrimination here in Chicago. I overhear many comments b/c I have brown hair, hazel eyes and very light skin. People think I am caucasian. That’s how I get hear bad comments about Mexicans which greatly disturb me.
I saw the film last night. Very touching story. However, the English subtitles has the word remember spelled incorrectly twice. It was spelled as “remeber”. If you want to make an impact as American citizen, spell the English language correctly!!!!
Hello,
I saw your film today and was moved by the context of the it. I would like if you would get into communication with the Executive Director of Pan America Theater Company. To create a possibility of showing the film there.
Please reply to my email for phone numbers etc…
Thanks,
Jaime
For Julie Kuruc,
honestly I am very honored and happy. I just read your message and something inside almost make me cry. I will do my best to reach the goal of getting the message to as many people I can. I hope that many people see what you saw and many more come back to share their feelings and opinions here.
It’s great to see many people going to the screenings but is more rewarding to read messages like yours.
From the bottom of my heart.
Vicente Serrano
Vicente,
My boyfriend and I recently attended a showing of your film and we both were deeply moved and touched. You emphasized that you have met your goal if you had succeeded in touching one single person. You definitely have achieved that and therefore I challenge you to get this movie out and show it at as many venues as possible, including in areas such as the town in Virginia that was showcased in your documentary. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “fear always springs from ignorance” and that recurring scene of the Townhall is an example of just that. The more people that see this film, the better our country will be for it.
If a copy of your film was ever available for purchase, please notify me. I would like to “spread the word” by passing it around among my family members (as I know that they would be interested) as well as showing it at work as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank You.
Sincerely,
Julie Kuruc
For Arlene Gallegos in Texas and Earthling in NY,
I hope we can find a good sponsor that can see the potential of “A Forgotten Injustice” ASAP. I will be very happy to start traveling around the States with the film. Earthling, I have no idea when are we going to NY but feel free to contact us with any idea or contact you may have.
Arlene, Why don’t we start looking at the possibility of taking the film to the theatre you mentioned in your message?
Thank you both for your interest and support
Vicente Serrano
MeChicanoFilms@gmail.com
David Roman,
Te lo dije personalmente y hoy te lo vuelvo a decir. Gracias por ir a ver la pelicula pero sobre todo gracias por el apoyo espiritual.
Un abrazo
Vicente
Mr Lamme,
Thank you for the review. Can I use it for promotional purposes when we go to schools??? I really liked it. I am glad you enjoyed the film and I hope you can share your opinions with other teachers.
Vicente Serrano
Mi querida Flor Crisostomo,
Gracias por apoyarnos. Claro que tenemos una version en espanol. Vamos planeando un apresentacion especial en la iglesia. Ustedes me dicen el dia y la hora y yo empiezo a promocionarla…
Un abrazo
Vicente
Chrissy,
I really have no words to thank you for not only watching the film but for taking the extra step to make your comments public… I hope this is just the beggining…
Vicente
For Yolanda,
We have the last screenings at Instituto Cervantes this coming Saturday at 4pm and 6:30pm. I hope to see you and your family there.
Vicente Serrano
SORRY FOR NOT RESPONDING TO SOME OF THE POSTS EARLIER.
We have been extremely busy but I am very happy to see that many of you are using this important tool to share stories and comments about the film.
To Marie,
Thank you very much for your comments, I agree with you that it is URGENT to get the message out. We need help, so if someone is interested in finding a non profit organization, church or school to host a screening please lets us know.
Again Marie, Thank you for your support.
Vicente
Maria from Olive Harvey College,
Thank you for making the screening of “A Forgotten Injustice” a reality. The team shared with me the deatils of the Q&A after the presentation and I am very happy that many of your African American students were interested in participating.
Thank you and I hope you can recommend the project to other schools.
Vicente Serrano
I just finish reading the comments from others. WOW!! How fast can you make reproductions of this documentary? Do you realize you may wake up a sleeping giant?! The US historians have been very careful to cover up this “black cloud” of history of the US politicians. And they must not get away with it…once again. Your film is timely and must be made for every citizen of the US to see “A Forgotten Injustice.”
Please let me know if I can be of assistance to bring it to a theater in Dallas, Tx., called the Angelica, a theater that welcomes foreigen and documents such as yours.
Thank you,
Arlene Gallegos
My family lives in Chicago, Il. I live in Dallas, Tx. They told me of the documentary you have produced. I am interested in finding out when will it come to Texas?
I hope this message gets out to all of the Mexican-American people in the US and we can make a difference to stop the deportation of Mexican people today in our culture.
Thank you for your efforts.
Sincerely,
Arlene Young
Dear Vincente…is there a tour in NYC that we could attend?? please let us know!
am interested in knowing more about this becoz i believe that very soon we will erase all the political boundaries and live in love!
hola vicente me gusto tu pelicula merece un premio por esto tiene que haber una segunda parte.Te pide que cuando los demas grupo reclaman por algo muestrales tu trabajo para que sepan que quieren cuando reclaman.y ENTIENDAN LAS NECESIDADES DE LOS OTROS GRUPOS. esto FUE MUY PENOSO EN NUESTRA HISTORIA PERO NO SE DEBE OLVIDAR . Y TE PREGUNTO VICENTE QUE HUBIERA PASADO SI MEXICO NO LOS HUBIERA RECIBIDO EN SU SUELO . SI LLEGARA A PASAR ESTO OTRA VEZ COMO SERIA LA OPINION DEL MUNDO,Y PENSAR QIE ESTE PAIS PELEA POR LA LIBERTAD DE OTROS LADO DEL MUNDO ,PERO HAY CHAPARRO DEL SUR ,NO SELE TOMA ENCUENTA EN LO MAS MINIMO, PERO QUE ME PAGUE LOS IMPUESTOS QUE NOS DEBEN AL PAIS . TE SALUDA TU AMIGO DAVID DEL PROGRAMA ‘AMIGOS DEPORT-VIDA’ DE TU AMIGA MONICA VILLA ,USAHISPANOS Y LA 1450AM
An intimate, personal, and touching account appropriately interspersed with historical context and explicitly tied to today’s immigration issues.
Were there no legal cases of note that grew out of this like the Korematsu case?
I will be sharing some of your stories this week as we discuss the Great Depression in my class.
Thanks for what is clearly a labor of love.
Bill Lamme
Kelly High School
Chicago Public Schools
Hola Vicente, espero que estes muy bien en este momento.
Primero que nada muchisimas felicidades por tu trabajo, y el de todo el equipo que colaboro contigo para hacer posible esta gran obra.
Y por hacer que el mundo entero vea lo que este sistema despreciable de leyes rotas nos ha benido haciendo por cientos de anos.
mi pregunta seria si el documental tiene subtitulos en espanol, para ver si se pudiera hacer una presentacion aqui en la iglesia.
Cuidate.
Flor Crisostomo
My father-in-law was living here during that time and went back to Mexico with his mom. Of course he came back as a teenager and has been living here ever since. I’d like to know if the film will be playing again because I’d like for him to see it. I’m sure he’d enjoy it very much as well as myself and my husband.
Thanks,
The film really blew my mind. I had no idea this was another black cloud of our history. Mr Cerrano did a fantastic job telling his story and has touched many hears like he did mine. I am very proud of my heritage and I am blessed to be Mexican. There are people who may not agree with this film but like Mr Cerrano said, we all have our own opinions and that is what’s good freedom of speech. We are not asking people to like us but to respect us as human beings that we are. No matter what we are all God’s children and no document or law will ever change that. Thank you!
Mr. Cerrano, I wish you all the luck in the world. May God bless you with many more great films and stories.
I loved the film. My mother was orphaned at a young age. All of her siblings were born here in the U.S. She believes that her father travelled back to Mexico because he was ill and preferred to be in his motherland. After wathcing the film and considering the year my mother was born, I’m wondering if the trip was not voluntary.
I spoke with Maria and asked if you would be able to show the film and have a discussion at the high school where I teach social studies. The principal, the students, and I would love to have you here. Please let me know if you have time on a Friday morning.
Thank you,
Maria Hernandez
Olive Harvey Middle College
10001 S. Woodlawn
773/291-6144
Ms. Rita Pietrzak, Principal
Dear Mr. Serrano:
I attended the viewing of your extraordinary yet eye-opener and powerful film last night. You might remember that I was the individual who made the comment about the similarities between the generation of the 1930’s and the presentent generation (Mexican-American). I also stated that one of the differences was that this modern-day generation, should the U.S. government come knocking on our doors just for being (or looking) Mexican, was not going to take it “sitting down.”
I have had some time to think about my comment and I would like to say that by no means would I ever, ever disrespect the generation/s of the 1930’s and especially the survivors.
I believe that “they” paved the way for future Mexican-American generations to be here and to prosper here. They were a courageous generation who paid a dear and ultimate price just for being who they were.
Yes there are similarities with then and now–and “raids” are occuring across rural America deporting Mexicans and Mexican-Americans; however, the generation of today has a voice. Whether it is “their” own voice or the voice of political activists, politicians, community organizations, even modern day technology i.e. the internet, main-stream-media, 24-hour news and communications, someone “is” speaking–letting the government know of the effects its actions are causing.
I also stated that should the government knock on “my” door that he would have to “k i ll” me because I will “not” leave. I would like to say that I do not fear this as I do not believe that it will come to this.
The U.S. government is very careful as to not repeat the mistakes of the past. It will not come knocking on people’s doors, weapons drawn, a-la Elian Gonzalez style, and remove you by force with weapons pointed at the faces of children, mothers, fathers and grandfathers. The government can’t afford to do this anymore because it will then prove to the world that is is no better than those governments which it looks down upon. Hence the “raids” in factories and companies because this is “politically correct” and more acceptable and those that are anti-immigration can say, “the government is doing its job.”
In closing, Mr Serrano, I would like to say that your film is so important. Extremely important.
Thank you for educating me on a topic I had no idea about. It is now my duty and responsibility to pass it on to those that follow me.
Sincerely,
Marie
To:
Melanie Schikore and Daniel Ventura.
Thank you both for coming to see “A Forgotten Injustice”. I agree with you on the need of getting the message out as soon as possible. I appreciate the comment about the silence and pain of the survivors, I tought it was necessary. I hope you can help us out to spread the word about “A Forgotten Injustice”.
Thank you for your support.
Vicente Serrano
Thank you again! I was also remembering that while I was serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1967 I had a conversation with a former German POW incarcerated in the U.S. during the second world war. He said that he was in a camp in Kansas and how well he was treated and that he would get a pass to go downtown to see movies, eat popcorn and have a nice time. Interesting how we can get rid of the Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and incarcerate the Japanese-Americans but give passes to the German POW’s during the war to have a nice week end.
I saw the film last Friday evening. Thank you for your fine work. My older bother who is 82 said our father was working at Inland Steel in Indiana at that time and the company offered Mexicans the “opportunity” to return to Mexico at company expense on a train. Many took the train back. My mother refused, we are still here. This is a short version of my bothers’ description.
Also, my parents left the Catholic church because another mission in Chicago provided food to the hungry. Our home was known to immigrants as a safe place to come and have a meal on there travels to places beyond.
Thank you very much for this important contribution. Thanks especially for not being uncomfortable with the painful silence of the people who inform this work. It’s so important that these moments not be edited out for viewer comfort. Pause and pain is what is authentic and necessary and it is well done in your film. Thanks to the people who shared their experiences with you and I hope it was cathartic for them. This film must be part of what informs the decisions being made right now with regard to immigration reform and I encourage you to make copies available to the public sooner, not later, to give to public officials, policy makers, and also to use in classes with a popular education pedagogy. Furthermore, I hope that you can get the film shown on the Spanish language channels, on PBS - “Independent Lens” is one possibility, and also be a guest on NPR to talk about this important work and this piece of history which must not be forgotten. Les felicito y les mando un saludo muy cordial.
Alma,
Wow what a message!!! Thank your for your good vibes and for your commitment to spread the word about “A Forgotten Injustice”. Thank you, Thank you, thank you for your support.
Vicente Serrano
To Soledad Campos,
Please keep sending us deatils about the repatriation of your mother’s family. Why don’t you ask more questions to your Mom? You will be surprise about how much you can learn from her experience. I hope that you and your mother get to see “A Forgotten Injustice” and compare the film to her experiences.
Gracias y un abrazo
Vicente Serrano
Tara Liceaga,
Thank you for your nice words. I really hope this chapter gets included in text books. It is the least we can offer to the survivors, don’t you think?
Gracias
Vicente Serrano
To Patricia Hernandez,
It will be an honor to see you Wednesday night at Instituto Cervantes. I hope we can get to talk about the posibility of taking “A Forgotten Injustice” to Little Village Lawndale High School. I love the idea. Or at least we can see if a non profit organization or a local bussines is interested on sponsoring a screening in Little Village.
Gracias
Vicente Serrano
Saludos Marcial,
We are going to start the tour soon and for sure we want to take the film to LA. What are you up to? Do you know who can help us out to put a presentation together in Los Angeles area or Orange County?
Take care and I am glad you wrote. Keep in touch.
Attention Rene Pena,
I am glad you are waiting for the film. I am sure you will remember a lot of things from those years. Any idea about who to contact or where to go in Irving, Texas to organize a presentation of “A Forgotten Injustice”?
Best wishes
Vicente Serrano
Don Pedro Olivares,
Thank you for sharing your family story with us. We are planning to release “A Forgotten Injustice” on DVD later on 2009. We are now planning a tour around the U.S and Mexico. We are open to ideas about places and dates.
Saludos a la familia and please, if you can, share more details about the repatriation of your wife’s family. Use this site and tell people about it.
Vicente Serrano
Wow what a film! I’m a US citizen-first generation. I feel like this film has completely educated me all over again. I can’t believe I did not know about this. Schools’ should definitely adopt this information into their text books. I feel like part of this film relates to what our people are going through right now such as deportation and the separation of families. You bet I will be voting this year and every time I can be heard.
This film is moving and very educational. It was great to learn about what our people went through in the early 1900’s-1930’s and, even to this day. We are re-living it in some way or another.
Vicente,
Thank you for taking the time to uncover a secret past. So secret even those kids-affect by this were to hurt to talk about it. You have giving them a voice and in a way relief just to be heard. Hopefully they can get an apology.
I shall share your story in hopes to bring awareness.
Alma
David,
Thank you for letting us know about the typo. We will fix the Unites for United as soon as possible.
Don Gerardo,
Gracias por tus comentarios, trato de poner mi granito de arena en la sociedad. Suena trillado pero es la verdad, si todos pusieramos nuestro granito de arena estariamos en otro nivel ?No?
Gina Gamboa,
El film esta espanol e ingles y la version que se esta presentando en el Instituto Cervantes es con subtitulos en ingles. Tambien tenemos preparada la version con subtitulos en espanol cuando la llevemos a Mexico.
Dear Adela,
I am honored with your comments. I hope this chapter in American history really becomes part of our children’s education. I do think is necessary to appreciate our community better.
Gracias
Vicente Serrano
Don Carlos Heredia,
Thank you very much for your message. I really appreciate it. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the work of Maria Morales-Salazar who edited the film, Casey Mitchell who is the chief of photography, Sandra Torres who was in charge of the translations, my brother Ricardo Serrano who took care of the behind the scenes at the premiere week and Nelly Carreno who helped us organizing every single detail of the presentations.
Don Carlos, sus comentarios me los llevo en el corazon.
Sinceramente
Vicente Serrano
My name is Patricia Hernandez and I am a teacher at the Little Village Lawndale High School. I have not seen the movie yet, however I am planning to watch on Wednesday.
Just like many other episodes of our American History, this one has also been untold. It personally upsets me as a daughter of immigrants, as an educator, but most of all as an American citizen. As educators, we intend to teach our students as best we can. I feel that this episode of our history should be a part of the history text books from which we teach our students, but it unfortunately it is not.
As an educator I feel it is my obligation to educate my students about this. Is there any way that you can do a showing of this film at our high school? It would provoke awakening and a sense of empowerment not only to the students but the entire community as well…
Can not wait to hear from you,,, (soon).
Gracias, y Si se puede!!!!
My mother’s parents were deported in 1939, my grandparents lost everything. As a result, my mother and her siblings went back to Mexico as well. Because of the financial strains, my mother and one of her siblings were forced to live apart from their parents. My mother is now 76. She once told me that she wondered what she did wrong as a child that her mother did not want to live with her. The long lasting damages to her and her offspring will never truly be known. She returned to the US when she was 18.
Thank you, Vicente, for making this incredibly informative and moving film. All Americans should see it. Perhaps if they did, the country would be a better place and there would be a better understanding between its people. Like many others, I was angry when I learned of this “forgotten” part of our past. I was angry for not being taught about it and more angry that many other people are unaware of it. I hope your efforts will inform many others and help to stop further injustice in this country.
Cant wait to see the film. I am sure it will bring back memories of my childhood. I am 61 years old,and I remember when my father had approx.100 plus braceros working in South Texas picking oranges and other fruits and whatever needed to be picked.I remember how very nice and humble the workers were. These men are still trying to collect on the taxes that were held back while working in the USA. Perhaps,someday you will research the inhumane treatment that these men went through including their living conditions. God Bless, rene Pena Irving,Texas
Hey Vicente,
I’m glad to hear that you are doing great stuff. Can’t wait to see your film here in LA.
I’m not sure if you remember me but we both went to SAC.
Please check the web page for “About The Movie” on the ‘aforgotteninjustice.com’ page.
United has a typo. It’s written as “Unites.
This was not sent to criticize, but to bring it to your attention.
So many things buried in America’s past. I appreciate this being brought to Ameirca’s attention.
My father in Law was born in Garden City, Kansas and they were deported. All US Citizens.
I want to buy your film ,
San Diego, Ca. I am a member of NALIP and am a filmmaker, actor, Voice Over ans screenwriter.
Pedro Olivares
Quisiera saber ¿en qué idioma se presenta la película ?
Sr. Serrano,
La calidad se impone ante la cantidad, misma que es mediocre y escasa entre nuetros medios de comunicción, que cada vez màs se ven alejados de nuestra realidad e ignoran las necesidades por difundir, como Ud lo ha hecho hasta ahora, uno de los pocos, por ende muy necesarios, importantes programas, que nos hacen falta.
Ya no podemos seguir aguantando la mediocridad que existe de nuetros medios, en epecial la radio que tiene un creciente defícit por realizar programas como el que tan acertadmente Ud se ha travido a realizar.
Necesitamos que haya más difuiòn de programas de este calibre y poder lanzar al aire aún más la superación que traemos entre nuetros epiritus como emprendedores,
Felicidades
Gerardo Torres,
Periodista Independiente
Vicente,
Thank you for your time in working on such an important journalist topic. As an activist of Latina empowerment and through my music I empower La Raza. You Vicente, have given me a fresh surge of pride in seeing that work like this is produced and will now be a part of our children’s education.
Adelante, que si se puede!
Adela (de las Adelitas)
Is very sad to see what happened back in the 1930’s or is it 2008? i cant tell the difference in the pictures…why are we letting them do this AGAIN to la Raza?…
where are the politicians that suppose to represent us? we most stick together more than ever, we have to stop this crime of the racist anglos…viva la raza!!!
This is the history of forgotten injustice , at least the way I see it
Immigration is the one government agency that should not work under ( in God we trust ) motto
They destroy whole families , and they don’t seem to care.
There system is corrupted and they even call us terrorist when all we do is come to work.
I believe when the Immigration agency was created there principals were different .
They used to care more for people . They were professionals that guarded the border
But done it with responsibility and humanity .
There were created to help people fix there status , to become ONE TRUE American
Some one who can defend this land of our ancestors .
My father come to the USA on the late 50’s to work in the California fields . As my grand pa did.
When I was a little kid in the middle 80’s he brought me with him.
We had to feed the rest of the family so I have to work as little as I was when I should being in school
But I have to help my father feed my little brothers so I understood back then.
TOO BAD some people still se us as ALIENS .
We were here , we are here and I pretend to be here for a long time , and my kids will be here
So my grand kids and so on, and so on .
We are here to stay ..so be it
Sr. Vicente Serrano:
It was about time someone put together a documentary film on this crucial and mostly-ignored chapter of, not just Mexican-American but of American history. !Como abunda la amnesia colectiva! Se “olvidan” muchas injusticias cometidas en contra nuestra y de otros grupos.
La incorporacion de esta infamia a la historia de este pais es de urgencia. Representa otro episodio como “the Trail of Tears,” o “the Long Walk” en la comunidad nativoamericana.
He leido “The Age of Betrayal” y otros articulos sobre ese triste episodio, como tambien he platicado con personas que vivieron esa experiencia.
It is long overdue! Thanks for working on this vital film. I’m proud of your work.
Carlos Heredia
I had read about the 30’s Mexican repatriation. I was shocked and became angry that this ‘episode’ of cultural bogotry has been buried by the anglo media. I later leard first-hand of it’s affect on someone close to me while visiting a Tia in Arizona. How shamless of a society that claims to be PC and an exporter of Democracy. Whose Democracy! My Tia told me of the fears she had as a teenager in the 30’s…working in 110 degree heat and yet treated like animals and blamed for the ills of the country. By the government! Sound familiar?
The 1930’s forced removal of tens of thousands of U.S. born citizens from their native USA to the land of their Mexican parents is a missing page of history. The vicious and heartless anti-immigrant sentiments of the 1930’s are sadly and cruelly being repeated today. Today, elected and appointed officials across the country are clammoring for the removal of Mexican descent babies, born on US soil - a fundamental denial of Constitutional rights. This topical movie serves as a reminder that our government doesn’t always learn from its worst mistakes.
Amigos,
Thank you for helping us to uncover “A Forgotten Injustice”. Please use this space to connect with other people, share stories of the massive deportation of the 1930s or simply let us know what you think about this tragic episode in American history buried for almost 80 years.
Vicente Serrano
Director of “A Forgotten Injustice”