2006 September archive at Vivek’s Info

Archive for September, 2006

Touching documentary on Farm Workers Movement USA

Published September 26th, 2006 in Social Movements, USA, Documentaries and Movies. 0 Comments

Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement

Artist: Cesar Chavez

Created: Sun, 10 Sep 2006

Category: Documentary

Documentary on grape workers movement – one of the biggest social movements in the history of USA

I recently met someone who was involved in the Farm Workers Movement. I was told that it was one of the largest movements in the United States and Cesar Chavez, its charismatic leader was as popular as Martin Luther King at its time. I had to hear that with a certain sense of shame since I had not even heard about the movement till then. I decided to fall back on movies and documentaries to inform me. I started with the brilliant movie – Grapes of Wrath and for an account of the movement, I turned to Chicano.

Chicano is a nicely told story about the grape workers struggle for minimum wages and safe working conditions. Filipino farm workers decide to go on a strike in the harvest season and seek the solidarity of Mexican workers. Without their support the strike would have no impact whatsoever. Within a couple of days Mexican workers were on a strike that was to last many years. Chicano covers the story of how the workers kept their struggle for many years and won the hearts of American public. The workers were unable to pressurize the farm owners to a great extant since they were able to get workers from other places with their money power. Laws and various suites considerable reduced their picketing powers, making it necessary to put pressure from elsewhere. Chavez and co turned to the consumers.

Pickets were organized in front of stores in major cities across USA. They got support from Europe and other places as well. On one occasion Trade Unions in some places in Europe refused to unload California grapes until better terms were given to the workers. Slowly people in various American cities responded forcing chain stores to stop buying grapes from California. The solidarity network built by the workers with the public at large finally got the companies to the negotiating table.

The documentary does a good job of covering what the movement did to the aspirations of Chicanos at large. But it could have done much more to cover the tactics of the movement, how people managed to hold on for so many years and other aspects of the struggle. On the whole, this documentary is a wonderful education experience and a good introduction to the grape workers movement in USA.

My detailed reviews of movies can be found here and to see my ratings for various movies and short reviews, click here.

Best documentary on American civil rights movement

Published September 26th, 2006 in Social Movements, USA and Documentaries. 0 Comments

Eyes on the prize

Link

Created: Wed, 20 Sep 2006

Category: Documentary

Director: Henry Hampton

Eyes on the prize is easily one of the best documentary series ever made. It covers the civil rights movement in USA from 1954 to 1965. Black war Veterans returned from fighting in Europe and other continents for ‘freedom’ and democracy to return home to Jim Crow America. Reluctant efforts to desegregate a highly divided society only resulted in mobilising a stiff white resistance. Ku Kulx Klan emerged to terrorise and keep the ‘Negros’ in their place. This time around, African Americans respond with a resounding civil rights movement – Eyes on the prize is easily the best story told on this inspiring movement. This series consists of six videos covering different landmarks of the civil rights movement. Extensive videos of real life events are beautifully woven together by a series of interviews by the movement’s leading lights.

A major challenge to segregation came with Brown Vs. Board of Education where the Federal Supreme Court ruled that segregation is unconstitutional. South decided to resist the judgement – and resist it did. One volume covers the effort of six Black children who decided to go to a white school. These children were chosen by the school given their meritorious performance. When they go to school they meet a huge boisterous from the city as well as other parts of Southern USA. Five of them are together, and they are chased away by the angry crowd. One girl who did not get the message that they’d go together gets separated. The sight of this young girl amidst a massive angry crowd is one of the most moving and lasting images the documentary leaves us with.

The six students persisted in their attempt to go to school, and were finally able to make it only with the assistance of a large contingent of US Army sent by the President of USA. Six volumes take us through white resistance, mobs and violence that is faced by Black counter resistance, non-violent action, and sheer persistence. Extensive coverage is given to Montgomery Bus Boycott, march on Washington, and civil rights movements in various Southern states.

A distinguishing feature of the documentary is the extensive set of real life videos put together seamlessly. It is altogether different issue to hear about racism and to see its manifestation on video. Images of US Army escorting school children, bombings in U Mississippi just because one black student wished to enrol, racist speeches by Governors of Southern States, Klan rituals, unleashing of water cannons on school children by ‘Bull Connor’, and other poignant will remind the viewer for ever of how oppressive we can become as a society. The peaceful resistance by Black Americans and their allies is a strong reminder of the more hopeful side of humanity.

This series is a comprehensive introduction to the civil rights movement in the US. It is a powerful reminder of what difficulties people had to face in doing the most common things such as go to school, vote, eat in restaurants, travel in buses, etc. I recommend it strongly to everyone…this is a story of what the society was…what it is. More importantly it is a message of what it can be, and what each of us should do and can do to make this world a better place.

My detailed reviews of movies can be found here and to see my ratings for various movies and short reviews, click here.

A preview from You Tube

Eyes on the prize will be produced no more

This beautiful documentary cannot be reproduced due to copyright laws - a beautiful clip on this from you tube below.

A responsible thief

Published September 22nd, 2006 in Personal. 0 Comments

After ten months of it being stolen, I got my passport back! I lost it in October 2005 along with my pouch and an assortment of materials in it. There was some cash in it but not much. It’s ten months since I lost it, it has miraculously returned. Minus the pouch, a mobile and […]

Bibliography: Qualitative research

Published September 15th, 2006 in Bibliography: Lists & Tools and Research: Ideas, Tools, Talks. 0 Comments

Currently the bibliography is primarily around ethnography. In a few weeks I should be adding texts on other methods including case studies, discourse analysis, etc. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category.
Atkinson, Robert. “Life Story Interviewing.” in Handbook of Interview Research : Context […]