From 1942-1964 about five million Mexican guest workers were brought to the United States as part of a federal program to help with the post-war labor shortage.
These workers were known as Braceros, "strong arms," and they harvested crops throughout the country. When they were done, the U.S. government took mandatory deductions from their wages, promising a retirement fund for them when they returned to Mexico. Decades later, many of them have still not received all of their retirement money. The film and photo exhibit Faces of Time/ Rostros del Tiempo documents their story and their continuing protests for justice. It’s part of this year’s North Carolina Latin American Film Festival.
Host Frank Stasio talks to Charlie Thompson, professor of cultural anthropology and documentary studies at Duke who created of Faces of Time/Rostros del Tiempo; Luis Herrera Robles, professor of sociology from Juarez, Mexico; Modesto Jurita, an ex-Bracero; and Miguel Rojas-Sotelo, the festival director of the festival.
The film Faces of Time/ Rostros del Tiempo screens tonight at the Nelson Mandela Auditorium at the Global Education Center tonight at 7 p.m.
Watch the film here:
