PBS LEARNING MEDIA

PBS Learning Media presents the following videos about the Latino American experience.

Journey from Mexico

Juan Villaseor was born in Jalisco, Mexico and lost most of his family to the violence of the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s. He, his mother and two sisters make the dangerous journey to the "Mexican Ellis Island" - the border between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez - only to find another set of challenges. Told by Juan's son, acclaimed author, Victor Villaseñor 

The Farm Worker Movement

Farm workers play a crucial role in feeding the nation and ensuring the viability of the nation's commodities but they have suffered poor working conditions for many years. Explore the early days of the United Farmworkers under the guidance of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. See the condidtions that led to the oranization of a farm labor union and the initial challenges to its work.

A Patriot's Tale

This clip from Latino Americans focuses on Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Vallejo was an elite californio who experienced the transformation of California from the northern outpost of Mexico to the burgeoning western frontier of the United States. Though he was made a prisoner during the Bear Flag revolt, he would embrace his new nation. Land grabs and even lynchings were common in the Gold Rush era. In order to protect his property and rights, Vallejo would eventually take his case all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Cuban Experience

In 1959 Fidel Castro and a group of rebels overthrew the Batista regime in Cuba. In the following years the establishment of a comunist government led successive waves of Cubans to leave the island. A burgeoning Cuban exile community grew in south Florida. The Capó family, Gustavo Pérez Firmat and Nena Torres share firsthand accounts of their departures, including a clandestine crossing by sea and a childhood plane trip as part of Operation Peter Pan. 

Latinos in World War  II

In this video from the American Masters and VOCES co-presentation of Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer’s Journey, Guerrero discusses his reasons for enlisting in World War II. Like many children of immigrants, Guerrero felt a responsibility to demonstrate his loyalty to the United States through military service.