Young undocumented people in the USA are called Dreamers. Carlos is one…
East of Salinas
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- Transcript
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EAST OF SALINAS begins with 3rd grader Jose telling us what he wants to be when he grows up. His parents work from sun up to sun down in the heart of California's 'Steinbeck Country,' the Salinas Valley. With little support available at home, Jose often turns to his teacher, Oscar Ramos, once a migrant farm kid himself. In fourth grade his teacher told him if he worked hard he could have a different life. Oscar won a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. The day he earned his degree, he bought a car and drove home to the fields. He's been teaching ever since.
Jose is Oscar's most gifted student. But how do you teach students like Jose who have no place to do their homework? How do you teach a kid who moves every few months? This is what Oscar is up against every day. Oscar not only teaches his students reading, math and science, he gives them access to a world beyond their reach.
But Jose was born in Mexico — and he's on the cusp of understanding the implications of that. As we watch this play out over three years, we begin to understand the cruelty of circumstance — for Jose and the many millions of undocumented kids like him.
EAST OF SALINAS asks, what is lost when kids like Jose are denied opportunities?
'I cannot think of a more timely intervention than this moving, humanizing portrait of a child, his family, and his teacher. East of Salinas illuminates not only the struggles and hopes of undocumented immigrants, but also the problems of a nation whose policies divide families and limit the opportunities of our youth...This film will spark many conversations and insights.' Kevin Kumashiro, Dean and Professor, School of Education, University of San Francisco, Author, Bad Teacher!: How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture
'When a committed teacher is there for these children, something magic happens. An intimate look at how education is transformative for the children of those who harvest the food we all eat every day, this film is a must see for parents, teachers, and policy educators. Every Parent Teacher Organization across the country should be screening this film at their schools.' Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Director of Family Therapy Program, University of Massachusetts
'A thought-provoking documentary that puts a human face to the raging national debate over undocumented immigration and 'illegal aliens'...It tells of the unsung heroes in our schools, such as dedicated teacher Oscar Ramos, the child of farmworkers himself, who now works to help his students, the children of farmworkers, achieve the American dream.' Kevin R. Johnson, Dean, UC Davis School of Law, Co-Editor, ImmigrationProf Blog, Author, Opening the Floodgates? Why America Needs to Rethink Its Border and Immigration Laws
'East of Salinas is powerful, educational, heartrending, inspirational and unforgettable. It moves hearts and minds--a must for students, teachers, and the general public. The film brought back memories of my own childhood, growing up in a family of undocumented migrant workers. I found myself reliving and sharing with Jose and his family and teacher the same feelings, thoughts, and reactions to the realities of migrant life.' Francisco Jimenez, Emeritus Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures, Santa Clara University, Author, Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University
'Moving...A documentary like East of Salinas is valuable. It takes a pass on the wonkery and social science and simply lets us see what life is like for a family supported by farm labor...It is a welcome glimpse of a ground truth amid the rhetoric.' Nathanael Johnson, Grist
'Watching [Ramos] inspire and challenge a class made up of children like Jose is one of the film's greatest pleasures...This documentary should be shown in classrooms around the country.' Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist
'A very powerful film for showing future teachers and practicing teachers...The film shows the cultural, linguistic and collective dimensions of support and care, which are still rare to find in most US educational contexts.' Higinio Dominguez, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, Michigan State University
'It's a story we rarely hear about the families who are helping to put vegetables on our dinner plates...A story of hope.' Maria Gadoy, NPR
'Offers a no-frills look at this way of life...This is a must-have for libraries in agricultural areas. Students will see themselves in the film, and it will make others in the community aware of their circumstances.' Faythe Arredondo, School Library Journal
'Heartbreaking yet hopeful...A must see documentary for all educators and anyone interested in migrant families. The playing field is not level for children and it takes more than just hard work and determination for undocumented migrant students like Jose to succeed. Oscar Ramos demonstrates that teaching migrant students is not just a profession, but a calling with a foundation in empathy, and a burning quest for social justice.' Dr. Luis Urrieta, Jr. , Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in Education, University of Texas at Austin, Author, Working from Within: Chicana and Chicano Activist Educators in Whitestream Schools
'East of Salinas shows the complexities of Mexican immigrant integration trajectories...The film shows that immigrants' successful integration essentially depends upon their legal status, the availability of affordable housing, the length of their residence in the region, and the educational infrastructure that surrounds them.' Xochitl Bada, Associate Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois-Chicago
'By showing us Jose and his struggles at the intersection of realities, East of Salinas reminds us in a year of elections that behind nationalistic and nativist discourses, are children and families who through hard work and sacrifice simply want happiness and satisfaction for themselves and their communities.' Dr. Ricardo B. Contreras, CEO of Ethnographica Sociocultural Research, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, East Carolina University
'The film is primarily a slice of life lived by people many Americans don't know...It's hard not to want to find a compassionate solution, however complex that may seem. I highly recommend East of Salinas.' Melanie Votaw, Reel Life With Jane
'Their story is poignant and can shed light not only on the plight but the perseverance of the migrant farmworker.' Roberto M. Robledo, The Californian
'East of Salinas does a good job of humanizing Mexican immigrants and showing that they are no threat to American economy, society, or values. Adults simply want to work-and end up doing tasks that most native-born Americans would never consider-and children simply want to learn and make a better life...Level/use: Suitable for high school classes and college courses in cultural anthropology, economic anthropology, anthropology of immigration, anthropology of race and ethnicity, and American studies, as well as for general audiences.' Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database
Citation
Main credits
Pacheco, Laura (film producer)
Pacheco, Laura (film director)
Mow, Jackie (film producer)
Mow, Jackie (film director)
Mow, Jackie (cinematographer)
Other credits
Edited by Rachel Clark; music by Joseph Julian Gonzalez; director of photography, Jackie Mow.
Distributor subjects
Agriculture; Anthropology; Child Development; Education; Geography; Immigration; Labor and Work Issues; Latin American Studies; Law; Migration and Refugees; Multicultural Studies; Political Science; Poverty; Psychology; Social Justice; SociologyKeywords
Jose Anzaldo, undocumented, migrant farm laborers, California, Salinas Valley, Steinbeck country, Oscar Ramos, UC Berkeley, born in Mexico, exploratorium; "East of Salinas"; Bullfrog Films,doc; politics; sociss
00:00:02.999 --> 00:00:05.999
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:00:16.125 --> 00:00:19.999
- My name is Jose Anzaldo.
00:00:19.999 --> 00:00:21.125
I am 8 years old.
00:00:24.999 --> 00:00:29.709
I like to play and run.
00:00:29.709 --> 00:00:30.834
I like to study, too.
00:00:30.834 --> 00:00:33.626
I like to add and subtract.
00:00:33.626 --> 00:00:36.667
I like to multiply and divide.
00:00:45.042 --> 00:00:52.999
When I grow up I want to be a
firefighter, or maybe a cop.
00:01:11.042 --> 00:01:13.999
- We're at Sherwood Elementary
School in Salinas, California.
00:01:16.584 --> 00:01:21.083
I am a third-grade teacher, and I've been
teaching third grade for about 15 years
00:01:21.083 --> 00:01:23.417
overall.
00:01:23.417 --> 00:01:25.334
Chapter 11, "Found."
00:01:25.334 --> 00:01:28.918
A few hours later, Becky woke up.
00:01:28.918 --> 00:01:33.375
She was starving, but eager to
look for a way out of the cave.
00:01:33.375 --> 00:01:40.959
My students are mainly Mexican students,
and about half the class is migrant.
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:43.167
The cave was completely dark now.
00:01:43.167 --> 00:01:46.999
Being migrant means a lot of
them have families or parents who
00:01:46.999 --> 00:01:48.999
follow the agriculture season.
00:01:48.999 --> 00:01:51.626
Suddenly, Tom said, "Ssh...
00:01:51.626 --> 00:01:52.375
did you hear that?"
00:01:52.375 --> 00:01:55.584
They'll go to one place, and
when harvest season's over there
00:01:55.584 --> 00:01:57.709
they'll move on to another place.
00:01:57.709 --> 00:01:58.999
Tom froze.
00:01:58.999 --> 00:02:00.375
He couldn't move a muscle.
00:02:00.375 --> 00:02:02.918
They follow the harvest wherever it is.
00:02:02.918 --> 00:02:06.417
It was Injun Joe.
00:02:06.417 --> 00:02:06.999
Ahh!
00:02:06.999 --> 00:02:09.042
But Injun Joe didn't see Tom.
00:02:09.042 --> 00:02:10.501
- 'Cause it was so dark.
00:02:10.501 --> 00:02:11.501
- Exactly.
00:02:11.501 --> 00:02:15.751
Regardless if the whole family leaves
or just one of the parents or both,
00:02:15.751 --> 00:02:18.626
it still affects the children.
00:02:18.626 --> 00:02:23.125
Tom got Becky and they
dug their way to daylight.
00:02:23.125 --> 00:02:26.083
(SIRENS)
00:02:27.667 --> 00:02:30.584
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:02:38.375 --> 00:02:43.167
- When I get up in the morning I go and
brush my teeth, get ready for school.
00:02:43.167 --> 00:02:47.999
And then my mom drops me off with
a babysitter for the babysitter
00:02:47.999 --> 00:02:50.542
to wake me up at 6 o'clock.
00:02:58.417 --> 00:03:00.876
It's the same every day.
00:03:00.876 --> 00:03:03.083
(CONVERSING IN SPANISH)
00:03:05.834 --> 00:03:06.292
- Bye.
00:03:06.292 --> 00:03:06.918
- Bye.
00:04:08.999 --> 00:04:10.959
(BELL RINGING)
00:04:10.959 --> 00:04:16.959
(CHATTER)
00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:18.751
- Ones place first... the ones place.
00:04:18.751 --> 00:04:20.584
So the ones.
00:04:20.584 --> 00:04:22.834
Always start with ones...
ones, and then the tens.
00:04:26.999 --> 00:04:30.459
I was in the fourth grade when I
decided I wanted to be a teacher.
00:04:30.459 --> 00:04:31.959
What's 3 times 3?
00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:32.334
- 4.
00:04:32.334 --> 00:04:34.501
- Try again.
00:04:34.501 --> 00:04:35.042
4 times 4.
00:04:35.042 --> 00:04:42.250
The students, they see me and they
can't picture me as anything else.
00:04:42.250 --> 00:04:46.250
But I could have had a very different life.
00:04:46.250 --> 00:04:49.167
I wasn't born in Salinas.
00:04:49.167 --> 00:04:51.000
I was born in Mexico.
00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:52.999
We came here, and guess what?
00:04:52.999 --> 00:04:54.626
It wasn't easy.
00:04:54.626 --> 00:04:55.375
We had to work.
00:04:55.375 --> 00:04:57.709
And you know where we worked?
00:04:57.709 --> 00:05:01.999
In the fields, in the lettuce fields,
where it's really hot, and the tomatoes...
00:05:01.999 --> 00:05:04.918
As soon as I start telling
my story, the students
00:05:04.918 --> 00:05:08.584
stop squirming around and
listen to what I have to say.
00:05:08.584 --> 00:05:10.999
We used to get up really early,
like at 4:00 in the morning,
00:05:10.999 --> 00:05:17.167
and then we used to go work for 10
hours, 12 hours, and then come home...
00:05:17.167 --> 00:05:23.709
My parents came here from Mexico
to give us a better opportunity.
00:05:23.709 --> 00:05:28.834
I grew up in a labor camp, working in
the fields at a very young age -- 7,
00:05:28.834 --> 00:05:29.334
8 years old.
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.999
We used to work in the onion fields, in
the garlic fields, in the apricot fields.
00:05:38.999 --> 00:05:40.999
We used to work in the chile fields.
00:05:40.999 --> 00:05:43.292
(CONVERSING IN SPANISH)
00:05:43.292 --> 00:05:50.999
I remember my mother's hands and my father's
hands, but I remember my hands mostly --
00:05:50.999 --> 00:05:57.501
black fingernails and cut
up, bruised, bumpy and rough.
00:05:57.501 --> 00:06:01.083
I was going to school, but
I didn't have any vacation.
00:06:01.083 --> 00:06:05.209
I see myself in a lot of these
students -- wanting to learn,
00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:09.999
very curious about everything, very
aware of the long hours and the hard work
00:06:09.999 --> 00:06:11.417
their parents are doing.
00:06:11.417 --> 00:06:13.959
We went from one place to another...
00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:16.876
They don't want that for themselves.
00:06:16.876 --> 00:06:18.876
They want something
different, something better.
00:06:22.292 --> 00:06:24.918
(CHATTER)
00:07:28.584 --> 00:07:30.834
- Just a few moments ago,
officials said that they're
00:07:30.834 --> 00:07:35.459
getting reports of undocumented kids being
pulled out of schools because of paperwork
00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:36.334
requirements.
00:07:36.334 --> 00:07:40.292
- It is, in fact, a legal
requirement to provide education
00:07:40.292 --> 00:07:43.626
to these undocumented minors in
communities across the country.
00:07:43.626 --> 00:07:47.292
- They grew up as Americans and
pledge allegiance to our flag,
00:07:47.292 --> 00:07:50.209
yet they live every day with
the threat of deportation.
00:07:50.209 --> 00:07:53.083
- We are people, we are not illegal!
00:07:53.083 --> 00:07:55.999
- Why we deny these young people
the opportunity to go to college
00:07:55.999 --> 00:07:56.999
is absolutely crazy.
00:07:56.999 --> 00:07:58.542
It's just fundamentally un-American.
00:07:58.542 --> 00:08:02.417
- We need to have a pathway to have
citizenship, which doesn't exist right now.
00:08:02.417 --> 00:08:04.250
- I'm just asking, one chance.
00:08:04.250 --> 00:08:06.999
Why can't I be given that one chance?
00:08:06.999 --> 00:08:10.918
- But not everyone is singing
"It's a Small World After All."
00:08:10.918 --> 00:08:11.751
- No amnesty!
00:08:11.751 --> 00:08:13.083
No amnesty!
00:08:13.083 --> 00:08:14.501
- They have no right to be here.
00:08:14.501 --> 00:08:16.999
They're clogging up our
emergency rooms, they're
00:08:16.999 --> 00:08:19.250
making our education system more expensive.
00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:22.542
- And there are kids that were
brought into this country unknowing
00:08:22.542 --> 00:08:23.999
that they were breaking the law.
00:08:23.999 --> 00:08:25.542
But they aren't all valedictorians.
00:08:25.542 --> 00:08:27.709
They weren't all brought
in by their parents.
00:08:27.709 --> 00:08:28.999
- Go back home!
00:08:28.999 --> 00:08:30.000
- We don't want them here.
00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:30.999
It's simple as that.
00:08:30.999 --> 00:08:32.167
We don't want to pay for them.
00:08:32.167 --> 00:08:34.959
- You got Jose today, Pepe tomorrow.
00:08:34.959 --> 00:08:39.167
- USA, USA, USA, USA, USA.
00:08:44.250 --> 00:08:45.876
- These three will be for everybody.
00:08:45.876 --> 00:08:46.999
Four 10s is how much?
00:08:46.999 --> 00:08:48.125
- 40.
00:08:48.125 --> 00:08:51.167
- If you have 4, can you take away 8?
00:08:51.167 --> 00:08:52.083
- No.
00:08:52.083 --> 00:08:53.501
- No, you need to regroup.
00:08:53.501 --> 00:08:54.834
So...
00:08:54.834 --> 00:08:56.999
Jose is a fantastic kid.
00:08:56.999 --> 00:08:58.959
He's extremely smart.
00:08:58.959 --> 00:09:00.292
He's a very happy student.
00:09:00.292 --> 00:09:03.250
He's always smiling and jumping around.
00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:06.167
Jose, you get the next one.
00:09:06.167 --> 00:09:10.167
He's one of those students that's
eager to learn about everything.
00:09:10.167 --> 00:09:12.584
Here's a clue -- one of you
is going to have to regroup,
00:09:12.584 --> 00:09:15.250
and the other one doesn't regroup.
00:09:15.250 --> 00:09:16.334
I'm gonna tell you which.
00:09:16.334 --> 00:09:19.876
You can choose any color you want.
00:09:19.876 --> 00:09:22.751
Jose reminds me a lot of me growing up.
00:09:24.375 --> 00:09:27.918
We both love school.
00:09:27.918 --> 00:09:32.999
And even at such a young age, we were
already thinking about the future.
00:09:32.999 --> 00:09:34.999
You're fine, you're fine.
00:09:34.999 --> 00:09:37.999
(CHATTER)
00:09:37.999 --> 00:09:42.334
So if you agreed with
Dalilah, you got it right.
00:09:42.334 --> 00:09:43.334
- I agreed.
00:09:43.334 --> 00:09:44.334
I agreed.
00:09:44.334 --> 00:09:45.918
Yeah, I agreed!
00:09:48.292 --> 00:09:50.834
- You know, these kids
are only 8, 9 years old.
00:09:50.834 --> 00:09:54.709
I don't think they fully understand
that if they're not a US citizen,
00:09:54.709 --> 00:09:56.792
they might get kicked out the country.
00:09:56.792 --> 00:09:58.626
But that's only half the problem.
00:09:58.626 --> 00:10:02.959
They do fear their parents getting
deported, because it's in the news
00:10:02.959 --> 00:10:04.125
and they've heard of some cases.
00:10:06.667 --> 00:10:09.876
But I think it's more a fear for
their parents than themselves.
00:10:09.876 --> 00:10:11.959
If you have 0, can you take away 5?
00:10:11.959 --> 00:10:13.792
10, take away 5?
00:10:13.792 --> 00:10:14.167
5.
00:10:14.167 --> 00:10:17.167
5 take away 1?
00:10:17.167 --> 00:10:20.042
(CONVERSING IN SPANISH)
00:10:30.918 --> 00:10:39.250
- When we go home I have to do my
homework alone, because my mom and Jaime,
00:10:39.250 --> 00:10:40.876
they speak Spanish, not English.
00:10:44.999 --> 00:10:49.709
But I learn more when I try by myself.
00:10:54.792 --> 00:11:02.167
When I finish with my homework, I watch TV,
and when I'm done watching TV, I go to eat
00:11:02.167 --> 00:11:03.542
and then I go to bed.
00:11:11.083 --> 00:11:17.417
It's important to me to work really hard
because if you don't do good in school
00:11:17.417 --> 00:11:23.000
you're gonna flunk your grade,
and I want to go to fourth grade.
00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:27.709
They told me that if you go to fourth
grade, you're gonna go on a field trip,
00:11:27.709 --> 00:11:30.334
and on that field trip
you're gonna go swimming.
00:11:30.334 --> 00:11:33.042
- Have you ever been swimming?
00:11:33.042 --> 00:11:35.250
Do you know that you live
really close to the beach?
00:11:38.042 --> 00:11:39.292
- I didn't know that.
00:11:46.792 --> 00:11:49.751
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:11:55.083 --> 00:11:58.042
(CHATTER)
00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:33.626
(DOORBELL)
00:14:35.876 --> 00:14:37.250
- Look at you guys, getting all big.
00:14:37.250 --> 00:14:38.334
Hello, good morning.
00:14:38.334 --> 00:14:39.042
How are you doing?
00:14:39.042 --> 00:14:43.751
13 years ago, a bunch of my friends who
graduated from Berkeley got together...
00:14:43.751 --> 00:14:44.751
Glad you could make it.
00:14:44.751 --> 00:14:48.834
...and started donating some money to
help out some less fortunate families,
00:14:48.834 --> 00:14:54.167
some families who could benefit from
a little joy during Christmas time.
00:14:54.167 --> 00:14:57.375
I met Martin in high school.
00:14:57.375 --> 00:14:59.667
Jose I grew up with.
00:14:59.667 --> 00:15:02.083
I've known him since second grade.
00:15:02.083 --> 00:15:04.000
- I was much thinner back then.
00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.667
- So was I.
00:15:05.667 --> 00:15:07.542
- It's been growing and growing.
00:15:07.542 --> 00:15:08.999
All right, you ready, Michael?
00:15:08.999 --> 00:15:11.167
We brought in family and friends.
00:15:11.167 --> 00:15:15.209
(CHATTER)
00:15:15.209 --> 00:15:16.709
Some of us are in education.
00:15:16.709 --> 00:15:18.792
Some are attorneys.
00:15:18.792 --> 00:15:21.542
Others are in the medical
field or business owners.
00:15:21.542 --> 00:15:22.250
- That's good.
00:15:22.250 --> 00:15:22.999
That looks good.
00:15:22.999 --> 00:15:25.876
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:15:29.042 --> 00:15:31.959
(CONVERSING IN SPANISH)
00:15:31.959 --> 00:15:35.834
- We all do something different, but
we all grew up working in the fields.
00:15:35.834 --> 00:15:36.542
Are you surprised?
00:15:38.792 --> 00:15:43.042
We knew how hard it was, so we all
focused on doing well in school.
00:15:43.042 --> 00:15:46.999
And none of us forget where we came from.
00:15:46.999 --> 00:15:50.083
(CHATTER)
00:15:50.083 --> 00:15:51.292
OK.
00:15:51.292 --> 00:15:54.751
I'm gonna let you open
this one and that one.
00:15:54.751 --> 00:15:55.584
You think it's a hat?
00:15:55.584 --> 00:15:57.667
Does it look like a hat?
00:15:57.667 --> 00:15:58.501
Pull it.
00:16:01.417 --> 00:16:02.999
Is it a hat?
00:16:02.999 --> 00:16:05.167
- I don't even have a bike!
00:16:05.167 --> 00:16:05.999
- What?
00:16:05.999 --> 00:16:07.167
You don't have a bike?
00:16:07.167 --> 00:16:07.792
- No!
00:16:07.792 --> 00:16:09.375
- What are you gonna do with the helmet?
00:16:09.375 --> 00:16:10.959
Do you have a skateboard?
00:16:10.959 --> 00:16:12.667
Do you have a scooter?
00:16:12.667 --> 00:16:14.334
- Nope.
00:16:14.334 --> 00:16:17.125
- Oh, man.
00:16:17.125 --> 00:16:18.626
I think we messed up.
00:16:18.626 --> 00:16:19.459
We made a mistake.
00:16:19.459 --> 00:16:22.083
We gave them helmets and
they don't have bicycles.
00:16:22.083 --> 00:16:24.792
Can you help us take the
helmets back to the car?
00:16:24.792 --> 00:16:26.042
- Yeah.
00:16:26.042 --> 00:16:27.751
- You know, if you don't have bikes...
00:16:27.751 --> 00:16:29.000
(CONVERSING IN SPANISH)
00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:30.334
- Just put them in the truck.
00:16:33.125 --> 00:16:33.751
Sorry.
00:16:37.542 --> 00:16:40.999
- Sorry, guys.
00:16:40.999 --> 00:16:41.999
- Bicycles?
00:16:41.999 --> 00:16:44.999
(LAUGHTER)
00:16:44.999 --> 00:16:45.792
- Go ahead.
00:16:45.792 --> 00:16:46.918
- The bicycles?
00:16:46.918 --> 00:16:47.751
- They're for you!
00:16:50.999 --> 00:16:53.042
That's yours.
00:16:53.042 --> 00:16:54.667
- But I don't know if I can ride it.
00:16:54.667 --> 00:16:56.709
- You don't know how to ride a bicycle?
00:16:56.709 --> 00:16:57.417
Let me see.
00:16:57.417 --> 00:16:58.334
Get on.
00:16:58.334 --> 00:17:00.999
I'll tell you if it's too big.
00:17:00.999 --> 00:17:01.626
Let me see.
00:17:01.626 --> 00:17:04.167
I'll hold it so you don't fall.
00:17:04.167 --> 00:17:05.125
OK?
00:17:05.125 --> 00:17:06.083
- You need to practice.
00:17:06.083 --> 00:17:09.375
- All right, and then
you're gonna pedal, OK?
00:17:09.375 --> 00:17:10.542
You'll learn, you'll learn.
00:17:10.542 --> 00:17:14.250
And you're gonna learn how
to wear this helmet properly.
00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:15.209
It goes this way.
00:17:53.167 --> 00:17:54.792
- I don't like my new house as much.
00:17:58.584 --> 00:18:05.083
But our manager kept, like,
making my mom pay too much money.
00:18:18.667 --> 00:18:19.999
The bike, it was stolen.
00:18:23.999 --> 00:18:26.999
I was using it for a day.
00:18:26.999 --> 00:18:29.542
I went to go to the bathroom.
00:18:29.542 --> 00:18:33.125
I left it behind the backyard.
00:18:33.125 --> 00:18:35.999
When I came back, it wasn't there.
00:18:38.959 --> 00:18:39.959
(CAR HORN)
00:18:39.959 --> 00:18:40.918
- He's here.
00:18:40.918 --> 00:18:41.834
- ...and he's here.
00:18:55.584 --> 00:18:58.000
- Jose, put your seat belt on.
00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.417
You got it?
00:19:03.334 --> 00:19:04.501
Did he tell you, Jose?
00:19:04.501 --> 00:19:04.999
- What?
00:19:04.999 --> 00:19:06.292
- That he's going with us?
00:19:06.292 --> 00:19:08.375
- Yeah, he's going.
00:19:08.375 --> 00:19:11.999
- Jose moved a couple weeks ago.
00:19:11.999 --> 00:19:15.417
It's a much smaller apartment,
but the rent is cheaper.
00:19:17.667 --> 00:19:19.709
And that's just the reality of it.
00:19:19.709 --> 00:19:20.999
It happens.
00:19:20.999 --> 00:19:22.542
It happens a lot at our school.
00:19:25.417 --> 00:19:26.959
You didn't have breakfast at home?
00:19:26.959 --> 00:19:27.751
- No.
00:19:27.751 --> 00:19:30.667
- I talked to the parents,
and they agreed to let
00:19:30.667 --> 00:19:35.709
me pick him up and his brother so
they could finish the school year off.
00:19:35.709 --> 00:19:38.083
(CHATTER)
00:19:38.083 --> 00:19:42.042
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:19:42.042 --> 00:19:45.334
For Jose, this is his fifth
school he's attended already.
00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:50.751
Last year, he came in
the middle of the year.
00:19:53.999 --> 00:19:59.709
There's an adjustment period every
time a student has a new teacher.
00:19:59.709 --> 00:20:03.542
And when you have to do it two or
three times during the same year,
00:20:03.542 --> 00:20:05.042
well, that just sets you back a bit.
00:20:05.042 --> 00:20:07.501
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:20:15.083 --> 00:20:18.999
We have to be very creative in the
way we help these kids catch up.
00:20:23.667 --> 00:20:26.584
They can contribute a great
many things to this country.
00:20:29.042 --> 00:20:32.292
They just need to be given the opportunity.
00:20:32.292 --> 00:20:35.209
(CHATTER)
00:20:56.459 --> 00:21:01.125
- It's kind of hard to keep up
getting food since Jaime's gone.
00:21:07.375 --> 00:21:10.125
Sometimes we don't have
nothing to eat and we
00:21:10.125 --> 00:21:17.125
don't have food for my mom to
make, like something to cook.
00:21:17.125 --> 00:21:21.999
So we have to sleep without eating until
the morning, until we go to school.
00:21:29.250 --> 00:21:31.501
- Where did you get 7, David?
00:21:31.501 --> 00:21:33.999
- You have to count all of it.
00:21:33.999 --> 00:21:35.626
- You have to count all of them.
00:21:35.626 --> 00:21:38.209
All of them.
00:21:38.209 --> 00:21:42.834
- Sometimes if you don't eat for a
long time your stomach starts to hurt,
00:21:42.834 --> 00:21:44.584
and it starts growling or something.
00:22:09.667 --> 00:22:11.626
- You're not gonna believe...
00:22:11.626 --> 00:22:13.999
I forgot Amelia's last name.
00:22:13.999 --> 00:22:14.999
- Avila.
00:22:14.999 --> 00:22:15.584
- Avila?
00:22:15.584 --> 00:22:16.584
- Yeah.
00:22:16.584 --> 00:22:18.542
- Is that your last name?
00:22:18.542 --> 00:22:21.999
(CHATTER)
00:24:11.417 --> 00:24:14.334
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:24:17.209 --> 00:24:19.167
(CHATTER)
00:25:13.125 --> 00:25:15.709
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:26:39.959 --> 00:26:42.999
(SIRENS)
00:26:46.792 --> 00:26:49.000
(CHATTER)
00:26:52.959 --> 00:26:59.167
- My mom and dad work really hard,
so me and my brother and sister
00:26:59.167 --> 00:27:01.999
have to stay home by ourselves.
00:27:07.999 --> 00:27:16.667
I would like to go outside and play,
but my mom says that me and my brother
00:27:16.667 --> 00:27:18.876
can't go to the park alone.
00:27:21.751 --> 00:27:25.167
- Salinas is a very tough city.
00:27:25.167 --> 00:27:29.083
Jose's mom doesn't want him to go outside
because it's just way too dangerous.
00:27:31.709 --> 00:27:34.999
Parents not only worry about
their kids getting shot,
00:27:34.999 --> 00:27:38.999
they worry about their kids
getting caught up in gang activity.
00:27:42.999 --> 00:27:45.834
How many of you have gone
to the Exploratorium?
00:27:48.417 --> 00:27:49.876
- No.
00:27:49.876 --> 00:27:50.417
- Anybody?
00:27:50.417 --> 00:27:52.542
- I guarantee, you're
gonna have tons of fun.
00:27:57.999 --> 00:28:00.417
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:28:05.334 --> 00:28:10.918
It's important to expose these kids
to other experiences and other places.
00:28:10.918 --> 00:28:12.209
Listen, let me tell you something.
00:28:12.209 --> 00:28:15.792
When I was in sixth grade,
I came here on a field trip.
00:28:15.792 --> 00:28:18.999
It was so awesome, so now
I'm bringing you guys.
00:28:18.999 --> 00:28:21.999
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:28:29.751 --> 00:28:31.042
You all get one of these stickers.
00:28:31.042 --> 00:28:33.999
You need to put it here.
00:28:33.999 --> 00:28:35.334
Thank you.
00:28:35.334 --> 00:28:36.834
I'm forgetting one guy?
00:28:36.834 --> 00:28:38.709
Who am I forgetting?
00:28:38.709 --> 00:28:40.876
Alright, you guys can go in.
00:28:40.876 --> 00:28:42.792
(CHATTER)
00:28:53.999 --> 00:28:57.918
At this age, they just absorb everything.
00:28:57.918 --> 00:29:01.375
Everything's so new and
wonderful and spectacular.
00:29:01.375 --> 00:29:02.751
Put your hands in it.
00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:07.542
You ready?
00:29:07.542 --> 00:29:09.459
1, 2, 3.
00:29:11.959 --> 00:29:12.334
- Whoa.
00:29:12.334 --> 00:29:13.292
- Spin it.
00:29:13.292 --> 00:29:14.250
Go like that.
00:29:14.250 --> 00:29:18.417
It's very different reading about the
beach than actually being at the beach,
00:29:18.417 --> 00:29:22.542
or reading about ocean life and
actually going to the aquarium.
00:29:24.876 --> 00:29:27.999
If we don't provide that opportunity
-- if we don't take them to the beach,
00:29:27.999 --> 00:29:35.334
if we don't take them to a play -- what
else is there but stay home and watch TV,
00:29:35.334 --> 00:29:36.999
play video games?
00:29:36.999 --> 00:29:39.292
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:29:44.042 --> 00:29:46.999
These kids deserve to have
those experiences, too.
00:29:46.999 --> 00:29:49.501
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:29:52.459 --> 00:29:54.417
Did you have fun?
00:29:54.417 --> 00:29:54.999
- Yes!
00:30:03.292 --> 00:30:05.876
(CHATTER)
00:30:13.792 --> 00:30:16.999
- I know you're all very excited
because it's vacation time.
00:30:16.999 --> 00:30:18.999
- No!
00:30:18.999 --> 00:30:21.501
- Time to go home in five minutes.
00:30:21.501 --> 00:30:22.667
- I'm gonna miss Mr. Ramos.
00:30:25.209 --> 00:30:30.876
He told me that when I start the school,
just because I'm in another school
00:30:30.876 --> 00:30:32.999
doesn't mean he's not gonna come visit.
00:30:32.999 --> 00:30:33.999
- Karen, fourth grade.
00:30:33.999 --> 00:30:35.626
(APPLAUSE)
00:30:36.999 --> 00:30:41.042
- Even when he's not
here, I could still learn.
00:30:41.042 --> 00:30:44.042
It's just that he makes
things more exciting.
00:30:46.584 --> 00:30:48.417
(CHEERING)
00:30:48.417 --> 00:30:52.584
(CHATTER)
00:30:57.501 --> 00:30:59.959
- There you go.
00:30:59.959 --> 00:31:04.792
Hey if you're gonna say goodbye to Jose,
you should say it before you leave,
00:31:04.792 --> 00:31:07.459
because he might not be coming
to this school next year.
00:31:07.459 --> 00:31:08.417
- No, no, no!
00:31:08.417 --> 00:31:09.999
(CHATTER)
00:31:09.999 --> 00:31:12.292
- Bye, Jose!
00:31:12.292 --> 00:31:13.250
- Bye, Jose.
00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:15.834
I'm sad that you're leaving.
00:31:15.834 --> 00:31:27.999
(CHATTER)
00:31:27.999 --> 00:31:30.000
- You know what I've been thinking?
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:37.959
I've been thinking, like, when I
grow up, I might be maybe a teacher.
00:31:45.250 --> 00:31:51.999
Mr. Ramos told me that maybe one day
if you try hard, like all the grades,
00:31:51.999 --> 00:31:53.999
maybe one day you might be.
00:32:24.209 --> 00:32:26.584
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:35:15.876 --> 00:35:16.250
- Jose?
00:35:18.999 --> 00:35:19.584
Huh.
00:35:51.959 --> 00:35:54.000
- The number you have reached
has been disconnected.
00:36:00.501 --> 00:36:02.999
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:36:07.999 --> 00:36:10.167
- It's happened in the past.
00:36:10.167 --> 00:36:15.125
I was helping a family, I was helping
a student, and we lost contact.
00:36:28.999 --> 00:36:32.626
These families, at times
from one day to the next,
00:36:32.626 --> 00:36:35.417
they make the decision, "OK, we need to go.
00:36:35.417 --> 00:36:36.667
We need to move."
00:36:36.667 --> 00:36:37.751
And they'll move.
00:36:37.751 --> 00:36:40.459
They'll move to a different home,
they'll move to a different city,
00:36:40.459 --> 00:36:41.999
they'll move to a different state.
00:36:46.999 --> 00:36:47.999
They're afraid.
00:36:47.999 --> 00:36:52.834
They're afraid of putting their
families in danger of being deported.
00:36:57.626 --> 00:36:59.834
And I understand that fear.
00:37:08.999 --> 00:37:12.834
When I was growing up, the INS
would come to raid the labor camp.
00:37:17.999 --> 00:37:21.334
I must have been 4 or 5 years old
when they took our babysitter.
00:37:25.999 --> 00:37:27.999
The babysitter never came back.
00:37:33.999 --> 00:37:35.876
I remember.
00:37:35.876 --> 00:37:38.334
I remember me and my
little sister left standing
00:37:38.334 --> 00:37:43.999
in the middle of the yard, our babysitter
in the back of the van just waving goodbye.
00:38:01.375 --> 00:38:03.334
(CHATTER)
00:38:08.918 --> 00:38:10.000
- I don't really know.
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:12.792
My mom never told me why we moved.
00:38:16.459 --> 00:38:19.999
I came back from school, and
then, like everything's packed up.
00:39:48.999 --> 00:39:52.167
I try hard because I want to help my family.
00:39:52.167 --> 00:39:54.667
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:39:57.501 --> 00:40:00.999
Like by paying bills or buying food...
00:40:05.292 --> 00:40:08.542
...helping my brother and my sister.
00:40:15.250 --> 00:40:18.542
I don't want my family
to end up in the streets.
00:40:27.751 --> 00:40:30.584
I've been to the fields a few times.
00:40:33.209 --> 00:40:38.375
Even if it's raining, you still have
to work, or if it's freezing and stuff.
00:40:45.167 --> 00:40:47.999
My mom really wants me to stay in school.
00:41:13.709 --> 00:41:15.626
Mr. Ramos!
00:41:15.626 --> 00:41:17.999
Yeah!
00:41:17.999 --> 00:41:20.209
- Let's go bowling.
00:41:20.209 --> 00:41:21.584
We're gonna go bowling.
00:41:21.584 --> 00:41:22.542
We're gonna go bowling.
00:41:22.542 --> 00:41:23.542
- Yeah, yeah, yeah!
00:41:23.542 --> 00:41:24.999
- All right, let's go.
00:41:24.999 --> 00:41:26.999
(CHATTER)
00:41:32.959 --> 00:41:36.292
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:41:52.626 --> 00:42:00.250
- Two days before, my mom saw a lizard in
the house, and a mouse was in the oven.
00:42:03.167 --> 00:42:08.417
There were cockroaches, there were ants,
there were flies, rats, there were iguanas.
00:42:08.417 --> 00:42:10.709
I don't even know how that got in there.
00:42:13.667 --> 00:42:15.999
So my mom decided to move.
00:42:19.501 --> 00:42:22.999
Now I go to Roosevelt School.
00:42:22.999 --> 00:42:26.709
- Does anyone know what an employee is?
00:42:26.709 --> 00:42:27.501
Yes, Jose.
00:42:27.501 --> 00:42:30.626
- An employee is someone that
works for another person.
00:42:30.626 --> 00:42:31.751
- Correct... an employer.
00:42:31.751 --> 00:42:33.167
I'm an employer, you're the employee.
00:42:33.167 --> 00:42:35.959
- I still love school.
00:42:35.959 --> 00:42:38.334
I like it because it's challenging.
00:42:38.334 --> 00:42:43.000
- So if this was your company, what skills
would this person have to have in order
00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:44.542
to come work for your company?
00:42:44.542 --> 00:42:45.626
- Yeah, I love to learn.
00:42:45.626 --> 00:42:50.709
I like to learn new stuff, because...
00:42:50.709 --> 00:42:51.501
you never know.
00:42:51.501 --> 00:42:55.959
Maybe when you grow up, maybe you're
gonna need to know about that.
00:42:55.959 --> 00:42:59.999
- So that means you want to know about
math, you want to know about programs,
00:42:59.999 --> 00:43:03.999
you want to know about creating all
these things, and also business.
00:43:03.999 --> 00:43:06.626
So this is why this is so important.
00:43:06.626 --> 00:43:10.125
- I brought my report card
so Mr. Ramos could see it.
00:43:10.125 --> 00:43:11.209
- Does anybody remember...
00:43:11.209 --> 00:43:13.999
(INTERPOSING VOICES)
00:43:13.999 --> 00:43:20.501
- Mr. Ramos says that if I keep getting good
grades, I might be able to go to college
00:43:20.501 --> 00:43:21.751
when I get older.
00:43:21.751 --> 00:43:24.999
- So if you're doing a resume,
you'd put your name, who you are.
00:43:24.999 --> 00:43:26.584
You give yourself some skills.
00:43:26.584 --> 00:43:29.375
This is the first thing that
the person is gonna see.
00:43:31.834 --> 00:43:36.999
- I know that people believe in me,
and I don't want to let them down.
00:43:36.999 --> 00:43:39.292
(CHATTER)
00:43:46.501 --> 00:43:50.042
- So let's see where you
guys are supposed to go.
00:43:50.042 --> 00:43:52.918
Fifth grade exam...
00:43:52.918 --> 00:43:55.042
Steph, yes, you're going to B1.
00:43:55.042 --> 00:44:00.334
- Jose was chosen for a math
competition called Mathletics.
00:44:00.334 --> 00:44:01.584
It's a yearly competition.
00:44:01.584 --> 00:44:04.584
- Calculator for you, OK.
00:44:04.584 --> 00:44:06.542
And then everybody gets two pencils.
00:44:06.542 --> 00:44:10.584
- There's a lot of students that compete
from a lot of surrounding schools,
00:44:10.584 --> 00:44:13.292
both public and private.
00:44:13.292 --> 00:44:16.959
- Remember when you go in there,
that you guys are the top math
00:44:16.959 --> 00:44:22.042
students at Roosevelt. No
matter what the outcome is,
00:44:22.042 --> 00:44:25.083
the best part about this whole
thing is that you did your best.
00:44:25.083 --> 00:44:27.042
All right, let's go find your classes.
00:44:30.042 --> 00:44:34.542
- These students he's going to be competing
against have every advantage in the book.
00:44:37.542 --> 00:44:41.250
This is something he'll face
pretty much his entire life.
00:44:41.250 --> 00:44:42.999
- All right, good luck guys.
00:44:42.999 --> 00:44:44.209
I'll see you after the test.
00:44:49.167 --> 00:44:50.792
- Thank you very much.
00:44:50.792 --> 00:44:54.125
All right, we're gonna get this thing going.
00:44:54.125 --> 00:44:56.083
Who gets to come down first?
00:44:56.083 --> 00:44:59.042
Oh, fifth grade.
00:44:59.042 --> 00:45:00.751
That's where it all starts, folks.
00:45:00.751 --> 00:45:02.751
Fifth grade.
00:45:02.751 --> 00:45:05.125
OK, here's your finalists...
00:45:05.125 --> 00:45:08.042
- Even if he does well in high
school, college isn't guaranteed.
00:45:11.626 --> 00:45:14.999
I know many students with
perfect grade-point averages,
00:45:14.999 --> 00:45:17.751
but they can't get financial aid
because they're not citizens.
00:45:21.167 --> 00:45:27.792
And even if Jose gets a college degree,
he can't legally work in this country.
00:45:27.792 --> 00:45:30.667
- Well, I won't keep you waiting.
00:45:30.667 --> 00:45:33.999
It was third for All Saints,
second for Laurel Wood,
00:45:33.999 --> 00:45:36.417
and first place, Carmel River School.
00:45:36.417 --> 00:45:38.959
(CHEERING)
00:45:42.501 --> 00:45:43.250
- It's frustrating.
00:45:45.999 --> 00:45:51.584
When I was growing up, there was policy
that allowed for me to become a US citizen.
00:45:51.584 --> 00:45:53.542
- All right, we got one more shuffle.
00:45:53.542 --> 00:45:54.250
This is it...
00:45:54.250 --> 00:45:59.999
- But the road ahead for Jose
is going to be difficult.
00:46:10.334 --> 00:46:14.792
- My brother and my sister's in
Mexico, where my grandma lives, so...
00:46:20.292 --> 00:46:22.417
I didn't go because I
didn't have a passport.
00:46:26.000 --> 00:46:28.417
If I go to Mexico, I can't come back.
00:46:36.918 --> 00:46:41.459
I would also want to see my grandma
and other people in my family.
00:46:46.083 --> 00:46:48.999
Sometimes it feels lonely, or...
00:46:48.999 --> 00:46:51.584
there's less noise then there usually is.
00:46:56.292 --> 00:47:00.999
I think I'm starting to understand what
it means if I don't have my papers.
00:47:13.626 --> 00:47:16.542
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:47:48.334 --> 00:47:50.959
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:48:17.959 --> 00:48:21.250
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:49:22.751 --> 00:49:24.083
- I went to the Golden Gate Bridge.
00:49:24.083 --> 00:49:24.834
It's long.
00:49:27.250 --> 00:49:32.375
And why do they call it golden
when it's actually just red?
00:49:32.375 --> 00:49:35.375
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:49:40.334 --> 00:49:42.999
That was the first time
I've ever been to a college.
00:49:46.751 --> 00:49:50.125
I've never even seen how it looks like.
00:49:50.125 --> 00:49:53.125
- We might be able to walk past the
stadium so you can see the stadium.
00:49:53.125 --> 00:49:55.792
And then you get to see where I lived for...
00:49:55.792 --> 00:49:59.417
- When you were little, did you ever
think of what college you wanted to go to?
00:49:59.417 --> 00:49:59.999
- No.
00:49:59.999 --> 00:50:01.125
I didn't have a passport.
00:50:01.125 --> 00:50:01.999
I wasn't a citizen.
00:50:01.999 --> 00:50:05.542
I had questions just like you do.
00:50:05.542 --> 00:50:10.000
And I worked hard, just like you are.
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:13.167
- OK, so Lucy was found in Ethiopia.
00:50:13.167 --> 00:50:15.626
She's like the earliest human ancestor.
00:50:15.626 --> 00:50:17.542
- Hi, Lucy.
00:50:17.542 --> 00:50:21.501
- They had bones from
monkeys and from dinosaurs.
00:50:23.709 --> 00:50:24.999
- We're gonna go to the dorms.
00:50:24.999 --> 00:50:28.626
That's where students live.
00:50:28.626 --> 00:50:29.999
That was my room right there.
00:50:36.751 --> 00:50:39.999
- My parents always told me, "You have
to continue studying because we came here
00:50:39.999 --> 00:50:41.000
to give you a better future."
00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:43.125
- My mom would always tell me
that "You have to go to college so
00:50:43.125 --> 00:50:46.834
that you don't break your back like I do
day and night scrubbing other people's
00:50:46.834 --> 00:50:47.918
toilets."
00:50:47.918 --> 00:50:50.959
She always told me that "That's
not the work that I want for you."
00:50:52.209 --> 00:50:56.999
- I saw a kid who also was born in Mexico.
00:50:56.999 --> 00:51:02.876
And that gave me hope
that there's a way for me.
00:51:02.876 --> 00:51:06.751
- So I came from high school
with 30, 35, students,
00:51:06.751 --> 00:51:10.667
to this first class with 800 students.
00:51:10.667 --> 00:51:14.709
Just picture that -- 800 students in
the same class with just one professor.
00:51:14.709 --> 00:51:19.584
- I learned lots of stuff, like
that there's two kinds of degrees.
00:51:19.584 --> 00:51:22.334
I never even knew there was two kinds.
00:51:28.501 --> 00:51:29.999
Yeah, I really want to go to college.
00:51:33.959 --> 00:51:36.292
How did you feel after you graduated?
00:51:36.292 --> 00:51:37.083
- Very proud.
00:51:37.083 --> 00:51:39.999
Not just me, my whole
family felt very proud.
00:51:39.999 --> 00:51:42.834
Everybody... big party and big celebration.
00:51:42.834 --> 00:51:45.792
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:52:06.501 --> 00:52:10.292
- When I grow up, I think
I want to be an engineer.
00:52:14.042 --> 00:52:19.876
An engineer has to really
know math, and I like math.
00:52:23.000 --> 00:52:26.375
And also, well, I have a
good time building stuff.
00:52:26.375 --> 00:52:27.209
It's fun.
00:52:32.999 --> 00:52:40.501
And there's always a chance to do what you
want to do, as long as you don't give up.
00:52:40.501 --> 00:52:40.999
Yeah.
00:52:55.999 --> 00:52:57.834
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:53:06.542 --> 00:53:07.417
- Look how far it is.
00:53:07.417 --> 00:53:08.459
You can see it from here.
00:53:08.459 --> 00:53:12.209
(CHATTER)
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 53 minutes
Date: 2016
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 7 - 12, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Interactive Transcript: Available
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