The Mexican American Experience, a radio program produced by the Longhorn Radio Network, includes interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Program summary: Three Chicano filmmakers, David Sandoval, Luis Tórres, and Javier Silva, about the making of their feature length documentary, "Corridos del Valle", which depicts the struggles of the migrant farm workers in Raymondsville, South Texas. David Sandoval, Luis Torres and Javier Silva discuss their upcoming documentary Corridos del Valle (ultimately distributed under the title Valley of Tears) and their experiences filming it in the Rio Grande Valley. The filmmakers explain that the documentary focuses on the onion strike of April 1979 and offers a glimpse of life in the Rio Grande Valley. They have been filming and researching in the valley for almost two years and plan to use oral histories, photographs, stock footage and music to offer a cross-section of the many participants in the strike. The film will also offer a brief history of Mexicans in the valley and they are working with several scholars to ensure its accuracy. They then discuss their experiences filming in the valley and the initial wariness with which the strikers greeted them. They also talk about some of the residents they interviewed. They then discuss the problems they had obtaining interviews with the growers and then later with the sheriff's department, which wanted them to turn over some of their film to prosecute the strikers. They also describe some of the confrontations and problems that plague Raymondville. They hope that their film will appeal to a broad audience interested in how people perpetuate their culture and take control of their lives. Keywords: Agribusiness, Americo Paredes, Anthropology, Antonio Orendain, Campesinos, Carlos Marentes, Chicano Cinema Coalition, Children, Corridos, Corridos del Valle, David Sandoval, Emancipation Arts, Farm worker's march to Washington D.C., First Amendment, Folklore, Freedom of Speech, Growers, Harlan County USA, Hart Perry, Javier Silva, Jesus Moya, Jose Limon, Labor conditions, Little Joe Hernandez, Los Angeles, Luis Torres, Onion Strike of 1979, Oral history, Pamela Yates, PBS, Political Intimidation, Political repression, Political violence, Raymondville School district, Raymondville, Texas, Right to Work Laws, Rio Grande Valley, San Juan, TX, Sheriff's department, Steve Esteban Jordan, Student and Parents in Action Committee (Speac), Taft-Hartley, Tejanos, Texas Farm Workers Union, Texas Rangers, U.S. Civil Rights Commission, University of Texas at Austin, Victor Nelson Cisneros. Broadcast date: 1980-04-02.
Creator/Contributor:
Longhorn Radio Network (creator), Fregoso, Rosa Linda. (host), Sandoval, David (interviewee), Silva, Javier (interviewee), and Torres, Luis (interviewee)
Date Created/Date Issued:
3/29/1980
Owning Repository:
Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin