Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Sandra Santos Left to right, Mayra Nova, a junior social work major, guest speaker Renee Tajima-Pena, and Helen Pong, a senior social work major, speak about one of the documentaries film presented as part of Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Ohlone Room inside the Student Union Wednesday afternoon. The film, titled "Labor Women," talked about the role of women in labor unions and the surrounding issues.

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage month, happening in May, the documentary, "Labor Women," about female community organizers, was shown to a group of about 25 students in a series of events hosted by various campus organizations, including Mosaic Cross Cultural Center and the program of Asian studies.

"I came to the event because my professor offered extra credit and I was interested in the film," said Nancy Pham, a sophomore nursing major. "I've learned about how Asian- Americans have affected history, but it's not widely seen in our history books."

Filmmaker and UC Santa Cruz Professor Renee Tajima-Pena said her film, which also explores the difficulties of organizing unions and discriminatory labor practices, was shot during a time when the number of Asian filmmakers could be counted on two hands.

"I had to go to New York to find a bigger group of Asian-American filmmakers who were getting together and doing really great projects," Tajima-Pena said.

The 30-minute documentary focuses on three different immigrant daughters and their struggles as they organize groups to protest their causes during the late '90s. First, the film introduces the story of trilingual organizer Quynh Nguyen, who is fluent in Spanish, Vietnamese and English, and her efforts in joining meatpacking laborers together to fight for a union contract.

"I liked her story the best," said Ralph Tanner, an undeclared freshman. "It was cool seeing her speaking Spanish one second and then Vietnamese the next."

Continued...

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