| Event Description/Details: | The Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute, the Department of History, the Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program, with Adelante and ALPFA student organizations will host a screening of the remarkable documentary "A Class Apart", from the award-winning producers Carlos Sandoval and Peter Miller.
A Q&A period will follow with director Peter Miller.
Produced for PBS' series "American Experience," this documentary examines the contradictions between Mexican-Americans' legal citizenship and the limits placed on the exercise of their citizenship at every level of their existence. The daring and monumental efforts of a team of Mexican-American lawyers, and how they sought to challenge these limits placed on an entire people, are also brilliantly presented in the film.
“Built around the landmark 1954 legal case Hernandez v. Texas, the film interweaves the stories of its central characters with a broader story of the civil rights movement. It also brings to life the heroic post-World War II struggle of Mexican Americans fighting to dismantle the discrimination targeted against them.” (from pbs.org).
A panel discussion will follow to comment on Latinos, from not being allowed to sit on the bench, to sitting on THE BENCH. The interactive conversation between legal experts and the audience will address some of the major legal battles for Hispanic Americans as well as the more recent victories, including the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
For more information, contact us at latinoinstitute@shu.edu or(973) 761-9422.
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