April 27, 2011 - COLUMBIA HEIGHTS - Many Languages One Voice (MLOV) and the DC Language Access Coaltion (DCLAC) presented a film screening Wednesday night to promote and raise funds for "Communities in Translation," a film by documentarian Robert Winn about language barriers during the Mount Pleasant fire of 2008. The screening included short clips from eight documentary films about immigrant rights and language access. Mayor Gray designated April as "Language Access Awareness Month," and this screening brought together youth, DC government officials, non-profit organizers, community members and film makers to raise awareness about the DC Language Access Act of 2004 and challenges faced by Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents in DC and throughout the U.S.
The event began with gathering, food and drink at 6:30 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Columbia Heights. Local businesses provided prizes for a raffle, and MLOV/DCLAC staff provided crafts for sale. There was also an information table for next Wednesday's "Housing For All" rally. Interpretation services were also provided.
To kick off the screening, MLOV board chair Aryan Rodriguez and Director Sapna Pandya processed to the stage accompanied by Turkish drumming from Rashad Ullah, a local linguist and musician. Ms. Rodriguez introduced the screening, describing MLOV's mission and the purpose of the screening. Ms. Pandya gave a welcome and introduction, highlighting DCLAC's work on healthcare access, as well as ESL and S.M.A.R.T. Youth programs. Introducing the clips, Ms. Pandya invited other film makers to submit their work for future screenings.
An excerpt from "Igual que Tú" by Ellie Walton was the first clip of the screening. The film follows six day laborers in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of DC who have been affected by the down turn in construction. The main character is both a construction worker and writer who describes his life through poetry.
The next clip was introduced by Soohyun Koo, director of the Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. The clip was from "Brunching with Bedbugs" by Erin Finicane. In this film, affordable housing tenants come together to fight a condo-conversion pitch, terrible conditions and discrimination at the Norwood Apartment Complex in Logan Circle.
The first keynote speech was delivered by Lydia, a SMART Fellow who has organized a SMART club in her high school. SMART students meet twice a month to overcome language barriers. She talked about the important services ensured by the Language Access Act and gave personal stories from her family's experience with public schools. For example, her little brother was missing three inoculations and the school nurse attempted to contact her parents. But letters sent home were in English and therefore went unread. Finally, she outlined the SMART club's work to get more resources for English Language Learners (ELLs) and their teachers. Her club has made plays, T-shirts and flyers with the message, "I'm proud of my accent" and "I came from Ethiopia. I am American."
The next clip was from "Speaking in Tongues" by Marcia Jarmel. Fancisca Sanchez, from San Francisco Public Schools, discusses how growing up bilingual improves the English language skills fo ELL youth in this film about bilingual education. She advocates dual language immersion as an approach for language learning and early childhood development, which research has consistently proven gets the best results for ELL children. She proposes that communities should choose which languages should be taught in schools, emphasizing the importance of learning academic language skills to complement languages spoken at home. Despite this research, 30 states have already passed English Only laws.
The fourth clip was from "Wiener of Our Discontent" by Kasey Kirby and Laura Waters Hinson, introduced by AmeriCorps VISTA Alle Kamela. DC food truck vendors feel strangled by the monopoly over three depots where the vendors must store their carts. Siyonne, a refugee from Eritrea, has been selling hot dogs for 20 years.
SMART Fellow, Yolande, gave the next speech, highlighting the importance of advocating for ELP students. She also performed her poem "Cherry Blossom."
Clip five was from "Neo-African-Americans" by Kobina Aidoo about how rapid, voluntary immigration from Africa and the Caribbean is transforming the "African-American" narrative and brings in questions of identity.
Ngozi Nmezi, Director of the Mayor's Office on African Affairs introduced the next clip from "un(documented)" by John Esparza. The film profiles undocumented immigrants, specifically day laborers, in the DC metro area attempting to achieve the "American Dream," with interviews with various organizations.
Robert Winn's film "Grassroots Rising" was featured as the seventh clip. This full-length documentary shares powerful stories of immigrant working families in Los Angeles, in the context of the Asian Pacific Islander Americans' contribution to grassroots labor organizing in America.
Gustavo Velasquez, Director of the Office of Human Rights, gave the final keynote speech. "The law is just the floor, a tool," he said. "What actually changes things is people."
Finally, a clip from "Communities in Translation" by Robert Winn concluded the screening. This film in progress is about the fire in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in 2008, which raised concerns about language barriers during emergency situations. Nearly every tenant that was impacted by the fire was limited English proficient and as a result had difficulty communicating with the fire and police officers that responded. The film features several DCLAC members including Rosa Carrillo, Martha Bazurto, former DCLAC Director Jennifer Deng Pickett, MLOV staff member Tereguebode Goungou, and several representatives from DC FEMS and DC MPD, as well as Gustavo Velasquez of DC OHR. CIT was directed by Robert Winn and co-produced by Amber Carran-Fletcher, former DCLAC staff, and Robert Winn. The proceeds from the screening will go to completing the film.
The event concluded with a Q+A with film makers and participants, focusing on questions of distribution, community participation and effective story telling. "Making documentaries is about listening very carefully to stories you wouldn't otherwise hear," said Robert Winn. "And trying to do justice to those stories."