Join the Attallah College of Educational Studies and the Orange County Racial Justice Collaborative for a screening of "Harvest of Loneliness: The Bracero Program," presented by the film’s co-director, Dr. Gilbert G. Gonzalez.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with Dr. Gonzalez.

Event Schedule

Arrival and social time

Introduction of Dr. Gonzalez and the film

Film screening
Starts promptly at 6:45

Short intermission

Q&A session with the filmmaker

Announcements and closing

About the Film

"Harvest of Loneliness" is a documentary produced and directed by Dr. Gilbert G. Gonzalez and filmmaker Vivian Price and released in 2010. The film offers historical accounts of the U.S. Bracero Program, a guest worker program that brought in men from Mexico to work in the fields from 1942-64.

At the time the program was instituted, the United States asserted its purpose was to ease wartime labor shortages. However, the program continued for quite a while after the end of the war.

This fact spurred the filmmakers’ investigation of the program’s actual goal, which they concluded was to undermine unionization and secure a ready supply of workers willing to work for very little money and under difficult circumstances.

Given the current US immigration policy and implementation, it is important for us to study programs such as this one. As the film shows, the Bracero program was implemented without regard for the welfare of those involved, much as the current immigration policies have done.

Since current policies have made it difficult to recruit farm labor, guest worker programs of some sort will most likely be implemented again. In that event, it is vital that all of us are aware of the problems with past programs of this kind as our country crafts new policies on the issue.

About the Filmmaker

In addition to this film, Dr. Gonzalez is also the author of numerous books, including Mexican Consuls and Labor Organizing: Imperial Politics in the American, Labor and Community: Mexican Citrus Worker Villages in a Southern California, 1900-1950, and Labor vs Empire: Race, Gender, and Migration.

Event Information

The film screening is open to the public.

Note the majority of this film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Smaller portions are in English with no subtitles. Translation services will be available for Spanish speakers.

Attendees are welcome to bring their own snacks and drinks or anything they’d like to share, but please, no drugs or alcohol. Thank you for your understanding!

Seating is limited. We will do our best to seat everyone but will give preference to those who have RSVP’ed.