Cristina Barriente
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): John Valadez
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Film, Television, & Media / LSA
Program: UROP
Session: Session 6 (3:40pm – 4:30pm)
Authors: Cristina Barriente, John Valadez
Abstract
Daughter of former Congressman Edward R. Roybal, Lucile Roybal-Allard makes history as the first Mexican American woman to be elected to Congress in 1993. She introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act that expanded the screening of newborns for heritable disorders in 2013. This bill saved hundreds of thousands of newborn lives. It came to the congresswoman’s attention that children can work full time in the agriculture industry, and due to their exploitation, over 26000 children are injured and can pass away due to agriculture- related incidents each year. The purpose of this documentary is to shine a light on Congresswoman Roybal-Allard’s persistence on this issue for over thirty years and put pressure on lawmakers to end all child labor in the United States of America. The director, John Valadez, brings the stories of Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, labor rights-leader Dolores Huerta, and families, who have had their children been exploited, together to create a united front against this national issue. While the Congresswoman has retired and legislation has yet to pass, it is finally being presented on the floor of the House of Representatives. Although this is an ongoing issue, the film team will continue to document each step in this process and give a platform to the families that have fallen victim to the agricultural industry.
