Miguel De La Torre to bring award-winning documentary "Trails of Hope and Terror" to Whitworth University
September 15, 2017
The Whitworth University Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, to mark National Hispanic Heritage Month, will present author and screenwriter Miguel De La Torre, Ph.D., and his award-winning documentary "Trails of Hope and Terror" on Monday, Sept. 25, from 7-9 p.m. in Weyerhaeuser Hall’s Robinson Teaching Theatre.
This 53-minute documentary, based on de la Torre’s book of the same name, is the winner of the 2017 United Latino International Film Festival and the 2016 Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes.
The film details the struggles of people crossing the border and shares the historical context of how political events led to a system of “prevention through deterrence.” The filmmakers traveled to the U.S. border five times to walk in the desert and interview humanitarian groups, social workers, undocumented immigrants and protesters. The film also explores the following questions:
De La Torre, a professor of social ethics and Latinx studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, is a scholar-activist who has written more than 30 books on social and Christian ethics as well as Latinx studies. He will answer questions from the audience following the screening. Admission is free.
Hispanic Heritage Week was initiated under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1988, during the Reagan administration and the refugee crisis in Central America, the celebration was expanded to cover a 30-day period, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Today, Hispanic Heritage month is observed across the United States, Canada and Latin America.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, chief diversity officer and associate vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4215 or lhernandezjarvis@whitworth.edu
Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu.
The film details the struggles of people crossing the border and shares the historical context of how political events led to a system of “prevention through deterrence.” The filmmakers traveled to the U.S. border five times to walk in the desert and interview humanitarian groups, social workers, undocumented immigrants and protesters. The film also explores the following questions:
- Why does the United States currently have an immigration crisis on the southern border?
- What are the historical and economic reasons for this dilemma?
- How have politicians used this issue to garner votes?
- How are communities of faith responding to this crisis?
De La Torre, a professor of social ethics and Latinx studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, is a scholar-activist who has written more than 30 books on social and Christian ethics as well as Latinx studies. He will answer questions from the audience following the screening. Admission is free.
Hispanic Heritage Week was initiated under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1988, during the Reagan administration and the refugee crisis in Central America, the celebration was expanded to cover a 30-day period, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Today, Hispanic Heritage month is observed across the United States, Canada and Latin America.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, chief diversity officer and associate vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4215 or lhernandezjarvis@whitworth.edu
Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu.
