Paul Ortiz, who joined the ILR faculty in summer 2024 as a professor of labor history, is the director of the three-part documentary “American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos,” which will premiere Sept. 27 on PBS. Served as advisor and camera expert. .
Co-produced by actor John Leguizamo and award-winning director Ben DeJesus, American Historia aims to bring Latino voices to the forefront and accurately tell the history of the United States. There is.
“This series is going to be transformative in many ways,” said the author, who is also part of the Latino Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences and author of the 2018 book “African Americans and Latinos.” Ortiz said. American history. ”
In this series, Leguizamo delves into well-known and lesser-known stories about the history and contributions of Latin Americans over thousands of years, from ancient empires to the early 1970s. Shot on location in Mexico and across the United States, “American Historia” features Leguizamo in conversation with more than a dozen leading historians, anthropologists, writers and experts, including Ortiz.
The series also features actors including Benjamin Bratt, Bryan Cranston, Rosario Dawson, Laurence Fishburne, Ethan Hawke, Edward James Olmos, Rosie Perez, and Liev Schreiber reading original source material.
The School of Industrial and Labor Relations spoke to Ortiz about the documentary:
Question: How did you become involved in this documentary?
Answer: I have been involved in various PBS projects for some time. For example, I worked with Henry Louis Gates on a series on African American history that focused on the black church. And I’ve always loved working in documentaries. Because it’s a way to take our research and education beyond the ivory tower. Of course, I love the classroom and I love being active on campus, but I think unless we’re actually working in the broader community, we’re kind of selling ourselves and our community short.
One day, I suddenly received a call from Alessandra Quest from the production team. She said she was working with a team that included Ben DeJesus, who is very well known for his documentary work, and they had a lot of questions about Latin American history. So we started communicating via email. First, they asked very specific questions about the history of Latinos, especially the nomenclature, i.e., the use of the terms Hispanic, Mexican American, and Latino. So, we had a really good conversation about that, and it was about the role that Latinos played in the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War, and traditionally the role that Latinos played in American history. It has evolved to fill in the blanks that were left unfinished. One of those blanks is World War II. As a third-generation veteran, that was really fun for me because all I knew as a kid was war. All of my male elders were in the military, so having the opportunity to talk about Latinos in American military history was a really fun personal journey in itself.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, where do we sit as a nation in understanding the history of Latinos in the United States?
A: I think it’s up to 5 now. Two years ago I would have probably given it a 3, but lately I’ve become even more curious. What’s interesting is that with the participation of John Leguizamo and other amazing people, this series will reach parents, grandparents, and a new generation of Americans who want to see their culture represented in the mainstream. It is designed to.
When I was growing up, I never heard anything positive about Latinos or Mexican Americans or the communities I came from. It was always negative. It was either we were lazy, or we were stealing jobs from people, or we were criminals or gang members or thugs. Sadly, my current students, especially the first-generation students I talk to, whether at the University of Florida or at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I taught before arriving at Cornell, are exposed to the same stereotypes. He says he grew up with it. A balanced and objective picture of the struggles of these communities is rarely available. This series will really let people know that Latinos have made positive contributions to this society. I think people will start thinking about the relationship between Latin America and the United States in a new way.
Q: Why is this series important now?
A: We are in a time where a lot of work about Latin Americans is banned. It’s being pulled off the shelf. Children, especially those in the Sunbelt, are taught about Latinx, African American, LGBT, and women’s history with the premise that if this story makes you feel bad, then we’ll stop talking about it. are no longer able to learn the basic facts of library. However, much of that banned material will appear in this series. I think that’s what makes this series so distinctive and unique. The film is being released at a time when the very ideals of diversity, inclusion, and democracy are under siege. And these are some of the ideals that will see Latinos championed over the centuries in this series.
Q: What other resources would you recommend to someone who wants to learn more about Latino history?
A: One really great resource that I would encourage people to take advantage of is the Catherwood Library here at ILR School. Catherwood has an impressive collection documenting the struggles of Latino workers in some of the most important progressive unions, including New York City’s Local 1199, which has historically been predominantly Latino-led. These archives are invaluable and full of amazing history.
Honestly, I could stay here for hours and read book after book, but I don’t do that. What I really think is that the most important thing a person can do is talk to their elders. That’s what I love about oral history.
We lose much of our history because we realize too late in life that we should have asked more questions of our parents and grandparents. If you’re interested in history, just talk to people. They may be in your family. They could be community members at a local senior drop-in center. Elders in our communities truly hold the key to understanding how we got to where we are today.
Julie Greco is a Senior Communications Specialist at ILR School.
