Entry Conversation
Think back to the documentary and Cornejo Villavicencio’s text. Reflect and share one of the topics from these sources that resonated with you.
.migration and its health cost
.mental health and migration
.gender-based violence
.denial of health services/ debt
.reproduction of plantation economies (Latinx overseer)
.invizibilized labor
.tip economies
.other
Why do you think is important to center these discussions? Have you or your family experienced any of the struggles presented in them?
Brief Introduction
Puentes de Salud (Bridges of Health) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the health and wellness of Philadelphia’s rapidly growing Latinx immigrant population through high-quality health care, innovative educational programs, and community building.
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is an Ecuadorian-American writer and the author of The Undocumented Americans, published in 2020 and shortlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. She has written about immigration, music, beauty, and mental illness for various publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and more.
A common story among Latinx migrants
She was born in Ecuador in 1989. When she was a year and a half old, her parents immigrated to the US, leaving her with family. A few years later, her parents brought her to the US.
A rare story among Latinx migrants
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard in 2011 and believes that she is one of the first undocumented immigrants to do so. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in American Studies at Yale. She is also currently serving as Baruch College’s very own Harman Writer-in-Residence for the fall of 2021.
Recommended Student-led Interview
Oral/slide presentations
Individual Exercise
Read again pages 45-48 (Paloma’s profile) pick one or two quotes or ideas from this section and discuss the connection between Cornejo Villavicencio’s text and the documentary.
