Orange Alert

La Casita Cultural Center to screen "Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth"

Screening follows youth-led New York City-Albany walk for the New York Dream Act

April 13, 2012, by Judy Holmes

Papers DVD cover
Papers DVD cover
From April 9 to 17, a group of 15 undocumented youth and their supporters are walking 150 miles from New York City to Albany to raise awareness of, and gain support for, the New York Dream Act, which would remove barriers to state-funded financial aid and scholarships for qualified students regardless of their immigration status.  The New York State Youth Leadership Council organized the march.

At 6 p.m. Friday, April 20, La Casita Cultural Center, 109 Otisco St., will present a screening of the 2010 documentary Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth, followed by a discussion featuring local activists.  The event is free and open to the public. Further information can be obtained by emailing La Casita or by calling 315-443-1879.

Guest speakers who will lead the discussion include Jose Perez, Esq., a Syracuse attorney who is an expert on immigration law, and Efrén Lopéz, Guatemalan-born, award-winning photographer.

Papers turns the spotlight on the stories and challenges faced by thousands of undocumented youth who graduate each year from high schools across the United States. They are among an estimated 2 million undocumented children raised in the U.S. and educated in American schools who have little or no memory of the country in which they were born. When they turn 18, these youth are in legal limbo: They cannot legally work, drive, apply for any kind of ID, or accept the college scholarships they have been awarded.

Produced by Anne Galisky and Rebecca Shine, founders of Graham Street Productions in Portland, Oregon, Papers has been screened throughout the United States. The film follows the personal stories of five undocumented students and the national grassroots movement to pass the Dream Act in Congress. The film includes expert commentary from political, academic, and civil rights leaders.

La Casita is a vibrant cultural, artistic, and educational center supported by Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Chancellor.  The Center is committed to promoting and documenting the arts and culture of Central New York’s Latino/Latin American community through collaborative programming in the visual and expressive arts, education, and community activism.

Media Contact

Judy Holmes