llo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, "campesinos," the documentary, on our show today on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ female: people don't understand or know what farmworkers do. they don't understand the hardships that they follow, that they work year round, fog, cold weather, hot weather, to provide for us. male: sometimes, people-- damian: that's the taste of that new--well, it's not really new now, it's been around for a while, getting a lot of awards, the documentary: "campesinos: the unsung american heroes." and with me today are the people behind the lens of this great

documentary: alex ontiveros and joe poni, and welcome to the show. alex ontiveros: thanks for having us. damian: yeah, alex, you know, in just watching those 10 seconds, a bit of that trailer, the hair on the back of my neck started standing up. tell us what prompted you, what propelled you to--you and joe, to say, "let's give this a shot"? alex: well, damian, as you may know, i mean, i know you know that we started a venture called silicon valley latino back in 2011 and, basically, the main goal with that venture is to share the narrative and the stories of the latino community, right? but we hadn't done anything that focused on the farmworker community and, at the end of 2019, joe and i came together at a meeting and we decided that this year or in 2020, going into 2020, we would dedicate resources and time to a passion

project that became this documentary. damian: and joe, when you spoke to alex first about this, i don't know if you realize, it's a--you realize now, if you didn't. it's a job like no other. it's not a job--it's not an office job, it's not a job where you're driving truck. this is a job and i can say it because it's one of the jobs that it's a very bottom of the totem pole when it comes to respectability in the american job market. joe poni: correct. there is no dignity when it comes to being a farmworker in our day and age, unfortunately. and what we set out to do was to highlight the hard work, the sacrifice, that this community does for not only california but for our nation. california is the largest food producer in the nation and they are essentially the backbone of our country. damian: absolutely. i don't know--i can see that you guys are professionals. your picture looks a lot better than mine here

on "comunidad del valle." congratulations for that. and you've showcased it in a lot of places, alex, and it's gotten quite a few awards. alex: yeah, we've entered it into the 2022 film festival circuit and to date it has received eight awards and one telly. and we, in addition to being at film festivals, specifically during hispanic heritage month, we had a lot of our friends and contacts at the tech companies and corporations reach out to us to do screens during hispanic heritage month so it's been screened at places like bill.com, linkedin, nvidia, and others. and so it's been showcased through those platforms to the employee research groups, the latinx employee research groups, that have coordinated that with us. damian: right, well, thank you for giving a voice to the voiceless 'cause that's basically what the campesinos really are. let's do this.

let's show--you have a one-minute trailer from the documentary. let's show you that trailer and we'll talk on the other side. male: for a very long time, farmworkers -- latino workers have been in the shadows. the pandemic put a light on them. belinda arriaga avalas: you know, i look at the farmworkers and i think, "they're maestros of the land, they're profesores, they're doctores of the land. female: people don't understand or know what farmworkers do. they don't understand the hardships that they follow, that they work year round, fog, cold weather, hot weather, to provide for us. male: sometimes, people say, "all these people from other countries, they come and take our jobs." no, nobody wanna do these jobs. all what's going on with the pandemic and stuff. these people, they still have their working. they don't have any other help. so if they don't work, they probably don't eat. we gotta appreciate more these people. ♪♪♪

damian: there goes the hair again in the back of my neck. the documentary is 22 minutes long. i ask this of other documentarians, joe, how difficult was it to leave perhaps hours and hours of videotape and interviews on the editing floor? joe: very difficult because there's so much to tell for this precious story. the field workers worked 10 to 12 hours a day in the sun, in the heat, in harsh conditions, and so you can just imagine how much footage we collected. when it comes time for distribution we may add more so that it can be more of a 30-minute, maybe even a 45-minute length. but it was a very difficult but honoring job for us here on this end. damian: and one of your characters there, alex, said

that the campesinos are the professors of the land. wow, what powerful words to describe the campesinos. alex: yeah, absolutely. i think, and i think that just goes to speak to the level of appreciation that we really need to have for these individuals that, for generations, have dedicated their lives to helping feed the nation. damian: let's pick that up on the other side, alex. i do wanna expand on that and i don't wanna cut you short so let's expand on that in our next segment. again, this is the documentary, "campesinos: america's unsung heroes." there's the web address of silicon valley latino for more information. we'll be back with the people behind the lens. stay with us.

damian: we're back with the people behind the lens here on "comunidad del valle," of the documentary, "campesinos." and i interrupted you, alex, when you started talking about the professors of the land. alex: yes, i think that, again, that's a profound statement because it goes to speak about what they--who they are and what they do and what they know.

that was dr. belinda arriaga avalas who made that statement and it's really about--the statement's about how much they know in terms of how to produce from an agricultural perspective, how to produce healthy food for us, how to produce food that's gonna be, you know, valuable to this country because, again, as joe said, you know, the farmworkers in california produce so much of the food that's feeding the nation and i think it's time that we have done something to really highlight their contributions and i think covid definitely put them on the map. damian: yeah, i mean, we recognize them as the essential workers, finally, that they are. i don't if we're forgetting once again that they're the essential workers, but it's documentaries like this that help remind people. one thing that, joe, that their camera lens can't do and mine can't do is they can't show the dust under their eyelids, they

can't show the pain in their backs, but it's there. i'm sure you saw it, i'm sure you witnessed it, and i'm sure you heard about it. joe: yeah, what we wanted to do is we wanted to tell the story in the view of an ally, and we wanted to break down this bridge of left and right and really create a story that brought people together to view their sacrifice. it's not a political video. it's a video that just brings awareness to the farmworkers in california and it has received such great feedback. it has created people that have never even thought about field workers or even about the food that they have at the grocery stores. it has given them an appreciation for the people that work the fields. damian: i remember when i would go with my dad when i was a little smaller and he had to turn on the sprinklers because by 9 a.m.

the wind starts howling and the sprinklers serve no purpose at 9 a.m. because it's not irrigating anything. so at 2 a.m., he's out there, turning on the sprinklers. from the images, it looks like you were out there at dawn, at dusk, at night. who wants to take that one, alex or joe? alex: well, i could start it but then i'm gonna ask joe to finish it. so, as you know, we made a commitment to pursue this passion project at the end of 2019. we had no idea that there was gonna be a pandemic happening, you know, 3 months into the year, right? and so we started it and what we thought was gonna be a 5- to 7-month project ended up being a 17-month project. and we went down from lancaster, southern part of california, up to the sonoma, napa valley region, and joe was out there. joe was out there, you know, with the rest of our crew. we were out there, filming in a variety of situations. joe: mm-hm, yeah, we filmed through the lockdowns

because they were out there. we filmed through the outbreaks because they were out there. we filmed through the california wildfires because they were out there. we did everything we could to tell this story through the conditions that they were working through. damian: now, i've tried, as a journalist, to go into some of these fields and interview them for different reasons and sometimes i get a yes from the grower, sometimes, a lot of times, i get a no. how difficult was access into some of these farm lands? alex: yeah, i could answer a part of that. so yeah, we had--even though we had allies and collaborators and friends that were--that once we let them know what our project was gonna be about, like the ufw and others, they did the best that they could, but we still had roadblocks because a lot of times, i think, if you think about it from a farmer or farm owner perspective, you, first of all, we were in covid and then, second of all, you know, they might think that we're trying to

put together content that's gonna villainize them so we had to be very careful about how we presented the project. but it really wasn't until we ran across the organization in half moon bay, alas, who has had an incredible relationship with so many growers, farm owners, and the campesinos themselves, that that's what really helped open the doors for us to really shoot on a regular continuous basis. damian: let me ask you real quickly, joe, how happy or lucky do you think you are to have the job that you have and not be doing what they were doing? joe: well, i definitely have an appreciation for this hard work. my grandmother was a farmworker and it's backbreaking work from sunrise to sundown. and i think, in the video we interview farmers and the

farmers say, "hey, people come and by 10 o'clock--they start at 9, at 10 o'clock they're nowhere to be found." and so it's a very difficult industry, and it is very much deserving of our praise. damian: we appreciate, again, what you've done. we want to do one more segment with y'all so don't go anywhere. but if you wanna watch, again, get more information on this documentary, "campesinos: america's unsung heroes," by alex ontiveros and joe poni, there's the web address for silicon valley latino. we'll be back and wrap this up in our next segment. stay with us.

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(hero) have a good weekend! alright now... have a good weekend. (co-worker) but it's wednesday... (co-worker 2) see you monday! (co-worker 3) am i missing something? (hero) it's the weekend baby... see you later. (vo) like getting things two days early? when it comes to payday, you can with wells fargo. (co-worker 4) what are you doing this weekend? (steven) every time i come to see caremore, they go above and beyond to take care of me. i feel a lot better now. i'm taking medication for what i should have been taking years ago. (vo) call the number on your screen to learn more about medicare plans in your neighborhood that include caremore. damian: we're back with the documentarians of the documentary, "campesinos: america's unsung heroes." and again, we appreciate what you've done in shedding light onto the work of these unsung heroes, you're right. i picked garlic, i picked strawberries. i irrigated and it's a part of--you're telling my story

so i appreciate that. but what's heartbreaking and i spent a long time in this place is half moon bay, alex. and i mean, those poor people. it's barely the beginning of february and they've been through floods, they've been through a sinkhole. they closed down a main artery there. and then the unimaginable mass shooting that occurred. i saw you there at the vigil. how devastating was it for you to see them go through that? alex: i think it--for us, you know, we've grown over the months and months of filming, we've developed relationships with not only alas but the farmworkers and we know many of them on a first-name basis. so there's that closeness that i--you know, if you were to ask me, you know, before the pandemic started that i would be here and that we would be working in half moon bay and supporting that community, i would have not have imagined that. but, you know, it's interesting how life gives you opportunities

to develop relationships and to be part of a community, and we are as, you know, myself and joe and the rest of our team at silicon valley latino, we're very committed to helping to support that community and, yeah, it was incredibly devastating to see and hear the news about the mass shooting. well, everything that they've gone through, but definitely the mass shooting. damian: and they're kind of your family at this--right, joe? because you did spend some time with a lot of those folks over there. joe: yeah, we wanted to create a partnership when creating this documentary. we didn't wanna just come in, film, and leave. we wanted to help out any way we can. and we developed a great relationship with alas, the organization that helps over 1500 farmworkers in the san mateo county, especially in the half moon bay area. and we have developed relationship with alas and the farmworkers there to a point to where we offer programs, we're a part of their programs, and to hear this devastating news, first the flash floods that took place, the floods were so bad

that they flooded a farmworker housing that farmworkers that we know even entered into the hospital due to, like, cardiac arrest and just over-stressed and mental illnesses and things of that sort that they're all suffering and then tragedy upon tragedy, with this shooting that happened, our heart truly goes out with them, and we stand with them, and we are there, raising funds currently. damian: that's--i wish we had more time to talk about that but how blessed do you think you are, joe, when you're eating strawberry jam or the combination pizza that has mushrooms on it, knowing that-- the golden hands that produced it? joe: yeah, that was all our goal is that we wanted to make people aware of these people that are hidden behind the shadows, caring and loving america through their hands, and i'm very blessed with every fruit, every organic element

that comes in my home, and i hope that this documentary creates that same appreciation across our nation. damian: you're very well-spoken, joe, and you produced a very good product. and alex, joe talked about the fundraiser. real briefly, can you elaborate a little bit on that? alex: yeah, we're sharing the link there. it's really, like, alas's fundraiser but we've been behind the scenes helping promote it. we've, as you know, or as i indicated earlier, there's been a number of different corporate and tech companies that have done screenings, so we have bridged that connection between alas and the tech sector or corporate sector, and now we have--we're helping with some of those organizations to help raise funds for alas. the other thing that i'm really happy to say is that we created and i'm wearing a hoodie because, i don't know if you can see this. it says, "campesinos: america's unsung heroes." what we're doing also is we're doing a bogo campaign which is a

buy one, give one. so we're selling this merchandise on our website and if anybody wants to buy one, what you do is you buy one and then we give one to a farmworker. so that's another way that we're looking to help the community right now. damian: that's awesome. i'm in. i'm in. joe, any final thoughts before we let you go? joe: i think we all have a responsibility to do something in our current age to--whether it be prayers, whether it be giving, whether it be a sign of appreciation for our field workers in california and across this nation. my hope, my prayer, is that we can find a way as a community, to show our appreciation and to help this community progress and be appreciated. damian: all right, joe--joe! alex, you have about 20 seconds. any final thoughts? alex: yeah, you know, we talked a little bit about how many awards we've received because of, you know, putting it

out to the film festival circuit. i think the story's a story, it's an amazing story, but i also wanna give a lot of credit to our cinematographer-director joe poni. he's got an amazing eye and he just is so skilled as a cinematographer. so i think that's why we also have-- it's gotten a lot of recognition. damian: i love it. thank you both for putting this together. next time, shake the hands of a farmworker. see how weathered their hands are, and follow the hashtag, thank a farmer. go tell them. thank you so much. alex: thank you. joe: appreciate it. damian: good work, good work. again, it's on the silicon valley latino website for more information. "campesinos: america's unsung heroes." we'll be back with more after this. stay with us.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ you can beat it! ♪ visit youcanbeatit.org or call 833-422-4255 to ask for medication to treat covid-19. damian: those were some great segments. well, if you wanna get a hold of us on "comunidad del valle," you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo, or call 833-422-4255 on twitter it's @newsdamian. and we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us. we're gonna leave you with another quick interview and a little bit of music, so we'll see you here next week.

damian: it's one of the premier community service organizations in the entire country. we're talking about sacred heart community services in silicon valley. with me is poncho guevara, the executive director of the -- poncho, welcome to the show. poncho guevara: oh, it's great to see you as always, damian. we appreciate your leadership and supporting so many things happening here in the south bay. damian: it means a lot. thank you, poncho. and i'm just--you know, you and i spoke last week on a news story item and i'm just--you know, i never cease to get impressed at the work that your agency does, your volunteers, your staff. talk about that work and where that spirit comes from, poncho, when you see the despair and the anxiety from these families and there is an agency like yours to open the doors and lend a hand. poncho: well, it's interesting, damian. i was thinking about this 'cause i was talking with some of our leaders, some of the folks that have been involved in sacred heart for some time, a few weeks ago and one of the stories that kind of came to mind, i asked, like, "what does the holidays mean for you," because it's obviously a time of great stress

and pressure for folks. and one of our leaders talked about her experience coming to sacred heart several years ago when her family was going through some ups and downs, you know, financially and she'd heard about our programs and came and she saw how volunteers were so, you know, thoughtful and caring and generous and felt really safe and comfortable, really. and it's really hard for people that are--even if you're going through a rough time to ask for help because of the pride that families have to take care of their kids and making sure they keep a roof over their head. but that experience of actually coming and being treated with basic, you know, human dignity made them feel more comfortable to learn more about other ways that they can get involved. and not only did she start, you know, coming and accessing programs like an early childhood education program that we have or enrolling her kid in an after-school program, but also learned about our urban gardening program and got involved as a leader in that and helped us grow that program and was teaching others about how to be able to grow organic, you know, fresh, you know, produce in her

yard and shared it with others. and has gotten involved in some of our other work around immigrant rights and helping to push to try to make sure that everyone in our community feels safe, so the experience that we have right now is, like, even during the toughest times, to let people know that they're not alone and that there are other people that care about them and there are ways that their contribution and their involvement, not just reaching out to support their family during really difficult, you know, financial times like what we're experiencing right now, but also that they have value and they have power and they have a voice in terms of changing those conditions. and that's something that we're really proud of that we do every day. and i'm just--i'm so moved to be part of an organization that it's not just about doing something for others. it's about how we're all working together to improve the quality of life for every family in our community. damian: boy, that--those three words, "basic human dignity." it's beyond just giving them a box of food for one week and say, "okay, we'll see you next week." it's beyond that, right? poncho: mm-hm, yeah, but oftentimes it really starts with that sense of stability, being able to provide things like

food, clothing, emergency financial rental assistance. we did a lot of that, especially during the pandemic and we're starting to see folks really struggle quite a bit because of, you know, with the economy and inflation, you know, eating more into people's pocketbooks and, at the same time, we're seeing some of the--some landlords that are deciding that it's time that they wanna raise rents 'cause they weren't doing it during the pandemic and some people are getting squeezed out and being pushed out of the valley, so it's kind of like the--it's amazing to see the resilience of some of these families that have been able to make it through some really difficult times and rallying together and supporting each other, but it's also really hard to know that the conditions they're in are sometimes getting worse. so we really, really, it's so important to actually have the kind of support that we get from, you know, some of your viewers and so many of the folks, the generous folks, in our community to be involved in volunteering and donating. it's really, really critical this time, especially as folks have been rallying to try to hold on in a community that is

very difficult to live in 'cause of the cost of living. damian: so you're seeing that from rent--from landlords then? they're trying to make up for lost time. poncho: yeah, we're seeing some--a lot of-- a number of rent increases. we're seeing record numbers of evictions that are actually happening, you know, right now, that i think slowed down a little bit during the pandemic because of legal protections that were put in place, you know, during that time, but we're actually seeing a lot of people being displaced. and so we're trying to keep 'em from being displaced into homelessness, providing financial assistance or even providing a little bit of respite, like, you know, some food, you know, some clothing, being--and even, you know, holiday gifts and other things that just lighten up the pocketbooks so that people can actually spend money on the things that are really essential, like medicine or-- and especially, rent. damian: ah well, we'll talk about what y'all did for thanksgiving and what comes up for the christmas holiday but give us the numbers in general on an average month or a year, day, however you calculate it there, the numbers that you're helping.

poncho: well, last year, we served around 50, you know, to 53,000, you know, individuals that actually came through our doors that actually received a variety of different programs, everything from food, clothing, emergency financial utility assistance. last week, you're talking about and sharing about a new water program that started to help people with their water bills which is really, really important, you know, to be able to make sure to do that. and also how they could save money on their water bills by using conservation tactics so it doesn't cost as much to be able to do that. but also, using -- education programs, like i said, urban gardening program, a lot of different programs that are there, but it's really all designed to be about how we bring people together in community and how are we creating some of these relationships across boundaries of race and class and having people feel like that sense of that everyone belongs and everyone has value and worth. and that's something that's really exciting. ♪♪♪

growing up in rural georgia, all i heard about was park avenue as being the fancy place to live in new york city. now i have my dream home right on park. [music playing] i'm sara gore, and welcome to "open house." we've got a show filled with design delight today, including stops on the west side, chelsea, la, and the bk. but we are starting things off on the upper east side with interior designer wesley moon.