Harvest Of Loneliness: The Bracero Program

Airs Monday, September 5, 2011 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV

Historical photo of a Mexican man boarding a train to look for temporary work in the United States as part of the Bracero Program.

Credit: Ernesto Galarza Collection, Department of Special Collections, Stanford Library, Stanford University

Above: Historical photo of a Mexican man boarding a train to look for temporary work in the United States as part of the Bracero Program.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Shedding light on the current debate over immigration reform and the use of "guest workers" in American agriculture, this historical documentary, "Harvest Of Loneliness: The Bracero Program," examines what was known as the Bracero Program-a system put in place from 1942 to 1964 to recruit Mexican farm laborers for temporary work in the United States.

The film presents ample testimony from surviving braceros as well as family members and descendants of these displaced workers, who typically went north expecting not just high wages but also humane treatment and working conditions-expectations that were rarely if ever met. Featured experts include Mexican activist and politician Victor Quintana, "Bracero Program in California" author Henry Anderson and several others.

Video

Trailer: Harvest Of Loneliness: The Bracero Program

Above: Visit the official website for "Harvest Of Loneliness: The Bracero Program" to learn more about the film.

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