On Freedom Road: The Fruits of U.S. Exploitation of Immigrant Labor – Migrant Workers and Detention

In this second episode of the Freedom Road Podcast two-part series on Immigration, Exploitation and Labor in the U.S. join host, Lisa Sharon Harper, and company as they travel from The Alamo to the Borderlands; shining light on America’s labor system–a system perpetually dependent on the no-cost and low-cost labor of black and brown immigrant labor.

Listen in as Harper processes with conversation partner, Sandra Ovalle (Sojourners), sound engineer David Dault (Sandburg Media) and videographer Alize Jireh Yaccino (The Work of the People). Over the second half of their 1500 mile journey Harper and company unearth the true (and buried) reason for the battle at The Alamo and the establishment of the State of Texas. They illuminate the racialization of Mexican-Americans with Michael Mata (Transformational Development Specialist) and examine the conditions of the mid-20th century Bracero Program and subsequent migrant worker programs with Juanita Valdez-Cox (LUPE). Finally, they lament the death and exploitation of detained children–separated from their parents in the borderlands of McAllen, Texas with Sister Norma Pimentel (Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley).

NOTE: While at The Alamo, the Freedom Road Podcast crew was approached by the a member of The Alamo media team and asked to stop recording because we did not have a permit. We agreed and moved across the road to public land where we processed our experience of The Alamo and the carefully crafted narrative it’s owners protect and maintain. No images or sound recorded on The Alamo property are used in this production.