Lupe and Joann in Vancouver, Canada

Last month Lupe and Joann (stars in Made in L.A.!) went to Vancouver for two Made in L.A. screenings at the University of British Columbia (UBC), organized by Sociology Professor Jennifer Chun. I met Jennifer last March at a Ford Foundation-sponsored conference on Low-Wage Work, Migration and Gender in Chicago, where we screened Made in L.A. Jennifer decided the Vancouver community needed to see the film and she single handedly fundraised and organized to bring Lupe, Joann and me to Canada. At the last minute I wasn't able to go, but Joann wrote a few words to share with the Made in L.A. community:

Jennifer Chun, Joann, Joann's son Dylan and Lupe at one of the presentations

"The first day's screening was at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, which houses amazing art, sculptures, and other artifacts of the native peoples of British Columbia. The audience definitely liked "Made in L.A." and had good questions about the industry, organizing, and race relations. The second day's screening was in a theater at Simon Fraser University, and since this day's event was publicized to the community, the room was packed! People had to sit in the aisles. And they loved "Made in L.A." They gave it a standing ovation at the end.

We also learned a little bit about Vancouver during the Q&A and from Jennifer. There are still sweatshops -little factories and home work-in Vancouver. Vancouver is about 40% immigrant (if I remember what Jennifer told me correctly)--from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and now more from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, the Middle East, and other areas of the world. Groups are organizing in immigrant communities, such as Justicia for Immigrants and another center for education.

We had a great time in Vancouver. I took my 14-month-old son Dylan along. Jennifer was really gracious and took us around the city, including a stop at Cafe Rhizome where we had delicious food and dessert. One of the owners of the cafe was a long-time organizer with Mujeres Unidas y Activas in San Francisco. Thank you to Jennifer and to all the organizations that co-sponsored the screenings!"

This event was sponsored by: UBC Department of Sociology, UBC Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian studies (INSTRCC), St. John's College, UBC Centre for Women's and Gender Studies, SFU Latin American Studies Program, SFU Department of Geography, Hospital Employees' Union (HEU), Vancouver District Labour Council, Pacific Northwest Labour History Association, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, UBC School and Regional Planning Program (SCARP), UBC Department of Anthropology, UBC Centre for CrossFaculty Inquiry in Education (CCFI), UBC Law and Society Program, SFU Women's Studies Department, UBC Department of Geography, Justicia for Migrant Workers, No One is IllegalVancouver, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE).