Amid the tumultuous U.S. economic and political landscape, ASU senior research fellow and professor James Garcia’s latest play, “Los Repatriados” or “The Repatriated,” examines issues important to Latinos.
“Los Repatriados” is a short play based on the true story of the mass deportations of an estimated 500,000 Mexican-Americans and immigrants during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
The Sunday production was the final part of a series of events hosted by Chicanos Por La Causa in their first annual celebration of Dia de La Raza — Day of the People/Race — at Barrios Unidos Park in Phoenix.
The day’s activities focused on issues facing the Latino community — education, culture and immigration. These themes and others were addressed in “Los Repatriados.”
“The nation is living through what some have described as the greatest economic upheaval since the 1929 crash,” Garcia said. “Needless to say this is a topic that resonates today. … The parallels are eerily similar.”
Garcia, who has written about immigration since the mid-1980s, said he does not consider himself an activist or a champion of social justice.
Rather, he sees himself as someone telling a story that needs to be told.
“I’m a writer — a writer who understands that the story of los repatriados, much as the story of today’s immigrants, should be told,” Garcia said.
Garcia said it is important for people to understand history in order to prevent similar violations of human dignity in the future.
“The only difference between now and then is the scapegoating of immigrants this time around began before the economic crisis,” Garcia said.
The storyline of “Los Repatriados” isn’t well known, Garcia said.
“Unless you’re related to someone who was deported during the Great Depression or a scholar of the subject, you probably haven’t heard about it,” he said. “I was inspired to tell the stories of the people who survived it.”
“Los Repatriados” ended with a powerful example of how those who were deported in the 1930s were affected. Members of the audience were mock-deported out of the country “guerilla theater” style in an effort to drive the point home.
Judy Butzine, co-founder of Cultural Arts Coalition‚ said issues like immigration are relevant to everyone, regardless of race or background.
“People need to look back at how they got their own freedoms and rights in this country,” Butzine said. “Go all the way back and look at the process their ancestors had to go through. … Arizona should be a model for solving the issues dealing with immigration reform,” she said.
William Simmons, a political science professor at ASU’s West campus said the performance was powerful.
“You got a small sense of what it was like for people and their families who went through that back in the ’30s,” he said.
“There are a lot of lessons from what happened in the 1930s for what’s happening today, especially in Phoenix,” Simmons said. “The idea of people being swept out of their homes and everyday lives has a lot of resonance today.”
Reach the reporter at rmanus@asu.edu.
