Dr. James Sobredo, associate professor of ethnic studies, Asian American Studies Program at California State University in Sacramento, joins an April 25 panel presentation titled, “100 Years of Challenging Asian American Media Representation” to present his research paper, “Filming Filipino Contract Workers.” Sobredo is the academic adviser for Under the American Sun.
The theme of the April 22 – 25 conference at the Waikiki Hilton Prince Kuhio is “Challenging Inequalities: Nations, Races and Communities.” To be discussed are political, economic and social inequalities among nations, races, and other communities and ways to foster equality, justice and fairness. An estimated 500 historians, scholars and community activists from throughout the United States are expected to attend this annual event.
The independently produced documentary film, Under the American Sun, will trace the epic post-World War II migration of Filipino laborers to Guam. The U.S. military recruited skilled laborers and professionals to help rebuild an island devastated by war, resulting in the initial 1946 influx of Filipinos to Guam. The recruitment process lasted for two decades, resulting in a migration of over 10,000 Filipino men and women to Guam.
