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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—"Both Sides of the Fence (Los Dos Lados de la Frontera)," a documentary focused on understanding the barriers and challenges faced by Mexicans who migrate to the United States will be shown in a free, open-to-the-public screening planned for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in the Fetzer Center’s Putney Auditorium on É«É«À² Michigan University's main campus.

Experts in the field of Mexican/U.S. migration will host a panel discussion following the screening. The 15-minute documentary focuses on the impact of migration from the perspective of the Mexican people derived from interviews conducted by É«É«À² students and faculty in summer 2014. The film involves people from three rural communities in Guanajuato, Mexico, who shared their experiences, suffering and hopes related to migration.

A complex issue

The growth in America's Latino population continues to outpace the growth in all other minority groups, reports Denise Bowen, É«É«À² assistant professor of physician assistant and co-director of the Both Sides of the Fence study abroad program with Dr. Maureen Mickus, É«É«À² associate professor of occupational therapy. Moreover, Bowen says the vast majority of immigrants to the United States are Mexican, with the highest percentage coming from the Mexican state of Guanajuato. These factors inspired their interest in establishing a 2014 study abroad program in Mexico centered on migration issues.  As the 2016 presidential primary season unfolds, the issue of Mexican immigration has taken center stage.

"A number of pundits believe that candidates' stance on immigration may actually determine the next election," Mickus said. "In reality, few Americans understand the complexity of Mexican migration, including the economic, cultural and the historical background underlying the debate. Despite the close proximity and the longstanding socio-political history between the two countries, there is limited understanding of our cultural differences and similarities. Bridging this cultural divide is particularly critical at this time given the sizeable number of Latinos in the United States and the widespread attention related to immigration reform."

About the documentary

In 2012, the Fetzer Institute of Kalamazoo, Michigan, while promoting love, forgiveness, and compassion, commissioned É«É«À²'s Haenicke Institute for Global Education to develop a study-abroad project about the transformative power of love and forgiveness. The project centered on exemplar Adriana Cortes Jimenez and her Fundación Comunitaria del Bajío, a Mexican non-profit association working in local development in rural Mexican communities which have been affected by U.S.-Mexican migration. 

The Fetzer Institute provided a significant grant for the first offering of the program in summer 2014 and the documentary. The Both Sides of the Fence program was offered again in 2015, as one of just 10 U.S. university study abroad programs that received a 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grant aimed at supporting new innovative partnerships to increase student mobility to and from Latin America, the Caribbean.

The documentary was filmed by Hector Lara with Luis Hernandez. Bowen, Mickus and Lara served as directors.

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