New film captures the lives of two Eastside DREAM activists

For three months, Nancy Meza and I, along with one other young lady, filmed our everyday lives for a film project titled ‘Limbo.’ Partnering up with director Eliot Rausch and producer Mark Schwartz, we wanted to share and lay bare our reality of being undocumented in the United States. Both Nancy and I shared our stories because we know that only by putting a face behind the multifaceted issue of immigration in the US, we can change the dialogue of what it means to be an immigrant. Immigration is nothing new for Boyle Heights or East LA, both communities have thrived and changed over the years as a result of all of the families that have come from Latin America.

Both Nancy and myself still continue to work in our communities to fight for the rights of undocumented immigrants. Whether it is a high school presentation of how student can continue on to college or organizing protests and rallies fighting for the Federal Dream Act, we know what it’s like to grow up undocumented in this country and know that there are more students coming behind us. While this film only shows a brief window of what we do in our everyday lives, at the end of the day, we’re just like everyone else, trying to make a dollar outta 15 cent.

Ultimate 2011 Dia de los Muertos Event Guide: Boyle Heights

By Erick Huerta

“Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.”

~ Yoda

Dia de los Muertos is one of my favorite days of the year. We celebrate the lives of those that have moved on and relearn an appreciation for the ones we have around us. Every culture has their own tradition for honoring their ancestors, celebrating their lives and sharing a meal with them again once a year, when they make their way back to us to see how things are going. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate these kinds of traditions because they’re all as unique as the individuals we are honoring. That’s why it’s beautiful to see more and more spaces in L.A. start their own celebrations in their own way.

To continue my tradition, I’ve rounded up a guide to this year’s Day of the Dead celebrations around town. Here’s a selection of events in Boyle Heights from my complete event guide posted on LATaco.com

More events should be popping up as the Day of the Dead nears, so stay posted for updates or if you have a show you know of, let us know in the comments or on Facebook.