March 2005
 Juana
Soto-Sosa (P'urhepecha) participated in the Taraspanglish
Migrant Video Project, a bi-national video production program
based in California and Michoacán and funded by Cultural
Contact, the US-Mexico Foundation for Culture. Very active in
social services for the immigrant community, Soto-Sosa works as
a prenatal and neonatal public health assistant, teaches parenting
classes to migrants in English, Spanish, and P'urhepecha, and
works as a court interpreter in P'urhepecha for California county
courts. At the age of ten, speaking only P'urhepecha, Soto-Sosa
immigrated to California from Angahuan, Michoacán, Mexico.
She is the niece of the late Valente Soto, one of the pioneers
of Mexican indigenous video.
"For me making video is very important and interesting because
for my people—immigrant and indigenous—who don't read
or write, at least they can see it and listen from a video. It's
a good way to teach to new generations about our culture, language,
and rights as a human being."
Screened by NMAI
Image credit:
Juana Soto-Sosa - photograph by Amalia Cordova, NMAI; Juana Soto-Sosa
with Felipe and Segjio - photograph by Amalia Cordova
|
 |
 |
|
|
