Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America

When: Monday, March 22, 7 pm 

Where: Luther Memorial Church, 2500 W Wilson

Come and experience the last presentation of La Historia de Nuestras Vidas, an original play written and performed by immigrant men affected by the May 2008 raid in Postville, Iowa.  This moving and creative presentation weaves together the personal narratives of seven men, taking us through their experiences of immigrating to the United States, working conditions in a meat packing plant (Agriprocessors, Inc.)  in rural Iowa, and being arrested and imprisoned.  This is the final performance of the play, as the majority of the men will be deported from Chicago the following morning, March 23.

BACKGROUND

On May 12, 2008 the largest worksite immigration raid in US history happened in the small, rural town of Postville, Iowa,  Nine hundred armed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, along with state troopers, local police, planes and helicopters, surrounded Agriprocessors, Inc., the largest kosher meat packing plant in the US. ICE agents arrest 389 undocumented workers, mostly from Guatemala. Many of these workers were sentenced to six months in prison.

Following their 6-month imprisonment, many men were temporarily relocated to Deocrah, Iowa awaiting the trial of Agriprocessors, Inc. where they were to serve as witnesses. During this time, seven of the men came up with the idea of writing and performing a play about their lives. With the support of actors in the Decorah community, the group formed Teatro Indocumentado (Undocumented Theatre) and collaborated together in the creation and performance of this very timely, engaging and socially-relevant new play. La Historia de Nuestras Vidas provides a rare and remarkable insight into the pressing issues and personal consequences of US immigration policy and enforcement. Through stage imagery and dramatic reenactments, the ensemble transcends the language barrier and gives presence to the hopes and disappointments of countless immigrant workers.

The aftermath of the raid continues to affect communities in Iowa, Guatemala, Mexico and elsewhere.

NOTES 

The play is intended for both Spanish and English speaking audiences, as it is performed in Spanish with an English translation in the program booklet.

Luther Memorial does not have a parking lot, but there is street parking available.  In addition, there is a metered parking lot a few blocks away at Lincoln and Western.

For more information, please contact Erica at 773-293-2964 or via email at espilde@crln.org

**sections of this text were taken from a press release at: http://sites.google.com/site/postvilleiowavista/may-12-2009/la-historia-de-nuestras-vidas