Entre Puerto Rico y Richmond: Women in Resistance Shall not be Moved

Evoking history and ritual, this dance film honors a lineage of resistance against U.S. colonialism through the activism of Afro-Puerto Rican radical nationalist leader Dominga de la Cruz Becerril (1909-1981) and white Puerto Rican anarchist, labor organizer, and feminist writer Luisa Capetillo (1879-1922). Both were hired as readers in tobacco factories where they read out loud classic literature along with union newspapers, raising political consciousness amongst the workers. Although geographically distant, Puerto Rico and Richmond, VA share histories of racism and exploitation through the tobacco industry. The American Tobacco Company (ATC) operated factories in Richmond where both black and white women worked in segregated facilities. When the U.S. occupied Puerto Rico in 1898, the ATC took over the tobacco industry on the island, pushing the transition from artisanal shops to capitalist factory production. Underlining these interrelated histories, the film was shot on location in a warehouse at the American Tobacco Company in the Southside of Richmond before it was torn down. As the physical space disappears, we honor and dedicate the film to the spirit of resistance and liberation of black women who worked in tobacco factories in Richmond and who organized to denounce the injustices they faced.

Philadelphia Premiere

Alicia Díaz
USA // 2020
Experimental
Spanish & English with Subtitles
18 Minutes

Co-Presented by the Chicana Director’s Initiative