We're thrilled to announce that Made in L.A. will be re-broadcast on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 10pm on PBS' Global Voices series, which is presented by ITVS. At a time when immigration and low wage work continue to dominate the news, we're excited that Made in L.A. will again be available to viewers across the country, and especially that it will air during Latino Heritage Month.

Made in L.A. will air on PBS WORLD, which is a digital channel that many public television stations offer. For more information about the broadcast and to check local listings, visit the PBS Global Voices page for Made in L.A.

We're thrilled that Made in L.A. is featured as one of four films that Sojourners is highlighting as part of its "Movie Night for Arizona" initiative, which encourages members to use film to explore the relationship between faith and immigration. In their "REEL Images of Immigration" toolkit they explain:

We invite you to be a part of educating Christians about the realities of the immigrant experience in our country and about our biblical mandate to treat them justly...

...Immigration and migration issues have affected societies throughout history. Through several modern films, we have the opportunity to examine different situations immigrants and their families face in our current day and age. Hosting a discussion after the film, which allows people to process, share, and act on what they saw, is a great way to educate yourself and your community about the need for immigration reform...

The other films included in the initiative are Dying to Live, The Visitor and Farmingville, all of which shed light on different aspects of the immigrant experience in the United States. We encourage you to visit the Movie Guide at FaithAndImmigration.org, and to consider screening Made in L.A. or one of the other great films in this initiative!

We wanted to reach out to our community to express our support for immigrants rights in Arizona, and our shock about the anti-immigrant bill – Senate Bill 1070 – that has just passed.

Many of you have hosted screenings of Made in L.A. in support of immigrants rights and immigration reform, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share links from several organizations that we have partnered with over the last few years:

AFSC: Arizona Immigration Law Immoral

America's Voice: ‘Qué Pasa' in Immigration: SB 1070 Passed; Boycott Arizona; Window for CIR

Breakthrough: Arizona's SB1070 Cannot Answer What An Undocumented Immigrant Looks Like

Center for Community Change: Arizona's Terror Era

NCLR: NCLR SAYS NEW ARIZONA LAW IS NOT THE ANSWER

NNIRR Action Alert: We Are All Arizona

Sojourners: Lamentations and Turning the Next Page in Arizona's Immigration Struggle and Jim Wallis' column Arizona's Immigration Bill is a Social and Racial Sin

Many of these organizations have "Take Acton" links following their postings and we encourage you to do so!

Restore Fairness: bring back due process to the immigration system from Breakthrough on Vimeo.

As we started to explore the "Restore Fairness" site, we were moved to tears by Juana Villegas' story, and by everything it reveals about due process, the flawed 287g program that empowers local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws, and the issues women face on a daily basis. We hope you'll take a moment to watch this video and to explore Breakthrough's call to action below:

Juana Villegas: A Pregnant Woman Detained from Breakthrough on Vimeo.

More information and additional media is available at http://restorefairness.org. Here is Breakthrough's call to action:

Since the Declaration of Independence, America has striven to uphold human rights ideals like fairness and due process. However, in the aftermath of 9-11, the government often arrests people without warrants, holds them in inhumane detention conditions, and deports them without a fair trial.

Join us by taking action now. Because when we let the government deny due process and human rights for some people, we put all of our freedoms at risk.

1. Watch "Restore Fairness".
2. Tell Congress to restore fairness right now.
3. Sign up for updates so you can continue to take actions that support fair immigration.
4. Become an ally by signing the pledge and get featured on the home page.
5. Spread the word by announcing "Restore Fairness" to friends, on your website/blog, twitter, facebook and email signature. (Watch a powerful video #Restore Fairness and take action to fix a broken immigration system).
6. Leave your comments on the video and blog.

Together, we can stop the erosion of our fundamental human rights!

The following day, Professor Joel Jennings hosted a Community Screening of Made in L.A. at St. Louis University in an event that was supported by the US Census. The auditorium was packed with students, and we had a vibrant Q & A.

On the third day, we had a great screening at UMSL, where Robert's sister Sonya is a professor and directs the Center for Neurodynamics. The event was organized by Deborah Cohen, from the Department of History and the Institute for Women's and Gender Studies.

Mundo Latino wrote a beautiful review of the film (in Spanish)!

On the third day, I visited Illinois Wesleyan University for a moving presentation at the Student Center. Professor Kathleen O'Gorman had contacted me a few months earlier, and by coincidence I was already planning to be in the area at ISU, so she put this presentation together quickly and how glad I am! A full house once again and a very intimate conversation with the audience left me energized and wanting to return to these twin cities!

The ISU events were sponsored by: Latin American and Latino Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Diversity Advocacy, Fell Trust Committee, University Housing Services, Milner Library, Women's and Gender Studies.

The IWU event was sponsored by the Latin American Studies Team of the International Studies Program, the Office of Co-Curricular Programming, the IWU Action Research Center, the Women's Studies Program, the Hispanic Studies Department, and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

At the end of the summer, we headed to Orange County to present Made in L.A. at a meeting of parish representatives from the Diocese of Orange, which had contacted us to promote Made in L.A. for screenings in their 60+ parishes in Orange County as a tool to explore issues of low wage work, immigration reform and immigrant rights.

Anna Nersesyan (our wonderful outreach assistant), Robert Bahar, Bishop Flores, Sister Eileen McNerney, Lupe Hernandez, Georgeann Lovett, Almudena Carracedo, Angelo Paparelli, Shirl Giacomi, Maria Aroyo.

The panel featured us and Lupe, as well as Maria Aroyo, Education and Formation Coordinator from Catholic Relief Services; Sister Eileen McNerney, Founder of Taller San Jose; Angelo A. Paparelli, Immigration Attorney and Blogger.

Georgeann Lovett, Director of Respect Life, Justice and Peace from the Diocese of Orange commented on the event: "I received VERY positive feedback from the event. It was considered very timely... very powerful (someone referred to it as potent)... The documentary and the discussion highlighted why people are immigrating into the United States both legally and illegally; the problems with trying to come here legally; how women are treated; the garment industry; worker exploitation in general; the idea that people of the same ethnic background are preying on their own; the situation of separated families; our Catholic Social Teaching regarding immigration, and the list goes on and on. Everyone walked away with powerful images and new awareness of this issue, its complexity and ways to better understand and get involved."

Read what PBS viewers had to say about Made in L.A. Many stations will air Made in L.A. during August and September, so if you missed the broadcast in your city or what to find out when your PBS station will air it, check local listings every week for up-to-date information!

"THIS show moved me and I fell in love with three strangers I've never met. When a documentary can do that to someone, it's a sign of greatness. Thank you Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar for enlightening me and so many others. I'll be sure to think twice when making ALL my future purchases with the likes of these three in mind." - Victor Velez

"Rarely - okay hardly ever - do I do this sort of thing - post thoughts on a website. But, as you can see, I was really moved by this documentary. Well done. Thank you for making it. Thank you, POV for sharing it. These women are an inspiration." - Annette

"Blown away! This is such a sensitive reporting of a difficult, complex and frustrating reality. POV just keeps on bringing me to tears. Thank you for telling stories that need to be told. I wish this was what TV is usually...and that pigs could fly!" - Carole

See more, and a lively discussion on the issues of immigration and sweatfree purchasing, on the POV website!

In light of the upcoming PBS broadcast, we're encouraging you to write "letters to the editor" to your local or regional newspaper, addressing immigration reform and using the Made in L.A. broadcast as a timely hook and as an empathy engine to personalize the issue. We worked with America's Voice to make this easy! Just click here http://americasvoiceonline.org/madeinla - and use the template letter and online tool to easily send a personal message to your local media. Policy makers look to letters like this to get a sense of their constituents' views, so this can be a persuasive tool!