[KQED] Refugee Women Tell Their Stories of Pain and Beauty in Sofía Córdova’s New Film

Artist Sofía Córdova prepares Alejandra for filming 'dawn_chorusiii: the fruit they don't have here,' where she and other women tell their stories of coming to the U.S. as refugees. (Chani Bockwinkel)

Alejandra hadn’t planned on leaving Guatemala, but she didn’t really have a choice.

She had moved to the capital from her rural hometown to get proper schooling for her son, who is deaf. But living in Guatemala City was too expensive as a single mom, so she left and put her own dream of studying law on hold. More hardships followed when a fishing company began dumping waste into the river that sustained her community. Alejandra campaigned to put pressure on the local government to regulate the pollution, but the powerful company had the politicians in its pocket. She knew she was in danger, so she embarked on an arduous journey that took her through Mexico, into I.C.E. custody and, eventually, to the Bay Area, where she’s currently studying and trying to establish a better life for herself and her family.

Read the full report at the link below!

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