Bread and Roses clearly depicts the life of the illegal immigrant and the low income community in the United States. People don’t leave their family and home land out of luxury; it is mostly a matter of finding “Bread” that will make their families’ and their own lives better. However, life in the U.S.A is a catch-22 because there are economic, social, educational and language barriers that hinder economic mobility. Minimum or maybe less than minimum wage jobs are the starting point for most immigrant families.
The movie mainly focuses on janitorial workers from the Latino and African American community, who in my opinion are the “invisible” workers in many industries. It also shows how women and illegal immigrants are at risk of being abused in their work environment since their choices are often limited because of their status or family responsibilities. The janitors finally formed a union that will ensure that they get health insurance, holiday pays and sick leave. The union not only ensured that they were receiving the “bread” they deserved, but also restored their “Roses”, dignity as human beings. The most important lesson I learned from the movie is that, as someone who started her life in the U.S with similar jobs and who now has the privilege of being educated, to be observant of my work environment and question any unfair treatment of people based on their identity, economic and social status.
I very much agree with your statement concerning “invisible workers” in American society. I have on multiple occasions in my own experience seen people treated this way. It’s an aspect of our society that still plagues a lot of people. It’s difficult to understand how it operates, because I don’t think all people who contribute to this “invisible” atmosphere are bad, per se. Its a social norm that many people attribute to themselves through seeing others act in a similar manner. That’s not to say this is correct or okay to do, but maybe that’s how it will change in the future as well. If more and more people interact with “uniformed employees”, its possible they will become less invisible and objectified.
I agree with you on this completely. Undocumented immigrants are exploited in this country, especially the farmworkers. They are paid low wages without benefits such as health insurance, retirement pension, paid sick leave, and safe working conditions. They are already being exploited and in this political climate, they will be even more afraid to speak up against unfair treatment. They are human beings too who left their country due to economic or political turmoil. If people start to view them as human beings and give them basic human rights, then they will feel better about themselves and this country.
i cannot agree more on your post. It is very saddening to see undocumented workers are being exploited, even though they are a great part of American society, those who represent and live up to the motto ‘land of the free’. I think people think too much of what the loss is rather than the gain from undocumented immigrants, such as tax and etc. If we can open out mind and heart bigger, and see each person as someone in need of help,we can improve the issue much much more.