PITTSBORO — Chatham Community Library plans to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month beginning this month by hosting a virtual showing of the award-winning 2015 documentary, “Don’t Tell Anyone (No Le Digas a Nadie).”
Free to all, the showing will start Sept. 16, one day after Hispanic Heritage Month officially kicks off, and continue through Sept. 23. Hispanic Heritage Month ends on Oct. 15.
According to the library’s branch manager, Rita Van Duinen, the film is an effort to go beyond the “more traditional celebrations of the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans” and instead raise awareness about the struggles some face day-to-day.
Produced by filmmaker Mikaela Shwer, “Don’t Tell Anyone” follows Colombian-American activist Angy Rivera, who spent most of her life as an undocumented youth in New York City.
“We hope that viewers will come away with a better understanding of the realities of a defective immigration system, and the hurdles that the undocumented must endure in to become U.S. citizens,” Van Duinen told the News + Record. “Our goal in selecting this film is to build awareness especially in Chatham County, where we know many undocumented live and work and contribute to our communities.”
When she was 4 years old, Rivera and her mother fled to the U.S. to escape poverty and civil war in their home in Colombia, ultimately ending up in New York. For about 20 years, she and her mother lived in fear of deportation, struggled to keep themselves financially afloat and worried over an uncertain future.
To ensure their safety, Rivera’s mother taught her to keep her undocumented status a secret. For two decades, she followed her mother’s advice, but in 2010, she decided to “come out” and share her story.
While a part of the New York State Youth Leadership Council, an organization led by undocumented youth, Rivera created “Ask Angy,” the country’s first advice column for undocumented youth. Through that platform, plus a YouTube channel, she shared her own experiences and struggles while imparting advice to others.
“Sharing your story does make an impact,” Rivera said in the documentary’s trailer. “As an undocumented (immigrant), sometimes you don’t want to talk about it, but you’re not alone.”
In 2013, she qualified for a U visa, which the U.S. grants to victims of certain crimes who help law enforcement or government officials investigate or prosecute criminal activity.
Since its debut in 2015, the documentary has won several awards, including the Peabody in 2016. The film is primarily in English, with some Spanish subtitles.
Chatham Community Library is working with New York-based Women Make Movies to organize the virtual screening of the film. “Don’t Tell Anyone” is the library’s fourth virtual screening since the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to reduce most of their in-person programming.
“Virtual film screenings have proven to be popular and an affordable way to offer programming while library services are still in flux due to COVID,” Van Duinen said.
To access the showing, visit bit.ly/3gMnPcN. No registration is required, but people will need a password to access the film. To retrieve the password or seek additional information, send an email to social.library@chathamlibraries.org.
For those unable to attend a viewing between Sept. 16 and Sept. 23, Chatham Community Library has acquired a hard copy of the film that people may check out even after the viewing window expires.
Reporter Victoria Johnson can be reached at victoria@chathamnr.com.