Documentary film on ethnic diversity in Perry, Iowa,
will be shown at Morningside College

A screening of the documentary film “A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Character of Perry, Iowa”will be held at Morningside College on Thursday, March 15, at 7 p.m. in the UPS Auditorium of the Lincoln Center, 3627 Peters Avenue. A presentation and discussion with producers Jody Swilky and Kent Newman will be held following the screening.

The film and discussion, which are sponsored by Morningside’s office of Diversity Affairs and the Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS), are free and open to the public.

“A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Character of Perry, Iowa” is a 55-minute film chronicling the rapid ethnic diversification that took place in Perry, Iowa, beginning in the early 1990s. Once a predominantly Caucasian community, Perry witnessed an sudden influx of Latino workers and their families who came to the town seeking work at the local meat packing plant. The scenario is representative of what happened to many Midwestern communities during the 1980s and 1990s as a result of changes in the livestock and meatpacking industries.

The film includes a historical look at immigration, ethnicity, and industry in the city of Perry including the rise and fall of the railroad and the emergence of meatpacking as the major eployer in the 1960s. It examrum Productions in Des Moines, which distributes the film. He is also president of the Iowa Motion Picture Associatioines changes in the economy, society, and physical environment, and documents a bilingual dialog process concerned with the city's future, community change, and improving communication among diverse residents.

Swilky, professor of English at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, served as project director for the film.
Newman is an independent producer, writer, and director with Full Spectn.

The film was produced with funding from Humanities Iowa, the Iowa Arts Council, Drake University, and public and private donors.