Student film explores English literacy as key for immigrants

Immigrant families living in North Adams and surrounding communities need help learning to speak and read English, according to people interviewed in a documentary film a dozen Williams College students are finishing this spring.

“We found that one of the greatest barriers for adults who would like to take English as a second language is the number of hours they have to work during the day to support their families,” Allison Seyferth, a senior political economy major from Bennington, Vt., said on Friday. “We’re hoping the film will increase community awareness and interest in helping Northern Berkshire’s growing immigrant population.”

“Funding is a big issue,” added Danny Y. Huang, a freshman from Shenzhen, China, who is interested in studying computer science. “The film might bring greater funding to those organizations that are helping to promote adult literacy.”

There are approximately 10,000 immigrants living in Berkshire County, according to statistics compiled in 2007 by the Berkshire Immigrant Center of Pittsfield. Fewer than 500 enrolled in an English language course in 2006, which was a 30-percent increase over 2000. The immigrant center is just one of the organizations Seyferth and Huang interacted with while filming the 30-minute documentary.

Berkshire County claims the fastest growing Latino population in the state next to Boston, according to the center’s data. Nearly half of the county’s immigrants are from Latin America, 7 percent are Eastern European, 7 percent are African, 6 percent are Asian, 4 percent are Western European and 14 percent are from other parts of the world.

Seyferth, Huang and the other students interviewed 14 people on videotape across the past few months, using a budget of less than $500 provided by college organizations. About half the subjects were immigrants living in North Adams., one was from Lee. They hail from countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and Honduras. Most of the immigrants work for Williams College Dining Services. The other people interviewed were employees of local literacy-resource centers across the county.

While researching for the project, students worked with the Northern Berkshire Adult Basic Education Program, Northern Berkshire READS, Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield Family Literacy Program, Adult Learning Center of Pittsfield, Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County, Literacy Network of South Berkshire and South Berkshire Educational Collaborative.

A team of students are now editing 15 tapes of material, which they transcribed into a 70-page document, Huang said. They expect to complete the film by the end of the semester and host multiple screenings. They are also completing a survey of 50 people to glean information about what resources immigrants want most.

Huang said the documentary also will address the importance of preserving an immigrant child’s connection to their native culture. He said rifts can sometimes form between a child and his or her parents when the child begins to exchange their native culture for an American one, in order to blend in at school.

Seyferth founded the Williams chapter of the Rural Literacy Project, an effort initiated by a Williamstown Elementary School teacher to put books into the hands of children in Latin America.

Huang is the founder of the Purple Valley Films, a student organization dedicated to the study and production of film.

By Bonnie Obremski
Courtesy of The North Adams Transcript

The Williams College Lehman Council for Community Engagement granted a Social Entrepreneurship Grant in December 2007 to carry out this project.