See Migrant Workers Living In Shacks For Ducks! They Told Me Their Stories In 1963

Although this is my first professional documentary film is one I am most proud of. The time was 1964. I was a young filmmaker just starting out. As you may know, Long Island where I lived and went to college, is famous for its duck farms. I had just graduated college and a friend told me about how bad the conditions were for local duck migrant farm workers. My family raised me to feel for the underdog. I pitched an idea for a documentary to a local gentleman connected to CORE - the Congress Of Racial Equality. He gave me $300 to make a film to show the conditions in Riverhead, Long Island where migrant farmworkers were living in the houses ducks had lived in.

CORE was an influential player in the Civil Rights Movement. They had led Freedom Rides to the south along with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). They had led Voter Registration Drives to register black voters, particularly in the South. They had organized Sit-ins and Protests on Long Island to challenge discriminatory practices in public spaces.

I took my Bolex H16 windup camera and a friend with a tape recorder and we drove to Riverhead and snuck onto the farmer's property and spent the day recording. I was horrified by what I saw. People living in the houses made for ducks. The people who I interviewed were kind and giving. None of them had ever seen a camera like mine or a professional tape recorder, but they had the courage to speak out even though it was possible that the duck farm owner would kick them out. If we had been caught on that farm the owner had the right to shoot us as there were signs posted that warned people not to come on the property “or else”.

The finished documentary was seen as experimental for its time. CORE sent the film to President Lyndon Johnson’s office (if you can believe that) and someone there chose to show it to Congress. It helped propel 1964-65 legislation to protect migrant farmworkers.

In 1964 Long Island was home to a thriving duck farming industry. At its peak there were hundreds of duck farms across Long Island. Migrant farmworkers were a vital part of the Long Island duck farming industry. The workers raised and fed the ducks, cleaned their pens and collected eggs. Additionally, they were responsible for the processing and packaging of the ducks for sale and transportation.

Life for migrant duck farmworkers was challenging. Working conditions were harsh with long hours and physically demanding labor. They were paid meager wages, often below the minimum wage, and were denied access to healthcare, education and other basic services. Housing was often substandard, consisting of crowded and unsanitary living conditions in labor camps or temporary shelters. Also they faced discrimination, both legal and social.

During the Lyndon Johnson administration a significant piece of legislation was passed that impacted migrant farmworkers - the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 also known as the Hart-Celler Act. It created changes in the agricultural labor market. In the absence of the program, domestic farmworkers, including those who were migrants, gained more leverage to negotiate for better wages and working conditions. However, it is important to note that the struggles faced by migrant farmworkers were far from resolved, as many continued to endure low wages, poor living conditions, and limited access to social services.

When I look at the film today I am proud of the creative experiments I attempted including the music, the poetic script and the idea to intimately interview the workers. I know that some of their comments are a bit difficult to understand but I love their honesty and compassion.

I would like to thank the advertisers who place ads on this clip. They include the farmworker Institute of education. Migrant seasonal farm workers. United farmworkers. Farm worker programs. Migrant farm workers. Long Island history. Duck farms.
David Hoffman filmmaker

Видео See Migrant Workers Living In Shacks For Ducks! They Told Me Their Stories In 1963 канала David Hoffman