Help Make Our Independent Doc a Reality!

I am currently working on a feature-length documentary on the life and work of Baldemar Velasquez, the leading figure in organizing agricultural laborers in the Midwestern and Southern United States, from the 1960s to today.

The film will tell the story of a man who has demonstrably changed the lives of farmworkers in the United States for the better but did not rest. He has worked tirelessly and single-mindedly through the organization he founded, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, on one battle after another, through changing crops, economies, technologies, and decades, tactically adapting to the needs of each moment. A friend, colleague, and contemporary of Cesar Chavez, Mr. Velasquez has kept on keeping on. He has been recognized by the AFL-CIO, and many others, for his courage, his stamina, and his stature. He is now regarded as one of the most authentic and venerated voices of organized labor in America, and in the world. In 1989, he was named a MacArthur “genius” fellow, the first such recognition of a labor or civil rights leader. In 2013, he was invited to speak to members of the British parliament about his efforts to bring justice to workers harvesting tobacco. And he continues his organizing in Virginia and the Carolinas, even as he continues to negotiate with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (now British owned) for a working agreement that would assure both fair wages and minimum workplace health and safety.

This film is a passion project of mine and I am making it in collaboration with my Dad, journalist Keith C. Burris. He has 40 years of experience in his craft and is a long-time friend and chronicler of Baldemar's. I have over 10 years of filmmaking experience – in both shooting and editing. Together, we believe we can craft something that tells an important, and inspiring, story.

But we need your help. If you are reading this, it is within your power to assure that the story of Baldemar Velasquez and FLOC be told. If you are someone who believes in independent filmmaking, justice for the poor, and the dignity of labor, please consider donating to our project by clicking on the button below!