I met Dr. Resa a dozen years ago at a National Speakers Association event for authors and speakers who were seeking to learn how to pitch their story to national news media. I was the national television news member on a panel of media types providing insight and coaching to the group. Dr. Resa was in the audience at the event. Each member of the panel gave a short talk, followed by a Q&A. During my Q&A time Dr. Resa asked me to critique his pitch headline, “My Journey from Farmworker Boy to Pediatrician”.
I’ve covered hundreds of news stories touching on a wide variety of issues during the many years I spent working in national TV news. None of them prepared me for hearing what Dr. Resa had to overcome. How could any child agriculture worker, let alone an abandoned one, go on to become a doctor? As he told me more about his journey, I realized his was a story that must to be told to the widest audience possible. It’s a truly inspiring story and much more. It also shines a glaring spotlight on the flawed metrics our society uses (which influences all of us) to predict who will and will not be successful in life.
We believe Dr. Resa’s story has the power to help change the current narrative about Latinos and migrant laborers especially. While producing this film, our eyes have been opened to the reality that the story of Dr. Resa’s journey is one among many in the community. More than a few others with similar backgrounds have gone on to contribute to mightily our world. Why haven’t we heard these stories before now (see high profile appearances)?
I passionately believe audience members of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds will leave theaters better informed and equipped to value the human potential in every person and energized with a certainty that they too can change their lives, their communities and the world for the better.
Jesse Gift | RAMON RISING Executive Producer, Writer/Director, Editor
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