In Los Angeles, illegal Mexican immigrant Maya finds work as a janitor through her sister, Rosa. However, since both work for a non-union company, conditions are grim. After putting up with abuse from her bosses, Maya is open to the pro-union rhetoric offered by organizer Sam Shapiro. Rosa, however, is far less interested in clashing with management, given the needs of her family, and a rift begins to form between the sisters.

Women in the Construction Zone, this film focuses on a group of them hired to work on a section of an L.A. freeway. At first, the women faced special challenges as they joined forces with men who had accumulated years of experience working on similar projects in the past. Many of the men ignored them, hoping they would not stay on. However, once the women mastered all of the necessary work skills, their male co-workers began accepting them.

Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap! Theology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap. The film closes with obituaries for victims of AIDS and archival footage of the civil rights movement placed next to footage of Black men marching in a gay pride parade.

In my paper I think I’m going to discuss only two movies. It’s going to be a ONLY two movies. You can pick two movies. I think Bread and Roses and Hammering It Out. If you like Tongues Untied.

Analyze the movies based on gender, race and class. What family dynamic exists? How do the tv shows influence women?

Write for the uniformed reader. Assume I have not seen the show and did not assign the question.

Describe the decade (1960’s, 1980’s, current) the show takes place in.

Describe the location of the show (big city, small town, etc).

Describe relationships that exist in the movie in depth (single, person, married, and children)

Describe the racial/ethnic makeup of the movie. Analyze its impact. Does it add to or take away from the message/goal of the movie? Why or why not?

Describe the gender makeup of the movie. Is it predominately male or female? Describe the impact that gender has in the movie.