Independent Lens
Ratified
Ratified brings to life the push to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution through the legal battle in Virginia—the final state needed to ratify the amendment.
Hand Changes
An investigation of the cyclic social, economic and political changes influencing farm labor on Virginia's eastern shore for 400 years.
- Premiere Date
- August 1, 1999
- Length
- 60 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Open Call
Producer
Gregory Gilbert
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The Film
Virginia’s eastern shore offers a comprehensive picture of how economic and political events have shaped the farm labor supply in the American South for 400 years. Examining the region’s tradition of using indentured servants, African slaves and, most recently, black and Latino migrant farmworkers, Hand Changes explores the issues of housing, food, health, and workers’ rights. It also illustrates how the global agricultural economy and trade agreements such as NAFTA influence social structure and the racial composition of communities.
