That's what the experts on last night's panel about tiny Fleischmanns, NY, said. They were discussing the movie "Bienvenidos a Fleischmanns," by filmmaker Jessica Vecchione, which chronicles the growth of a vibrant Mexican community in the village over the past decade. The four panelists, all faculty members at SUNY College at Oneonta, had a lot to say about immigration patterns in rural upstate New York. Some clips:
Sociology Professor Ho Hon Leung:
Foreign Languages faculty member Maria Montoya:
Sociology Professor Gregory Fulkerson:
Sociology Associate Professor Alexander Thomas:
There were some other interesting exchanges. Oneonta author/radio personality Chuck D'Imperio, who hosted the event, asked about how Fleischmanns' Mexican population interacts with the village's large seasonal Orthodox Jewish population. The answer, according to Vecchione, is pretty well:
And when an audience member asks if Vecchione encountered any anti-immigrant sentiments while filming, Vecchione answered that Fleischmanns' size makes it hard for people not to get along.
