In 1991, a Salvadoran man is shot by the police in Mount Pleasant, Washington DC. A community fed up with police brutality and lack of resources rises up. “La Manplesa” tells the story of the uprising and how Salvadoran immigrants made an impact in the nation’s capital via protest, art, and activism. Quique Avilés and Cindy Centeno tell us the history and process behind this art-focused documentary.

Quique Avilés is a poet, actor and community activist whose work is dedicated to addressing social issues through performance and poetry. A native of El Salvador, Quique has been writing and performing about issues of race, identity, and the plight of poor people in the US for 30 years.

Cindy Centeno is a creative producer who works to share purposeful stories that inspire and build people up. A proud daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, Cindy’s background is in film and video, photography, and impact production.

• 1991 Mount Pleasant Uprisings in Washington DC
• Arriving in Mt. Pleasant in the 70s and 80s
• Seeing the US through the lens of Hollywood and TV
• 1969 Riots after assassination of MLK
• 1980s Salvadorans arrive by 1000s into mostly black city
• Political movement, street theater, marches against the war
• The triggering conditions that led to the uprisings
• Was it a riot or was it an uprising?
• What is taught about the history of the uprisings?
• What was the impact of the uprisings in DC?
• Bringing Puerto Rican cops to fill in the spanish-speaking need
• Strong community reactions to the film
• Opening space for younger generations to ask their parents about history
• Where to see the film – see our links below
• “Las Muertes mas Bellas del Mundo” – new project from Quique
• Salvadorans are hard workers, but they’re also artists
• Archival footage collected will be available as research materials at the MLK Library

Show Resources:

• Stream La Manplesa on America ReFramed (WORLD Channel): https://worldchannel.org/episode/america-reframed-la-manplesa/
• La Manplesa Film website: https://www.lamanplesafilm.com/
• La Manplesa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamanplesafilm/
• Cindy Centeno on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindycenteno/
• Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo Rough Cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMRWi2LIYas
• GoFundMe for Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-finish-las-muertes-mas-bellas-del-mundo

Music:

“Aerolinea” by Machetres

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