One Generation’s Time: The Legacy of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes tells the story of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, two Filipino American cannery worker activists who were murdered in Seattle in June 1981.
A free screening* of the one-hour documentary will take place 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, October 31 at the Museum of History and Industry. Admission to the preview screening is free, however seating is limited.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; screening at 6:10 p.m.; followed by a post-film discussion led by a Seattle Channel Senior Producer.
Speakers:
Shannon Gee, who wrote, directed, photographed and edited the documentary.
Ron Chew, documentary co-producer, author of the companion book Remembering Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes: The Legacy of Filipino Labor Activism, published earlier this year by University of Washington Press.
Conor Casey, Labor Archivist from the Labor Archives of Washington, will speak about some of the archival collections that were used in the documentary and to talk about the new Cannery Worker Unions section of the Labor Archives Digital Collections Portal.
Domingo and Viernes, two reform officers in Seattle’s Alaska Cannery Workers’ Union, Local 37 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), were gunned down as they worked in the union offices near Pioneer Square. The men were attempting to reform the union and were calling for better working conditions in the canneries. On the surface, their murders were meant to look like just another gang-related slaying, but later were revealed to be a hit originating from the Marcos regime.
The documentary details the murders, the fight for fair labor conditions, the civil rights movement the murdered men helped foster and the ensuing efforts to seek justice for their killings.
Chew will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase, at the screening.
Co-Sponsors:
Labor Archives of Washington, the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild, Seattle Channel, Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, the Museum of History and Industry, and the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies
*The screening is free but does not include museum admission. People attending the event may proceed to the screening; regular admission rates will apply only for those who wish to visit MOHAI’s galleries before the event. People attending the event to proceed to the screening but not MOHAI’s galleries.
Read about event on Facebook. For more information contact Conor Casey at cmcasey@uw.edu.