The Wrath Of Grapes

Cesar Chavez introduces this harrowing story of the current California table grape boycott, undertaken by the United Farm Workers union. Chavez claims that California Governor Deukmejian supports agribusiness to the extent that warranted outcries against pesticides have gone unheeded. The union is calling for the ban of five pesticides: Captan, Parathion, Phosdrin, Dinoseb, and Methyl Bromide. Claims are being made that the pesticides cause cancer. In McFarland, CA, for instance, which sits between two major grape fields, 11 children in a 6-block area have been stricken with cancer in the past two years. Actual newspaper clippings from McFarland, and other towns, are shown in the film, and families of the afflicted are interviewed. The evidence is not conclusive, but it is certainly suggestive enough to justify legislative consideration. The filmmakers are encouraging people to write for a free copy (each tape costs $4 to produce), and an accompanying letter authorizes unlimited duplication and distribution of the program. We encourage libraries to write for the program, and then make an individual decision about whether or not to add it to the collection. (Available from: El Taller Grafico, P. O. Box 62, Keene, CA 93531).