First came “El Hielo” by La Santa Cecilia. Now their peers Las Cafeteras have an immigration-related video of their own with “Luna Lovers.”
The effect of both is emotionally the same (oh, believe me, you’re gonna cry just as much with this one!) but the approach is different. “Luna Lovers” was shot on location in Phoenix, AZ during the band’s brief tour of the Southwestern USA leading up to SXSW. The group performed at Pachanga Por La Causa sponsored/hosted by Puente Arizona, a non-profit dedicated to protecting, assisting, and keeping immigrant families together.
Members of Puente were happily surprised to discover that members Annette Torres, Daniel French, and Hector Flores knew sign language, which the band incorporates in the live performance of “Luna Lovers.” They immediately told the band the story of young, deaf girl Diana Blanco whose mother and grandparents were caught in an immigration raid by members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s department. Blanco, the eldest of three girls, could see her entire family be deported.
Torres and the band recorded a special video for her and her family as a message of love and solidarity. What they didn’t know was that Puente would record Blanco and family’s reactions to the video to send to the band. The music and the ensuing emotional moments are what you see below in the video.
The release of both videos couldn’t be more timely. A new immigration bill has just been announced and the May 1st protests are approaching. Videos such as these are powerful reminders of the human faces behind all the rhetoric.
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Download “Luna Lovers” below: