La Tierra del Valor

Documentary Short

During a summer of grief and fear brought on by immigration raids in Los Angeles, one small act of bravery gives a community hope.

Last summer, as ICE raids turned Los Angeles upside down, NEZZA stepped out into Dodger Stadium on No Kings Day and did something both simple and defiant: she sang the national anthem in Spanish - a version commissioned by FDR to honor a country born not from one people, but many. It was a declaration of belonging not just for the city’s Spanish speaking communities, but  for everyone who at one point believed in this country enough to leave everything they had ever known for the promise of something greater. While there were those who bemoaned and even villainized this poignant act of protest, there were many more who celebrated it. NEZZA’s singing of the national anthem gave hope to communities of immigrants when they needed it most. And it taught all of us how to be brave when the time comes.