Trendy TV Report: AfroPoP Tackles the Pain of Immigration with ‘Deported’

It is Caribbean Heritage Month, and that warrants attention in a way that encourages us to utilize the efficiency of storytelling in a way that elicits rapid response.

AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange has been committed to doling out stories that shed light on the undiluted climate that hovers over the African Diaspora, in a way that initiates a pronounced affection for victims of circumstance. “Deported” will premiere on the World Channel, on Sunday June 8, and it is a miring tale of legal immigrants being deported to Haiti from the U.S. for legal reasons. The series is made possible by the efforts of Rachele Magloire and Chantal Regnault and is hosted by actor Anthony Mackie. The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) is producing, and it is co-presented by the American Public Television (APT).

Be prepared for the unleashing of information that pertains to the plight of Caribbean and Latin American countries, as their citizens attempt to sealmlessly migrate into a society that has already had them tagged long before their arrival. They don’t stand a chance. With no support system and a virtually absent connection to anything familiar, these immigrants are vulnerable and often times regulated to torturous exercises that encourage unfair treatment and eventual dismissal from a world they are desperate to conquer.

Both Magloire and Regnault felt the need to alert viewers to the cases that are particularly heart wrenching, in an effort to garner the kind of response that could possibly help navigate a cause that needs a healthy dose of support. These immigrants are primed for evacuation as soon as they arrive and mostly for reasons that don’t warrant such extreme action. “With many deportees to Haiti having no family members there or knowledge of the native language and sometimes even being homeless, they often fight for barest survival”.

“We felt we needed to turn a spotlight on this practice as well as to educate young immigrants to the especially stiff penalties they can face for sometimes minor violations”.

Immigration is not a foreign topic for most Americans, but it usually doesn’t include people of African descent. That is why AfroPoP is a much needed mediator, to help broker the disconnect that exists when people of color are conveniently left out of the collage of events that they very well might easily dominate. Leslie Fields-Cruz, co-executive producer and NBPC Vice President and Director of Programming summed it up perfectly, “When immigration hits the headlines, rarely are people of African descent being discussed, yet U.S. immigration policies are affecting increasingly diverse black communities – a fact that is often overlooked both in the black community and on the national scene”.

If you are moved or curious about this topic, tune in this Sunday, June 8, for a groundbreaking look at immigrants who come from the Diaspora and are readily judged before they are given a chance to spread their wings and fly.

There will also be additional offerings that will augment this burning theme.

For more information, head over to www.blackpublicmedia.org. To find out where to watch the latest from ‘AfroPoP”, visit www.worldchannel.org