Great Kern County
The short film “The Seeds They Grow” takes a look at the challenges and hardships that Bakersfield’s Latino essential workers are dealing with during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘The Seeds They Grow’
delivers a personal insight into Bakersfield’s Latino essential workers By Carissa Diaz
» IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY, THE WORRY SUR-
ROUNDING CORONAVIRUS ISN’T JUST CONTRACTING THE ILLNESS ITSELF. Instead, it’s more of a concern of “how can we continue to provide for our families?” That is the question that Bakersfield filmmaker David Gonzalez documented from his father, Juan Gonzalez, and stepmother’s perspective in his short film, “The Seeds They Grow.” The film was released on Feb. 18 through PBS, as part of the Latinos are Essential program, which is a collection of videos that tell the stories of what Latino workers are dealing with during the pandemic. In the video, the 23-year-old takes viewers into his family’s experience with COVID-19 when his stepmother, a hospital maintenance worker, and father, a chef, contracted the virus. “It never dawned on me that anyone close to my family would actually get it,” Gonzalez said. “Once they got it and they were telling me about their experiences, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is seriously no joke. This is something that really is hurting them. This is something that is deteriorating them in some sense.’”
60
April 2021
David Gonzalez is a 23-yearold filmmaker and Bakersfield native capturing the important and personal stories of the Latino culture.
At the time, Gonzalez was attending the University of California Santa Cruz when his parents told him they had the virus. He immediately felt worried and out of reach, but said his extended family stepped in to help deliver necessities as they quarantined. His father, unfortunately, had a tough battle and still struggles with complications today. After graduating in 2020, Gonzalez was given the opportunity by a professor and mentor to submit an application for Latinos are Essential. She had confidence in him and inspired by his work in college. Gonzalez felt that this would be an opportunity to shed light
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID CONZALEZ
