Chapter 13: One Day At A Time(2017)

The cast of One Day at a Time (Calderón Kellett et al., 2017) really stands out. The Latinx cast quickly makes it evident that this show is more than just a simple remake. As the series continues, representation of Latinx life goes beyond depicting a Latinx family, but tries to fold in some of their struggles and history. Towards the end of the first season of One Day at a Time, one episode caught our attention; during a typical classroom assignment, the show’s family is helping one of the children complete an assignment about their history. The assignment quickly turns emotional as one of the characters remembers the circumstances under which they left Cuba. The episode stuck with us as an example about how immigration stories are intertwined with geopolitics and difficult decisions. For Latin across the continent (and Diaspora), there are painful stories of separation and migration that mark our lives, narratives, and resilience. In this clip from Season 1, Episode 9 (Badillo et al., 2017), Lydia, the matriarch of the family, shares her story about being part of Operation Peter Pan or Operación Pedro Pan that brought unaccompanied Cuban minors to the United States.