Documenting Immigration in Iowa

NEH funding helped Jody Swilky present his award-winning documentary, *A Little Salsa on the Prairie* to communities throughout Iowa. Image courtesy of Jody Swilky.

With funding from Humanities Iowa, the state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Jody Swilky researched, wrote, and co-produced A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Character of Perry, Iowa. The documentary, which premiered in 2007, explores the impact of immigration on the small rural Iowa city and has had a lasting impact on conversations about immigration in the state. And further NEH funding has helped Swilky update his research and bring it to communities throughout Iowa.

A Little Salsa on the Prairie explores the challenges and opportunities that came with a shift in Perry, Iowa’s demographics. Over the course of about ten years, Latino workers from other regions of the United States, Mexico, and Central America migrated to Perry, ultimately making up about 25% of the city’s population. And while other rural communities experienced severe population decline, many of them dying out, Perry’s growing Latino population helped the community thrive. The documentary won a Gold Eddy at the Cedar Rapids International Film Festival in 2007 and was screened on Iowa Public Television and shown for several years on the Documentary Channel.

In addition, Swilky has presented the film at seven film festivals and more than 50 public screenings in every corner of the state. NEH funding supported these efforts, helping Swilky research immigration in the communities to which he was invited and drawing connections between their experiences and those depicted in the film. He has worked with organizations like Living History Farms in Urbandale and Hometown Heritage in Perry, helping them incorporate narratives of immigration and migration into their work.