Who Makes Us

Jade Wong

Using dialogue and visuals, “Who Makes Us,” a 9-minute piece which invites viewers into a conversation between two college friends: myself, a child of Chinese immigrants, and Kiara, an immigrant from the Philippines. Through this conversation, we explore themes of invisible labor, motherhood, and community. The first part of the video focuses on the commercialization of care labor while the second part touches on Kiara’s story of the recurrent destructive flooding in the Philippines. The ending ties both stories together to form a larger picture of envisioning change and justice in today’s society.

Throughout the creation of this project, I was deeply concerned with conveying an intersectional view of environmental justice in a way viewers can easily understand, specifically how stories of invisible care labor ties with the climate crisis and a need for action. By inviting the audience into a conversation between friends, rather than a formal “interview,” the viewer is gently drawn into a story and perspectives they may otherwise never be exposed to. My video agitates the status quo by encouraging viewers to think about the invisible labor often performed by immigrants exploited by First World countries. It intervenes by connecting the stories of everyday people into a larger political context- a system which profits off the labor and suffering of others, but also how people come together as a community to fight the effects of capitalism and colonialism, whether that is towns rallying to help each other during climate disaster or college students protesting the funding of genocide in Palestine.