New documentary explores Cincinnati's 30-year ties to Guatemala
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Guatemalan coffee plantation owner Olga Hazard (left) visits Eileen Schwab at Cincinnati's Coffee Emporium, which imports beans directly from Olga's farm. Photos: Courtesy of Laure Quinlivan
A new documentary from former Cincinnati investigative reporter Laure Quinlivan explores three decades of ties between the city and Guatemala through classrooms, coffee and churches.
Why it matters: Cincinnati and Guatemala are more connected than the 1,500 miles between them might suggest, increasingly shaping local businesses, schools and neighborhoods.
By the numbers: About 12,400 people of Guatemalan origin live in the Cincinnati metro, the second-largest population in the Midwest behind Chicago, according to Neilsberg Research's analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Driving the news: Quinlivan's hourlong "Connecting Cultures: Cincinnati to Guatemala" will explore those ties through education and coffee.
- "What surprised me the most was how many connections we have and how long they've been in place," Quinlivan tells Axios.
The backstory: Guatemalan immigration to Cincinnati dates back decades, driven in part by jobs, affordable housing and existing immigrant communities, the Wall Street Journal reports.
- Meanwhile, West Side brothers Joe and Jeff Berninger founded Cooperative for Education in 1996 to improve literacy and help Guatemalan students graduate high school.
Zoom in: The documentary follows Guatemalan coffee grower Olga Hazard, whose farm supplies beans directly to Cincinnati's Coffee Emporium.
- NKU and UC students have also traveled to her plantation to study abroad and produce videos, forging another connection between the two places.
- Quinlivan hopes the film offers a different perspective amid the national immigration debate.
- "I hope Cincinnatians who watch the documentary will see Guatemalans in a new and positive light."
What's next: The film premieres at 8pm Nov. 12 on WCPO 9.
- Women in Film Cincinnati will host a public screening Nov. 16 at the new Mariemont Theater, followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and NKU and UC interns.