The small Alabama crossroads village of Collinsville adjusts to the rapid Hispanic immigration that has brought both stress and economic revitalization. Immigrants tell their own stories – the opportunities, the challenges and the friendships they’ve formed with longtime residents.
JUANA HERNANDEZ earned a college scholarship five years after coming to the U.S. from Mexico speaking no English.
WALTER VENTURA escaped war in El Salvadore. Now he’s a popular Collinsville High football star and the leading tackler in Dekalb County.
MARINA PADILLA’s fiance, a Salvadoran army captain was assassinated two weeks before their wedding. She has built a new life here and owns her own travel agency.
A Mexican army veteran, SALOMON MORALES could not support his family in Mexico and came to the U.S. for a better life.
Coming To A Crossroads was produced for The University of Alabama Center for Public Television.