Jenny Alexander

Jenny Alexander is an independent documentary filmmaker and community organizer.

Her film, “The Vigil” follows Gina, an undocumented single mother, as she becomes a leader of a peaceful vigil in the midst of America’s toughest battleground over immigration- Arizona. Through the lens of the ritualized vigil, the film reveals how faith and longstanding cultural traditions create a sense of hope for a community at the epicenter of a political firestorm.

Alexander’s previous film, “Detained” follows families in the immediate aftermath of the largest workplace immigration raid in Massachusetts. The raid took place at a factory in New Bedford where undocumented immigrant workers were making military vests for soldiers in Iraq. Footage edited while still shooting the film was used by Senator Ted Kennedy to reunite infants with mothers who were detained in the raid. The film was also used by the National Council of La Raza for a congressional committee exploring the impact of immigration raids on children and communities.

Alexander brings experience as a union and community organizer to her filmmaking, having worked for the United Farm Workers, the Sindicato Puertorriqueno de Trabajadores, and community organizations in Boston. She is involved with ASPIRE and the East Boston Ecumenical Community Council.