Students in Al Irwin's Spanish V Accelerated Honors History & Civilization recently met via WebEx with Dr. Charles Tuggle, the producer of "En la búsqueda de su identidad," a documentary on the work of Las abuelas (the grandmothers) de la Plaza de Mayo of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The class has spent the past several weeks on an in-depth study of this era of history in Argentina, exploring various films, articles, audio news reports, music, and art.
Tuggle, a former news reporter from the Tampa Bay area, is a distinguished professor of Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill. Tuggle and his team highlight the work of "Las abuelas" during and following the military dictatorship from 1976-1983. The documentary included interviews conducted by Tuggle and his team with the defense attorney for former dictator, Rafael Videla; five individuals reconnected with their birth families; and Estela de Carlotto, the decades-long, 92 year-old president of "Las abuelas." Students were deeply moved upon learning that after 37 years of work and leadership in the organization, Carlotto was reunited with her own grandson in 2014.
The abuelas, while many are now deceased or have aged significantly, continue their work today and remain firmly dedicated to human rights activism throughout Argentina.
The unit will conclude with the viewing of the newly released "Argentina 1985" and a project in which students will choose a similar event or era of history from another part of the Spanish-speaking world and produce a video on it.
Mr. Irwin has met with several of the abuelas and madres (mothers) and attended one of their weekly marches. He is planning a trip to Buenos Aires in the spring of 2024 to continue his research and obtain additional resources and materials for use in future years at Shorecrest.
