User:Cloveapple/notes2

(I think the body will back up the lead)

Migdia Chinea-Varela (a.k.a. Migdia Chinea) is a Cuban-American screenwriter. She wrote for several American television shows. She has been sometimes mentioned as an example of somebody who was treated wrongly by affirmative action programs. Chinea herself has argued passionately for merit-based hiring for upper level jobs. Chinea has written and directed a short film which was shown at a number of festivals.

Chinea was a writer for the TV series The Incredible Hulk, The Facts of Life, Punky Brewster, and Superboy.

Migdia Chinea Varela.

In 1988 Chinea wrote an essay in Newsweek's "My Turn" column describing her experiences with minority quotas. Later she filed a 138.6 million dollar class-action discrimination lawsuit against the WGAw and CBS in response to their implementation of a training program for minority writers that gave these trainees half pay. According to Chinea's attorney Scott Myer, the problem was that "the only people who went through it weren't trainees, they were people who were experienced writers."

In 2007, Chinea worked as a substitute teacher at several schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She recounted her negative experiences in an article for WorldNet Daily.

Image from Anonymous (Street Meat)

As of 2011 Chinea is studying film as a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She wrote and directed the short film Anonymous (Street Meat) as part of an experimental film course. The four minute film, which is based on her experiences with faulty mortgage foreclosure notices, was accepted to screen at the Cannes Short Film festival and earned an honorable mention at the California International Shorts Film Festival. Chinea hopes to be able to film a full length version.

External links

• Migdia Chinea Varela at IMDb
• Petition for Writ of Certiorari (pdf)

Possible Sources

• "Invisible Hispanics" by Roger Hernandez [1] (also ran under headline "HOLLYWOOD'SLIBERAL STYLE OF RACISM" in the Oregonian abstract available in ProQuest database) -can't get the @%#@ thing to print out. Looking for a printable version to mark up (for now bookmark on iPad)
  • Op Ed piece -does this limit how I use it? Maybe Op Ed is wrong word since it seems to be a column, but it ran on the opinion page
  • Hernandez was a nationally syndicated columnist for King Features
  • uses the word "blacklisted" and gives date of 1993 for that (also uses word "punishes")
  • "a decade of experience writing television series"
  • training program no longer in operation by date of the Op Ed
• "End to affirmative action supported, for the right reason" Roswell Daily Record - July 28, 1995, Roswell, New Mexico, another Hernandez column (also ran as "The case to end affirmative action" Galveston Daily News - July 29, 1995, Galveston, Texas)
  • says Disney also directed her to training program
  • mentions Chinea wrote article in Hispanic Business Magazine in 1995
• K.L. Billingsley in 1999 "Half Price Hispanics"pdf page 4 through 6 in Heterodoxy
  • gives me a bunch of involved names (on all sides & positions) to look up
• COVER STORY : Casting the Spotlight on TV's Brownout : Critics say the networks are ignoring America's fastest-growing minority. Now a divided Latino community struggles to fight back. Los Angeles Times March 05, 1995 by Greg Braxton and Jan Breslauer -nothing I can use. A very vague mention of a CBS writer's program, a broad overview of lack of hispanics in industry. No mention of Chinea.
• Shot in America by Chon Noriega [2]
  • Have book on order. Doesn't look like book directly mentions Chinea but it might still be useable. (Stuff related to her is on page 246 in "Notes for Chapter 8" but her name isn't in actual chapter) Note does call the training program "ill-fated"
  • Other sources used in book:
    • Shauna Snow "Morning Report: Latino training Program Dropped" Los Angeles Times May 2, 1995 (found this)
    • Greg Braxton "KCBS to Establish Minority Employee Panel" Los Angeles Times March 19, 1994 (found this -not usable)
    • "page 272 cites something by Chinea but the Google view is cut off
• Thre-mail by David Robb in The Hollywood Reporter (Published on AllBusiness.com) -looks useful
  • lists her as "founder of the WGA West's Latino Writers Committee
• InterNet Bankruptcy Library newsletter report WRITERS GUILD: Judge Boots Out Writer Bias Case -at the end it says "Daily Variety 19-May-1999" Does that mean it was taken from that source? Is INB fact checked? Might be usable, might not.
  • gives a couple writing credits I can use
  • case dismissed by federal judge J. Spencer Letts
• CBS discrimination suit thrown out Worldnet Daily May 18, 1999 by Stephan Archer -This organization does seem to have an editorial staff despite spammy look
  • go over this again, a bunch of useful stuff
• "ACCESS PROGRAM ENHANCES OPPORTUNITY FOR MINORITIES" Los Angeles Daily News

January 22, 1995 | Frank Pierson -is this a letter or op ed??

• • behind HighBeam paywall (can I access this through either library??) for $29.95 a month
• "Are the Banks Still Coming for Your House?" Huffington Post by Daniel Cubias
  • mention of short film as metaphor for banking situation
• "Morning Report" Los Angeles Times May 2, 1995
  • CBS training program discontinued by May 2, 1995
  • CBS training progran begun 1993
  • used word "latino"
• "Policy Predicament: Many Minorities Feel Torn by Experience Of Affirmative Action --- While Program Opens Doors, It Can Attach a Stigma That Affects Self-Esteem --- Firefighter: 'I'll Stick to Merit'" Wall Street Journal
• War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film by Marc Dipaolo page 299
  • lists Chinea as writer for The Adventures of Superboy (a tv show)

Primary Sources (documents, etc)

• [3] <-- trying to figure out exact status/context of these documents. Probably not something I an use directly. Gather it's "docket" from Congressional testimony.
  • need to Google for Mark Levin and for "Campaign for a Colorblind America" also search for phrase "special access" about program
• [1997 Congressional hearing http://books.google.com/books/about/Hearing_on_oversight_of_the_Equal_Employ.html?id=kB00AAAAIAAJ] not useable -it's a primary document more of same

Sources by subject

• My Turn essay in Newsweek - can't use this for facts since it's by the subject, but good source of quotes or her view of events
• "WRITERS GUILD DESIGN FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION HOLLYWOOD HIRES HISPANICS ONLY AT HALF-PRICE" Los Angeles Daily News January 22, 1995
  • behind HighBeam paywall, probably limited usability since it's by subject
• PLATFORM : Second-Class Writers Darn looks like this is by Chinea. (Subheading heading is cut off so it's not 100% clear in what capacity she's writing it, but it's wriiten in first person. Is "Platform" an Op Ed series in the local section??) Again usable for opinions & quotes but not beyond that.

Sources by date

1994

• PLATFORM : Second-Class Writers

1995

• My Turn
• "Writers Guild Design For Affirmative Action Hollywood Hires Hispanics Only at Half-Proce"
• "End to affirmative action supported, for the right reason"
• "Morning Report" Los Angeles Times May 2, 1995

1989

• "Policy Predicament"

1999

• "Invisible Hispanics"
• Heterodoxy article

Cannes Market Dailies

http://www.filmfestivals.com/blog/cannes_market_dailies/midgia_chineas_short_film_anonymous_street_meat_selected_to_cannesMig (talk) 06:33, 30 June 2013 (UTC)