History Documentary Cinco Olas sobre Dallas (Five Waves Over Dallas) Premieres Dec. 2

DALLAS (SMU) – A Spanish-language version of Ted A. Campbell’s film, Five Waves Over Dallas (Cinco Olas sobre Dallas) will premiere at Casa Linda United Methodist Church on Monday, December 2, at 7 p.m.

The documentary tells of the overlapping migrations that shaped the Dallas area over the past 250 years—from the earliest native-American tribes to today’s global diversity. The 47-minute video documents five waves of migration and the religious traditions they have brought, beginning with the earliest native peoples and continuing to now. The video deals explicitly with migrations of Latino/Hispanic peoples to Dallas since the early twentieth century.

Campbell, Professor of Church History at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology, wore many hats in creating this production.

“I researched and wrote the script, directed the video, and took almost all of the still shots and drone shots that are used in the documentary,” Campbell said. “I also wrote the orchestral background music and performed one background song on guitar.”  A team of undergraduate film students helped with the interviews and other video, and a group of undergraduate acting students handled the voiceovers and transitional scenes.

With a video introduction by KDFW-TV anchor Clarice Tinsley, the film also deals with the religious cultures that waves of migrants brought with them, e.g., Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptists, and the movement that would lead to Churches of Christ and Disciples of Christ for the “second wave “ of settlers that included British-American and enslaved African-American settlers, and then a prominent role for Catholics and Jews from the late nineteenth century when European peoples began to come to the Dallas area. The final (fifth) waves owe in part to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and brought newer religious traditions (for instance, Islam) to the Dallas area.

Casa Linda United Methodist Church is at 1800 Barnes Bridge Rd., Dallas, TX 75228. Admission is free. Contact Ted Campbell at tedc@smu.edu for more information. 

En Espanol

Únase a nosotros para ver un nuevo video sobre Dallas: Cinco Olas sobre Dallas. Este video (47 minutos) documenta cinco olas históricas de migración al área de Dallas y las tradiciones religiosas que trajeron, comenzando con los primeros pueblos nativos y continuando hasta ahora. El video trata explícitamente sobre las migraciones de pueblos latinos / hispanos al área de Dallas desde principios del siglo 20. Utiliza fotos y segmentos de video contemporáneos para mostrar que manejamos por las señales de estas cinco olas de migración todos los días en Dallas. La celebración es gratuita e incluirá comida. ¡Por favor únase a nosotros!

Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.