‘This Land Is Your Land,’ Las Cafeteras’ Independence Day Tribute

By Julianne Hing Jul 04, 2014

What is freedom in a country which denies healthcare to undocumented residents, separates families via deportation, and has the highest incarceration rate in the world? That’s the question Los Angeles-based band Las Cafeteras is asking this Independence Day. 

With a new video produced in partnership with the California Endowment as part of a healthcare campaign, the band of artist-organizers filmed a new 21st-century, made-in-Los-Angeles spin on the American folk song classic "This Land Is Your Land." Las Cafeteras’ version, points out band member Hector Flores, includes a new line inspired by the Zapatistas: "Todo para todos y nada para nosotros." Or, "Everything for everybody, and nothing for ourselves."