An Afro-Boricua’s (American) Experience Revisited: Making the Roberto Clemente Documentary
Posted on April 16, 2008

The discussion about race that has percolated from the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama serves as an appropriate backdrop for filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz’s new documentary "Roberto Clemente," airing April 21 on PBS American Experience. The documentary powerfully conveys the life story of the Black Puerto Rican who some view as the first baseball hero to “transcend race and nation” for his work on and away from the playing field. 

While he embodied the immigrant’s struggle for social acceptance, Clemente also complicated the traditional story of the American experience.  “Roberto was a bridge between black and brown, and offers a model for complex identities,” Ruiz observes. “He is a historical figure who bridged between the African-American and Latino experiences.” Indeed, Clemente’s fierce pride in being a Black Puerto Rican, his steadfast refusal to accept treatment as a second class citizen and insistence on the basic human dignity of all people that motivated his fight for social and economic justice, makes Clemente a worthy biographical subject.

Ruiz’s "Roberto Clemente" endeavors to convey that Clemente was so much more than a ballplayer. During the two years involved in putting together the documentary, Ruiz learned that one of the reasons Clemente’s story had not been thoroughly treated in a visual medium was the arduous task of accessing filmed archival materials from a wide range of locations, not to mention the sheer cost. Drawing on a diverse array of voices through archival footage and oral interviews with Clemente family members, ballplayers, historians and cultural critics, the finished product reflects well on the intensive labor involved in capturing Clemente’s enduring impact and historical significance.

A Mexican-native who arrived in New York City at age 5 in the late 1970s, Ruiz grew up in the era of identity politics. Clemente was always a looming presence with local schools and city parks named after him. Ruiz desired to learn more about the historical figure held in such esteem throughout the predominately Puerto Rican and Dominican community.

That quest for knowledge motivated Ruiz to learn as much as he could about Clemente. David Maraniss’ 2006 biography "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero" was truly a page-turner for him. He read it in one night. It inspired Ruiz to take on this documentary project for PBS’s award-winning American Experience series.

To gain insight into Clemente, Ruiz goes beyond Clemente’s family background and delves into the context in which he grew up a baseball fan. Here, a segment focuses on the influence of then Negro Leaguer Monte Irvin who played in the Puerto Rican winter league before a teenage Clemente. Irvin’s excellence inspired Clemente and other Afro-Latinos, exposing both the possibilities and limitations for Black professional players who aspired to play in the States. This nuanced context about how Latinos were affected by baseball’s color line and how that shaped players of Clemente’s generation, Ruiz notes, was inspired by his reading of "Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line," along with his interviews of historians Rob Ruck and Samuel Regalado, for this project.

Another critical dimension Ruiz insisted on including was Clemente’s significance for the Nuyorican and Puerto Rican community residing stateside. For this perspective, the filmmaker turned to New York Daily News columnist Juan González. A former Young Lord turned author—his "Harvest of Empire" is an insightful analysis of the pan-Latino story in the States—González eloquently speaks to the political dimension of Clemente and the profound impact his example had on everyday Puerto Ricans in New York City and elsewhere.

“A complicated man born into complicated times,” as one of the film’s commentators succinctly described Clemente; viewers will truly appreciate how and why he lived his all-too-brief life as he did. Clemente's life is best summarized in the credo he imparted to his teammates, friends and loved ones: “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on earth.”

Ruiz’s documentary does justice in illuminating that Clemente surely did not waste his time.

Adrian Burgos, Jr. is an associate professor of U.S. Latino History at the University of Illinois. He is the author of the award-winning "Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line" (University of California Press, 2007) and served as an academic advisor for the Roberto Clemente documentary. Adrian can be reached at Adburgosjr@aol.com.