De La Cruz is both an educator and a documentary film-maker. Her skills and interests in media infuse her work and research which is mainly focused on U.S. Latinx and Latin American communities, including indigenous peoples from the Americas, and other marginalized communities and their media systems.  She is a proud proponent of media activism as a way to promote and advocate for the rights of the marginalized and as a tool for community organization. Her own work in this field has explored several social justice issues and topics related to race, ethnicity, class, gender, Latino histories, art, labor and immigration. De La Cruz has produced digital video projects for nonprofit organizations in the U.S., as well as for international NGO. Her work in labor has explored issues of care and care work. Her film, “The Care Revolution” (a co-production with Prof. Bob Bussel for the Labor Research and Education Center at the University of Oregon) tells the inspiring story of Oregon’s home care workers and their first wave of organizing. The film explains how union representation has transformed the lives of caregivers and improved the quality of care for the people they serve. 

Research/Teaching Areas: Social Justice, Human Rights Issues, Filmmaking