WATERTOWN, NY (September 7, 2022) – Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 and it is a great time to learn more about the diversity of Hispanic and Latina/e/o/x experiences and cultures. In 2020, the U.S. Hispanic population was an estimated 62 million out of the total U.S. population of 331.4 million. Here at WPBS, we are marking this celebration with special programming during the month of September, including:
Latino Americans: Parts 1-3 (Sunday, September 25th 12 noon – 3:00 pm)
Foreigners In Their Own Land (12:00 PM) Survey the history and people from 1565-1880, as the first Spanish explorers enter North America, the U.S. expands into territories in the Southwest that had been home to Native Americans and English and Spanish colonies.
Empire of Dreams (1:00 PM) See how the American population is reshaped by Latino immigration starting in 1880 and continuing into the 1940s: Cubans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans begin arriving in the U.S. and start to build communities in South Florida, Los Angeles and New York.
War and Peace (2:00 PM) Trace the World War II years and those that follow, as Latino Americans serve their new country by the hundreds of thousands – yet still face discrimination and a fight for civil rights in the United States. This historic program, which was created by the White House to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions.
Hispanic Heritage Awards (Friday, September 30th at 9:00 pm)
The historic program, which was created by the White House to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions.
Multiple GRAMMY winning-band LOS LOBOS is also the first announced honorees this year and will be presented with the Hispanic Heritage Arts Award. Los Lobos music embodies the idea of America as a cultural melting pot. In it, styles like son jarocho, norteño, tejano, folk, country, doo-wop, soul, R&B, rock ’n’ roll and punk all come together to create a new sound that’s greater than the sum of its parts. This makes it all the more fitting that this year sees the band garner a fourth GRAMMY Award, as their latest album Native Sons won for Best Americana Album and join the pantheon of leading cultural figures recognized by The Hispanic Heritage Awards.
A small sampling of previous HHA winners across the last 35 years include Rita Moreno, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Martin Sheen, Ricky Martin, Rubén Blades, Fania All-Stars, José Feliciano, Los Tigres Del Norte, Anthony Quinn, Juanes, Diego Luna, Juan Luis Guerra, and right up to the continued relevancy of recent winners such as Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Bad Bunny, Ivy Queen, Zoe Saldana, Residente, Selena Gomez and more inspiring figures ranging from essential farmworkers to pioneering NASA engineers.
Great Performances: Roots of Latin Jazz (Friday, September 30th at 10:00 pm)
Celebrate the rhythms of Latin music with the Raices Jazz Orchestra, featuring two-time Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Tony Succar and musician, producer and educator Dr. Pablo Gil. Hosted by GRAMMY-nominee Sheila E., this co-presentation of Great Performances and Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES reveals the unity between jazz music and Latin culture and examines the variety of Latin American music.
Showcasing original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards, such as “Eye of the Hurricane” by Herbie Hancock and “Mas que Nada” by Jorge Ben, the film features GRAMMY-winning artists Richard Bona and Anaadi, among others. Location sequences capture the vibrancy of cities in the U.S., Peru, Spain, Brazil and Cuba.
About WPBS
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 650,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario via cable, satellite, Internet and over-the-air distribution. WPBS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inform, and engage its two-nation region with exceptional and trusted content across multiple platforms. Its vision is to be the premier provider of extraordinary public media that instills wonder and curiosity across generations and borders.
More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
