This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Ford. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Last Tuesday my family and I watched the second part of the series LATINO AMERICANS on PBS (KLRN in San Antonio) in awe of the stories we heard. Did you know that in WWII that most of the Latinos who served were Mexican-American but over 65,000 were Puerto Rican?
Have you heard about what happened when Private Felix Z. Longoria’s wife tried to bury him in is home state of Texas and was told “whites wouldn’t like it” and was refused? … not a proud moment for any Texan.
One of my favorite parts was learning how Puerto Ricans in New York would have ‘Rent Parties’! Yep, they knew that their music and dancing could attract a crowd. So, they would hold their fiestas in their homes and charge to enter and use that money to pay rent.
@mendezgonzales The creative entrepreneurial spirit that has helped this community grow. #LatinosPBS #LatinosFord #LatinoAmericans
— MamiCool (@lafamiliacool) September 25, 2013
Yes, Latinos made and make up so much of this country. It is amazing! Simply watching the trailers for Latino brings such emotion. I am reminded of how much Latinos have contributed to this country and despite the efforts of many, our story hasn’t fully been told. At the San Antonio/KLRN pre-screening of this series, producer John Valadez said,
“This series reframes reality through Latino eyes.”
LATINO AMERICANS features interviews with Puerto Rican star of West Side Story, Rita Moreno; Mexican-American author and commentator Linda Chavez, who also became the highest ranking woman in the Reagan White House; and Cuban singer and entrepreneur Gloria Estefan. It is history INCLUDING Latinos who contributed to this country.
I’m grateful to PBS, all the producers of LATINO AMERICANS and The Ford Motor Company for its corporate funding for LATINO AMERICANS.
Watch the trailer for the entire series here:
Join me and my family as we watch the conclusion of this series: Prejudice and Pride; Peril and Promise. The conclusion recalls the creation of the Chicano identity; the effort to organize California farm workers; the push for better education; and the entry of Latinos into the political process. Also: chronicling the past 30 years. Join me @mendezgonzales (and @quemeanswhat) with @FordEspanol and @LatinaMomBlogs on Twitter as we live tweet throughout the episode tonight at 7pm CST.
