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Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month - interior banner

 

 

 

 

 

September 2009

WETA Television celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a variety of programs on the Latino experience past and present, including a host of independent films exploring Latino culture and heritage — and examining contemporary social and economic issues of relevance to the Latino community.

Throughout the broadcast year, WETA is committed to presenting programs reflecting the diversity of our community. See below for:

Full Program Listings

Download our Hispanic Heritage Month brochure for a full listing of television programs that will be broadcast throughout the month as part of WETA's celebration of Hispanic heritage.

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Programs airing on TV 26

Voces 208

Dream Havana

Tuesday, September 1 at 10 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
In August 1994, more than 33,000 Cubans attempted to escape the island by sea. Two writers, friends since adolescence, faced a choice: continue struggling with the hardships of the island or brave the open water on a homemade raft. Ernesto Santana chose Cuba, Jorge Mota chose the sea. Dream Havana captures their struggles, their successes and the friendship that binds them. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Voces 204

The Golden Age

Monday, September 7 at 10 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
The Golden Age documents one season of the highly competitive Golden Age soccer league in Corona Park, Queens, N.Y. The teams are made up of former World Cup players (now middle-aged) from Central and South America. These incredibly skilled players, their former glory a fond memory, muscles creaking, hairlines receding and waistlines expanding, now work as window washers, traders, electricians, but the weekend belongs to them. The game is slightly different but the passion remains. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Voces 201

Celia the Queen

Tuesday, September 8 at 10 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
Celia the Queen explores the life and legacy of a woman whose voice symbolized the soul of a nation and captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Erupting onto the Cuban music scene as the lead singer for La Sonora Matancera, Celia Cruz broke down barriers of racism and sexism. This film shows the diversity of the people whose lives she touched, from stars such as Quincy Jones, Andy Garcia, and Wyclef Jean, to ordinary people all over the world. The story traces Celia’s exile from her beloved Cuba until her death in 2003. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Voces 206

Tito Puente: The King of Latin Music

Wednesday, September 9 at 10 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
Bill Cosby, Marc Anthony, Geraldo Rivera, Jimmy Smits, Paquito D’Rivera and other family, friends and colleagues pay homage to the late mambo and Latin jazz legend in Tito Puente: The King of Latin Music. Archival footage, interviews and excerpts from one of Puente’s last concerts piece together the life of the popular bandleader, percussionist and composer. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Stand and Deliver

Wednesday, September 12 at 9 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
Based on a true story, the 1988 theatrical drama by filmmaker Ramón Menéndez features Edward James Olmos as Los Angeles high-school teacher Jaime Escalante, who leads a street punk, portrayed by Lou Diamond Phillips, and his classmates to learn advanced mathematics. Andy Garcia and Rosanna DeSoto co-star.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Voces 205

Special Circumstances

Thursday, September 17 at 10:30 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
At 16, Héctor Salgado endured arrest and torture by Pinochet's forces. By 20, Héctor was living in exile in the U.S., the very place whose foreign policies in Chile contributed to the death and torture of thousands of Chileans. Special Circumstances follows Salgado as he returns to Chile almost 30 years later, camera in hand, to confront the perpetrators and his former captors and looking for answers and justice. In the process, the program takes an unflinching look at U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in the 1970s and the legacy of the dictatorship in Chile. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Voces 203

Bracero Stories

Thursday, September 24 at 10:30 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
Bracero Stories explores the personal experiences of five former so-called guest workers in the controversial U.S.-Mexican bracero program, which granted temporary work contracts to several million Mexican laborers between 1942 and 1964. Their interwoven stories, illustrated with archival materials, create a composite narrative of the bracero experience. Interviews with other participants in the program assess its effectiveness and lasting impact. The discussions mirror and inform current concerns about illegal immigration and and the role of imported labor in U.S. economic development. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Voces 202

Antonia Pantoja: ¡Presente!

Saturday, September 26 at 11 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
Antonia Pantoja: ¡Presente! tells the story of educator-organizer Antonia Pantoja, founder of the New York-based advocacy organization, Aspira. A passionate, indomitable leader, Pantoja worked with Puerto Rican immigrant-citizens to fight against second-class citizenship and to secure a bilingual voice. Through passionate personal testimony, never-before-seen home movies, archival footage and the work of visual artist Juan Sanchez, the feisty Antonia Pantoja guides viewers through the Puerto Rican community's struggles and triumphs. From the Voces series for public television.
When to watch on WETA Television »

Our Disappeared/Nuestros Desaparecidos

Sunday, September 27 at 2 am on TV 26
Through a casual Google search, director Juan Mandelbaum finds out that Patricia, a long lost girlfriend from Argentina, is among the thousands who were kidnapped, tortured and then “disappeared” by the military during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. Juan embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her and others he knew who disappeared and re-examines his own choices. Using rare archival footage he evokes the dreams for a revolution that would transform Argentina. As he shares dramatic stories told by parents, siblings, friends and children of the disappeared, Juan grieves the tragic losses and shows that when brutal regimes attack the fabric of a country with great impunity, the suffering lasts for generations. From Independent Lens.
When to watch on WETA Television »

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Latin Music USA

Mondays, October 12 & 19 at 9 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
From Latin jazz and mambo to salsa, Tejano, Chicano rock, Latin pop and reggaeton, this documentary relates the story of the rise of new American music forged from powerful Latin roots. The programs explore the often-overlooked influence of Latin music on jazz, hip hop, rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll — and on American culture as a whole. This intriguing perspective on America's musical history reaches across time and spans musical genres to embrace the hybrid sounds created by Latinos, musical fusions that have deeply enriched popular music in the United States over the course of five decades. Actor Jimmy Smits narrates the series.
When to watch on WETA Television »

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In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina

Thursday, October 15 at 8 pm on TV 26 & WETA HD
This exciting PBS music special features Marc Anthony, Jimmy Smits, Pete Escovedo, Gloria Estefan, and many other stars performing on the South Lawn of the White House as guests of President and Mrs. Obama. The concert, a production of WETA, is a joyful celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
When to watch on WETA Television »

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Watch online

Enjoy the following video segments previously produced by WETA Television. Just click below to watch online.

 

 

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Looking for Roberto Clemente

Jane Horwitz reviews this original family musical about how a young baseball fan's view of the world changes after Roberto Clemente's untimely death.

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La Comunidad Latina

Historically home to a small concentration of Latino residents, Adams Morgan's Spanish-speaking population exploded in the 1980s. WETA explores how Adams Morgan has become the center of the Latino community in the District.

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Adams Morgan History

Until the late 19th century, the hills above the City of Washington were nothing but farmland and country estates. WETA describes the transformation of Adams Morgan into an urban hot spot and explains how Adams Morgam got its name.

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Murals

It all began in the 1970s with two Chilean immigrants who painted a mural in Adams Morgan expressing the struggles of the Latino community. WETA visits Adams Morgan's large and colorful collection of murals and introduces some of its artists.

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