Culture

Latinos Are Essential

Latinos Are Essential is a collection of unique and insightful short portraits and stories about Latinos who are serving as essential workers in a wide variety of jobs and/or services across the United States, even as the COVID 19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact Latino and other communities of color.

The Seeds They Grow

3m 45s

Filmmaker David Gonzalez profiles his father, a chef, and stepmother, a hospital maintenance worker — two of the many hardworking Latinos who have contracted COVID-19. Facing a terrifying illness while still trying to maintain financial stability, they share the effect that the pandemic has had on their lives.

Episodes

  • The Seeds They Grow: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Seeds They Grow

    3m 45s

    Filmmaker David Gonzalez profiles his father, a chef, and stepmother, a hospital maintenance worker — two of the many hardworking Latinos who have contracted COVID-19. Facing a terrifying illness while still trying to maintain financial stability, they share the effect that the pandemic has had on their lives.

  • Astrid: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Astrid

    5m 23s

    Astrid is a construction and domestic worker from Colombia who finds a temporary job cleaning subway cars at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.

  • Todos Unidos y Yo (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Todos Unidos y Yo (Spanish Captions)

    5m 20s

    Alfonzo Seivais a Mexican immigrant living with his wife and son, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy. After his maintenance business declined due to the pandemic, Alfonzo began a program that brings meals and groceries to people in need.

  • A Pescador in the Town (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Pescador in the Town (Spanish Captions)

    4m 36s

    Meet PanchoPescador, a self-taught Chilean artist and teacher, who spends his pandemic-era days bringing art and life to the struggling streets of Oakland.

  • All Around Us (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    All Around Us (Spanish Captions)

    5m 4s

    Maria Hinojosa, host of NPR’s “Latino USA,” discusses her work reporting on the pandemic’s effect on Latino communities and her own bout with the virus.

  • Chelsea: An Essential City (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Chelsea: An Essential City (Spanish Captions)

    4m 56s

    Two-thirds of the residents of the port city of Chelsea are Latino and four out of five are essential workers. Meet a young city councilwoman and a sanitation worker who are keeping their city running.

  • Growing in the Shadows (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Growing in the Shadows (Spanish Captions)

    3m 4s

    Anel Medina is a 28-year-old registered nurse and one of the 200,000 DACA recipients who are classified as essential workers, serving Americans across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Still Standing (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Still Standing (Spanish Captions)

    7m 14s

    Melanie is a Cuban-American first-grade teacher who is navigating the new experience of teaching her students online while caring for her three-year-old daughter and coping with sudden single parenthood.

  • Night Shift (Spanish Captions): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Night Shift (Spanish Captions)

    4m 36s

    Twenty-two-year-old Dulce Bueno is a first response EMT who works long nights driving an ambulance for one of Colorado’s busiest trauma centers. Her job takes an enormous emotional toll, especially during the difficult days of the pandemic.

  • All Around Us: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    All Around Us

    5m 4s

    Maria Hinojosa, host of NPR’s “Latino USA,” discusses her work reporting on the pandemic’s effect on Latino communities and her own bout with the virus.

  • Still Standing: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Still Standing

    7m 14s

    Melanie is a Cuban-American first-grade teacher who is navigating the new experience of teaching her students online while caring for her three-year-old daughter and coping with sudden single parenthood.

  • Networked Education: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Networked Education

    5m 15s

    In Puerto Rico, wracked by the aftermath of recent natural disasters and with unreliable electricity and internet access, two married teachers struggle to teach their students virtually while raising their own children.

Extras + Features

  • Latinos Are Essential | Trailer

    1m 11s

    Across the United States, Latinos have been on the pandemic’s frontlines, providing essential services to all Americans. Many do jobs that can’t be done from home. From the fields of medicine, education, food service, and beyond, Latino workers have kept our country going. These are their stories.

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