Eight, Arizona PBS celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2014, Eight, Arizona PBS will broadcast a lineup of exceptional programming, highlighting the accomplishments, culture and history, as well as a look toward the future of Hispanic Americans.
A highlight of the month-long special programming is the 2014 Hispanic Heritage Awards, first established by the White House in 1987 for Hispanic Heritage Month in America. This marks the first time these awards have been broadcast nationally. Hispanic Heritage Awards honorees include educators, entertainers, athletes and more, hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., during a one-hour special airing at 8 p.m., Monday, Sept. 29 on Eight HD.
Additional Hispanic Heritage Month programming on Eight includes programs showcasing the varied history of Latinos. “America by the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa,” a series dedicated to examining the new American mainstream, premiers at 1:30 p.m., Oct. 26. Latino guests will be featured in the second season of “Finding Your Roots,” which airs at 7 p.m., Tuesdays, Sept. 23-Nov. 25. The documentary “Life on the Line: Coming of Age Between Nations” airs at 11:30 p.m, Sept. 28 on EIGHT World. All of these programs are accompanied by a selection of encore presentations.
Additionally, Eight, Arizona PBS' weekly public affairs program “Horizonte” will feature special Hispanic Heritage Month programming, including an upbeat segment on the world’s first “Mariachi Opera” debuting in Arizona. “Horizonte” can be seen at 11 p.m., Thursdays, on Eight HD; at 7:30 p.m., Fridays, on Eight World; and at 1 p.m., Sundays, on Eight HD.
Families and young viewers can also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month when “Sesame Street” premieres “Number 15’s Quinceañera” on Monday, Oct. 6 (with a half-hour version on Oct. 9). Abby and Zoe learn how to compromise and give Number 15 the best quinceañera ever.
Viewers can also watch PBS’ celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at pbs.org, where Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) will premiere new online short films, including “Frontera! Revolt and Rebellion on the Río Grande” and the three-part “New American Girls.” An animated short from award-winning Chicano media artist John Jota Leaños, “Frontera!” tells the story of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, a pan-Indian uprising that successfully expelled the Spanish occupiers from the Rio Grande region. “New American Girls” profiles three “DREAMers” – young adults brought to the U.S. as children by undocumented parents – who remain in limbo without a pathway to citizenship.
PBS programming online is available via the PBS video player on pbs.org, which includes a special collection of new and PBS archive programs, including the six-part Latino Americans series, profiles of Roberto Clemente and John Leguizamo, musical performances and an extended interview with Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
New programming for Hispanic Heritage Month:
"Horizonte"
11-11:30 p.m., Thursdays
“Mariachi Opera” – Arizona Opera brings the world's first mariachi opera to the stage. "Cruzar la Cara de la Luna" blends the passion and artistry of mariachi with the emotionally touching story of a Mexican immigrant family, featuring the legendary Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.
"America by the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa"
1:30-2 p.m, Sundays, Oct. 26-Nov. 23
Journalist Maria Hinojosa hosts the first national series dedicated to examining the new American mainstream – the growing numbers of African Americans, Asians, Latinos, mixed race, immigrants, women, youth and LGBTs whose growing purchasing power and influence over the arts, culture, commerce and the outcome of elections are affecting every aspect of contemporary life. Each program focuses on stories from a corner of the nation, amplified “by the numbers” – a distillation of the latest statistical information about population, health, education, quality of life and consumer trends.
"Finding Your Roots"
7-8 p.m.,Tuesdays, Sept. 23-Nov. 25
Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has been helping people identify relatives hidden for generations. Professor Gates employs a team of genealogists and the world’s leading geneticists to uncover the origins of a diverse group of 30 guests. Gates treks through layers of ancestral history, uncovers secrets and surprises, and shares life-altering discoveries. Among his guests this season are Rebecca Lobo, who finds out that her Spanish ancestor fought side by side with a famous revolutionary and was forced to flee Spain; Chef Aaron Sanchez, who discovers that his family’s treasured Mexican roots include people who were Spaniards, Africans and Native Americans; and Jessica Alba, an actress who proudly embraces her Mexican-American heritage but learns that she descends from Jewish and Mayan ancestors and King Louis XIV’s official cartographer.
"Life on the Line: "Coming of Age Between Nations"
11:30 p.m., Sept. 28, on EIGHT World; 11:30 p.m., Sept. 29, on Eight HD
This half-hour documentary follows a year in the life of 11-year-old Kimberly Torrez. Living steps from the border in Nogales, Mexico, Kimberly crosses each day to attend school just across the line in Arizona. Kimberly’s unemployed father, stricken with Hepatitis C, needs a liver transplant; Kimberly’s mother desperately awaits the visa that will allow her to live in the U.S. with her American children if her husband dies. A slice-of-life portrait told through Kimberly’s eyes, the film illuminates the changing face of America through the story of this one family.
"Sesame Street: The Latinization of Marco”
8 a.m., Oct. 9 (one-hour version); 2:30 p.m., Oct. 10 (half-hour version)
Gina is reading a book to Marco about the Spanish names for animals. When Rosita asks what she’s doing, Gina explains that since Marco was born in Guatemala, where people speak Spanish, she wants him (and herself) to learn Spanish, too. Rosita brings a little guitarra for them, then gets more instruments – claves, maracas, guiro and a bongo – and sings a song about musica. Rosita tells Gina about baile, the Spanish word for dance, and dances the tango, merengue and conga. She tells Gina and Marco all about different comidas, the Spanish word for food, and chefs deliver a delicious feast for them to enjoy. Rosita says that with musica, baile and comida, you have to have a fiesta with your amigos!