PBS Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With Special Programming

Ra l Juli portrait.

Courtesy of Family Collection.

Featured Programs Highlighting Latinx Culture Include Special Episodes of AMERICAN MASTERS and POV, as Well as a New Season of VOCES and the 32nd ANNUAL HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS

ARLINGTON, VA; AUGUST 21, 2019 - To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, PBS will offer a range of new programming celebrating Latinx heritage and culture this September and October, culminating in the broadcast of the 32ND ANNUAL HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS.

PBS is committed to programming that showcases the diversity of our country, said Perry Simon, PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manger, General Audience Programming. We are proud to present a Hispanic Heritage Month lineup that honors the extraordinary contributions of Latino Americans, and we look forward to sharing these programs with our audiences.

AMERICAN MASTERS presents Ra l Juli : The World's a Stage , the first-ever film on the influential stage and screen actor. The film, a co-presentation of VOCES, follows Juli 's journey from his childhood home in Puerto Rico, to the creative hotbed of 1960s New York City, to his illustrious career in Hollywood and on Broadway.

The new season of VOCES includes three additional films that shed light on current issues impacting Latino Americans and the rich diversity of their experience. In The Pushouts, Victor Rios, a high school dropout and former gang member, now an award-winning professor, works with young people who have been pushed out of school. Adios Amor - The Search for Maria Moreno introduces an unsung heroine - a migrant farmworker and gifted orator who became a groundbreaking labor organizer. Porvenir, Texas tells the story of the January 1918 massacre of 15 Mexican men in a small border town and reveals the tensions that remain along the border today.

In the POV film Am rica, a young man named Diego returns to his hometown of Colima, Mexico to care for his grandmother, Am rica, after his father, Am rica's caregiver, is imprisoned for negligence. Along the way, Diego reconnects with his two brothers and finds himself caught in a clash between love and obligation.

PBS programs honoring Hispanic heritage (check local listings):

AMERICAN MASTERS Ra l Juli : The World's a Stage - Friday, September 13, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET

Discover the life and career of Ra l Juli , the charismatic, award-winning actor and humanitarian known for versatile roles on stage and screen, from Shakespearean plays to The Addams Family. A co-presentation of VOCES and American Masters.

VOCES The Pushouts - Friday, September 20, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Meet Victor Rios, a high school dropout and former gang member-turned-award-winning professor, author and expert on the school to prison pipeline, who works with young people who have been pushed out of school for reasons beyond their control.

VOCES Adios Amor - The Search for Maria Moreno - Friday, September 27, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

See how the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot - Maria Moreno, an eloquent migrant mother of 12 who became an outspoken leader for farmworker rights. Her legacy was buried - until now.

VOCES Porvenir, Texas - Friday, October 4, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Discover the true story behind the 1918 massacre of 15 Mexican men in this tiny border town. The film asks what led to the events of that fateful night and reveals the tensions that still remain along the border a century later.

POV Am rica - Monday, October 7, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Diego lives away from his family, where he scrubs wax in a surf shop by day and stilt-walks the malec n by night. He returns home after his grandmother, Am rica, falls from her bed, leading to his father's arrest for elder neglect.

THE HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS - Friday, October 11, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Join the country's highest tribute to Latinos by Latinos. The program includes performances and appearances by celebrated Hispanic artists.

Hispanic Heritage Month programming will be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members will be available to view all episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details).

About PBS

PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS' premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV - including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.

- PBS -

CONTACTS:

Cara White, CaraMar Publicity: 843-881-1480; cara.white@mac.com

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