Latino-Hispanic

Finding Your Roots “Mexican Roots” • WXXI-TV

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, uncovering ancestors stretching back to the 1500s.

Finding Your Roots “Mexican Roots” airs Tuesday, September 23 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans, Gates conjures up personal histories of diverse, sometimes conflicting, elements.

“If our contributions were written back into history textbooks, can you imagine how America would see us?’ says Leguizamo. “More importantly, can you imagine how we would see ourselves?”

Velvet, Season 2 • WXXI-TV

When Alberto returns from his honeymoon with Cristina, he is shocked to find that his brother-in-law, Enrique, now is now in control of Velvet.

Velvet, Season 2 airs Thursday, September 18 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The second season premiere of Velvet from WALTER PRESENTS follows Alberto, who returns from his honeymoon to find a myriad of surprises. Missed Season 1? You can watch it on the PBS app.

In late 1950s Madrid, the golden age of haute couture, there is one place everyone would like to shop at least once in their lifetime: the Galerias Velvet. From Walter Presents, in Spanish with English subtitles.

Velvet (serie en español) — Jueves, 18 de septiembre a las 9 p. m. en WXXI-TV
El estreno de la segunda temporada de VELVET, de WALTER PRESENTS, sigue a Alberto, que regresa de su luna de miel y se encuentra con un sinfín de sorpresas. ¿Te has perdido la primera temporada? Puedes verla en la aplicación PBS.

38th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards • WXXI-TV

Celebrate the recipients of the 38th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. This year’s honorees include Cheech Marin, Felix Contreras, Rauw Alejandro, Gloria Trevi, and more.

38th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards premieres Fridays, September 26 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country’s most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries. This historic program, created by the White House to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions. This year’s honorees include Cheech Marin, Felix Contreras, Rauw Alejandro, Gloria Trevi and more.

VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos • WXXI-WORLD

Inspired by his quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions, this new three-part series brings acclaimed Broadway and film actor John Leguizamo’s passion from the stage to the screen.

VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos airs Saturdays, September 13-27 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD and streams on PBS.org and the PBS App.

In this series, Leguizamo takes viewers on a captivating journey, delving into both well-known and lesser-known stories of Latino history and contributions, spanning thousands of years from the Ancient Empires to the early 1970s. Through this exploration, he aims to shine a light on the rich and often overlooked history of Latinos while showcasing how Latino history is American history.

Filmed on location in Mexico and throughout the U.S., American Historia features Leguizamo in conversation with over a dozen leading historians, anthropologists, authors and experts. The series also features actors, including Benjamin Bratt, Bryan Cranston, Rosario Dawson, Laurence Fishburne, Ethan Hawke, Edward James Olmos, Rosie Perez, Liev Schreiber, reading original source materials.

Episode 1: Echoes of Empires: Join host John Leguizamo as he examines the accomplishments and rise of the Great Empires and civilizations in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, from the Taino to the Olmec, Inca, Maya, Aztec, and more. Although they were ultimately decimated by the conquistadors, these societies had an enduring influence on culture, agriculture, and the sciences.

Episode 2: Threads in the American Tapestry: Explore how Latino DNA has been woven into the identity of the United States since before her inception, and has been pivotal all along the way. Despite facing severe discrimination and violence, Latinos were present and contributed in pivotal ways to the fabric of this nation. Highlighting key figures and events, host John Leguizamo shows how Latinos helped build the United States we know today.

Episode 3: Solidarity in a New Era: Host John Leguizamo explores the rise of the new empire, the United States. While Latinos were often relegated to the fringes of mainstream society, they made profound contributions to the fabric of the U.S. and beyond. Reflecting on his journey, John learns that Latinos were not just an asterisk in history, but that Latino history is the history of the United States.

“If our contributions were written back into history textbooks, can you imagine how America would see us?’ says Leguizamo. “More importantly, can you imagine how we would see ourselves?”

Photo: Creator and host John Leguizamo on the set of AMERICAN HISTORIA./ Credit: NGL Studios

Voces on PBS “Almost American” • WXXI-TV

Meet a Salvadoran-American family who have legally lived and worked in the nation’s capital for 20 years until disaster strikes.

Voces on PBS “Almost American” airs Monday, August 26 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

A Salvadoran-American family of five who have legally lived and worked in the nation’s capital for 20 years have their lives upended when Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for those from El Salvador and five other countries is revoked. Follow their fight to stay together as a family.

VOCES “From Here/From There (De Aquí/De Allá) • WXXI-TV

This film tells the inspiring story of Luis Cortes Romero, the first undocumented attorney to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

VOCES “From Here/From There (De Aquí/De Allá)” airs Monday, July 22 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Follow Luis – an immigration attorney as well as a DACA recipient’s – on a journey from a difficult youth to the highest court in the land as part of a powerful legal team fighting the Administration’s attempt to rescind DACA.

Luis was attending a school for gifted students when he discovered he was undocumented when he couldn’t join a class trip to Europe, leading to his father’s deportation and his family’s upheaval. This hardship and his mother’s direction led Luis to Chicano Studies at San Jose State, where he would become an immigration lawyer.

When the Obama administration established DACA in 2012, Luis’s life changed, allowing him to practice law openly, and in 2017, he defended Daniel Ramirez, a DACA recipient facing deportation, and recognized the broader threat to DACA. This led to a landmark Supreme Court case where Luis, the first undocumented lawyer to appear before the Court, and his team won a victory in 2020, overturning the Trump administration’s rescission of DACA. Despite this win, the future of DACA remains uncertain, affecting hundreds of thousands of young people.

Why Do We Say “Latino”?

Danielle Bainbridge traces the origin of the term Latino, Hispanic, and Latinx in this episode of “Origins of Everything.” When you hear “Latino” you probably think of people from Latin America – places like Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, etc. But where exactly did the history of that word come from, and has it always meant Central America and South America as well as the Caribbean? Danielle traces the origin of the term “Latino” and the debates that still surround it as well as the term “Hispanic” and “Latinx.”

About Origins of Everything Host, Danielle Bainbridge

She is a fun loving, history nerd who will never shy away from a good debate or bad joke. She has a PhD in African American Studies & American Studies from Yale University, graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in English & Theatre Arts, and is a new faculty member at Northwestern University in Theatre and African American Studies. Which basically means her interests run the gamut from big Broadway musicals to the social & political movements of the last 200 years.

On Two Fronts: Latinos & Vietnam On-Demand

This film captures a complex aspect of the Vietnam War: the legacy of Latino veterans and their families during the conflict. Watch On-Demand

Through rare archival footage and candid interviews, On Two Fronts: Latinos & Vietnam, conveys the rich heritage of military service, a deeply rooted part of Latino cultural identity in the U.S., and looks at the contributions made by Latino veterans and their families during the Vietnam era. The film also explores the controversy and changing attitudes amid the growing Chicano anti-war movement and within a community reeling over disproportionate losses and divided over participation in the war.

Examine the Latino experience during a war that placed its heaviest burden on working-class youth and their communities. Framing the documentary are memoirs of two siblings, Everett and Delia Alvarez, who stood on opposite sides of the Vietnam War, one as a POW and the other protesting at home.

On Two Fronts: Latinos & Vietnam is part of WXXI’s Veterans Connections initiative that is designed to help bridge military and veteran needs with community support and awareness. Through special TV, radio and online programming, documentary films, group discussions, news features, and web features. Veterans Connections works to create a community platform to raise awareness and connect veterans with valuable resources.

Watch On-Demand