♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: Welcome to the 35th Hispanic Heritage Awards!
This year we honor... Victoria Alonso.
Lt.
Colonel Olga E. Custodio.
Los Lobos.
Ariana DeBose.
Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez.
And Daddy Yankee!
With Performances by... Carlos Vives.
Julieta Venegas.
Boza.
Aymée Nuviola.
Hector Tellez Jr. and Peter Buck.
And more.
Hosted by Stephanie Beatriz.
This program was mad ♪ ♪ ♪ CARLOS: Estoy comiendo bayas rojas de tu huerto.
♪ ♪ Estoy mirando zepelines de cristal.
♪ ♪ Ya están volando las palabras que diré.
♪ ♪ Te quiero, diré te amo, diré te espero, ♪ ♪ ¿y tú qué dirás?
♪ ♪ Estoy sintiendo las señales de algún puerto.
♪ ♪ Estoy oyendo tus canciones en un bar.
♪ ♪ Me estoy bebiendo las palabras que diré.
♪ ♪ Te quiero, diré te amo, diré te espero, ♪ ♪ ¿y tú qué dirás?
♪ ♪ ALL: Y es que contigo la vida.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Tiene que ser de verdad.
♪ ♪ ALL: Tiene que sentirse lindo.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Ser en tu historia el galán.
♪ ♪ ALL: Y susurrarte al oído.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Cuando te vuelva a encontrar.
♪ ♪ ALL: Mírame, queréme, sentáte conmigo y contáme.
♪ ♪ Tus penas, Cumbiana, tus sueños sublimes contáme.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Ya están maduras las grosellas de tu cuento.
♪ ♪ Ya están sembrado de jureles todo el mar.
♪ ♪ Ya estoy pescando las palabras que diré.
♪ ♪ Te quiero, diré te amo, diré te espero, ♪ ♪ ¿y tú qué dirás?
♪ ♪ ALL: Y es que contigo la vida.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Tiene que ser de verdad.
♪ ♪ ALL: Tiene que sentirse lindo.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Ser en tu historia el galán.
♪ ♪ ALL: Y susurrarte al oído.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Cuando te vuelva a encontrar.
♪ ♪ ALL: Mírame, queréme, sentáte conmigo y contáme.
♪ ♪ Tus penas, Cumbiana, tus sueños sublimes contáme.
♪ (harmonica solo) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ALL: Y será si tú lo quieres y lo sueñas.
♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Dime si el olvido se robó tus mañanas.
♪ ♪ Dime si lloraste la ternura y la rabia.
♪ ♪ Dime si tú quieres muevo yo la montaña.
♪ ♪ Y sanamos juntos el dolor de la patria.
♪ ♪ ALL: En una casita que tenga una bandera.
♪ ♪ Para que me quieras como quiero a mi tierra.
♪ ♪ Un bosque, un perro, un mecedor de madera.
♪ ♪ Un cuarto rosado donde duerma una estrella.
♪ ♪ Y es que contigo la vida.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Tiene que ser de verdad.
♪ ♪ ALL: Tiene que sentirse lindo.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Ser en tu historia el galán.
♪ ♪ ALL: Y susurrarte al oído.
♪ ♪ CARLOS: Cuando te vuelva a encontrar.
♪ ♪ ALL: Mírame, queréme, sentáte conmigo y contáme.
♪ ♪ Tus penas, Cumbiana, tus sueños sublimes contáme.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪♪ STEPHANIE: !¡Hola!
I'm Stephanie Beatriz, and welcome to the 35th Hispanic Heritage Awards!
For the last 35 years, the Hispanic Heritage Awards and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation has recognized influential Latinos making a profound impact on our country.
Each honoree's story is a small part of the much bigger mosaic that makes up our vibrant Latino community.
And this year's class is no exception.
This year, we celebrate pioneers and trailblazers; industry shifters and game-changers.
Latinos who are showing us all how we can have deeper connections with one another and with our planet.
And we'll also have some amazing performances of all kinds of Latin music... Everything from cumbia, salsa, reggaeton, pop, and rock.
So, let's get started!
Our first honoree is at the helm of some of the largest media projects in the world.
As the President of Physical, Post-Production, Visual Effects, and Animation for Marvel Studios, she has been responsible for bringing to life iconic characters like Iron Man, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther.
But she's also been instrumental in changing how Latinos and non-Latinos alike see ourselves on screen.
Let's learn more about our 2022 Vision Award Honoree, Victoria Alonso.
VICTORIA: I think it's one of the greatest honors that one can have that your people in a way, see you, celebrate you, and they realize it's worth a conversation if you would.
You know, in Argentina we received the films ten years later.
During the military dictatorship, it was very selective what we saw.
But the minute that I saw film, it was a moment where nothing that was going in the outside world could seep in.
And for a child of the military dictatorship and a teenager there's something really special about that.
I met at Alaska Airlines, my friend Allison Stone, she said "you'd be great in production.
You need to talk to my friend Carla Corwin.
She's a First AD.
You'd be great in production."
And that's how Carla was the one that got me in as a production assistant, which I knew nothing on how to do it.
I'm very curious and very chatty.
So I would go and I would find out, like, So what does this do and what does that camera do?
And I was fascinated by the technology of it because I had never seen it.
So I did five years of commercials, and I learned a lot in that from one thing went to the other, and then I started doing films.
"Spider-Man" was done by Sony, not us.
"X-Men" was done by Fox, not us.
So we were not in that conversation as the MCU, nor were we the MCU.
I had already been working as a visual effects producer, and Lou D'Esposito and I were working on a movie at Sony.
I had been traveling all over the world, and I, I had said that I just wanted to do films in LA, that was my one non-negotiable.
He said to me, "Hey, I'm going to go do this."
And I said, "I don't care.
I don't care what it is.
I don't care who you're doing it with.
Where does it shoot?
Does it shoot in LA?"
"Yes."
"Just give me the address and I'll go and do it."
We were a group of people with a bond company that we had money from a bank, and the bond company had to ensure we spent it properly, that we could make a movie called "Iron Man".
And then if that went well, you will do the other movie called "The Incredible Hulk".
And if that went well, you will do the other movie called "Captain America: The First Avenger".
I love the heart of a superhero film, but until our movies, I could never connect.
Part of what I think is happening with our superheroes is there's a level of relating to who they are and what the journeys they're going through that are very much human, even though they may be gods or they may be some of the most powerful beings in the world.
I fall in love with every project while I'm doing it.
I'm quite fickle that way.
I loved "Ms. Marvel" as we finished it.
I loved "Thor: Love and Thunder" as we just finished it.
I'm loving "She-Hulk" as we're finishing it.
I love "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" as we're doing it.
I love them, I love them.
And I go deep, deep with them.
I'm in the room where it happens, and that's what most of us strive to be at.
There are moments where you can have a consequential influence in how the stories are told and not because what I'm doing is radically different or revolutionary or blah, blah, blah, no, it's because when you have people that are different in a room, you bring your point of view from where you come from.
Visibility is a key component to feeling that you belong.
And if a kid feels like they belong, half of the battle is done.
And giving that to a child, and I'm not saying just to the ten year old I'm saying that to the 20 year old and the 30 year old and the 40 year old child that goes into a meeting and feels awkward and feels like they're other.
They're not the same as everybody in that room.
All those moments amount to "I belong".
I feel like it's far more important to represent than to accept, and I do accept it on behalf of their representation.
So that they can turn on PBS and say, "Oh, she looks like me."
♪ ♪ ♪ JULIETA: Camina un rato a mi lado.
♪ ♪ Oh-oh.
♪ ♪ Hermano, empareja tu paso.
♪ ♪ Oh-oh.
♪ ♪ Mira con mi cuerpo y con mis temores.
♪ ♪ Directo a los ojos que suelo encontrar.
♪ ♪ Pasada la noche y las buenas maneras.
♪ ♪ Solo dos personas en la oscuridad.
♪ ♪ Me quiero quedar aquí bailando.
♪ ♪ Pero no puedo, no, no, no puedo.
♪ ♪ Porque tengo miedo de salir.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪ ♪ Baja la vista, mejor.
♪ ♪ Oh-oh.
♪ ♪ No me provoques, mi amor.
♪ ♪ Oh-oh.
♪ ♪ La ley del más fuerte, aquí, viene a mandar.
♪ ♪ Como en todo el mundo, nos toca pelear.
♪ ♪ Así me enseñaron y así lo acepté.
♪ ♪ Hoy toca borrarlo y volver a aprender.
♪ ♪ Me quiero quedar aquí bailando.
♪ ♪ Pero no puedo, no, no, no puedo.
♪ ♪ Porque tengo miedo de salir.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪ ♪ Me quiero quedar aquí bailando.
♪ ♪ Pero no puedo, no, no, no puedo.
♪ ♪ Porque tengo miedo de salir.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪ ♪ Siempre pregunta otra vez.
♪ ♪ Oh-oh.
♪ ♪ No dejes respuesta en "tal vez".
♪ ♪ Oh-oh.
♪ ♪ Si algo parece muy fácil, será.
♪ ♪ Porque está faltando algo por preguntar.
♪ ♪ Si así me enseñaron y así lo acepté.
♪ ♪ Hoy toca borrarlo y volver a aprender.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Dudosa herencia aquí presente entre tú y yo.
♪ ♪ Dudosa herencia, sí está construida.
♪ ♪ Con miedo y con dolor.
♪ ♪ Me quiero quedar aquí bailando.
♪ ♪ Pero no puedo, no, no, no puedo.
♪ ♪ Porque tengo miedo de salir.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪ ♪ Me quiero quedar aquí bailando.
♪ ♪ Pero no puedo, no, no, no puedo.
♪ ♪ Porque tengo miedo de salir.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪ ♪ A caminar sola por ahí.
♪♪ STEPHANIE: Our next honoree is a pioneer for Latinas in Aviation.
As the first Latina fighter pilot for the US Air Force, with over 11,000 hours of flight time and recognition by the Smithsonian as a Latina who shaped America, her new mission is inspiring the next generation to soar.
Let's learn more about our 2022 STEM Award Honoree, Lt.
Colonel Olga E. Custodio.
OLGA: I have no words...
This is... um, something that I never would have imagined.
But you always stay open to the opportunities and the possibilities.
I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
My father was in the Army at the time, and as soon as we could we got on a plane and joined my dad to wherever station he was at at the time.
It was a great life, you know?
And I looked up to my dad, and that's actually where my desire to join the Air Force came from.
And in the Air Force, you know, being a pilot, that's the best job there is.
So my plan was to get my degree as a math major and then go to the ROTC, get my commission, join the Air Force as an officer.
I didn't find out that women were not allowed in the ROTC when I applied.
In my last year of college, they offered me a full-time job at this commuter airline.
At the time, my husband and I, we both work for the commuter airline and then he got out and the subject came up.
He said, "what if we joined the Air Force?"
I'm like, "Yes, I'm listening."
We went in, took our test, and he and I got the highest scores.
And when we went back to the recruiter, he said, "Okay, you're in.
I can enlist you."
And I go, "No, no, I need to become an officer.
I have a degree.
I got the highest score and I'm qualified for that."
But he wouldn't offer me an officer slot.
And I told the recruiter, "I'm not going to accept something less knowing that I'm qualified for something more."
He got an assignment to Panama and we went down the Panama Canal, and I found a job with the Department of Defense as a civil servant.
My opportunity came up at an open house and there was this booth with a guy in a flight suit.
And I approached him and I said, "So what do we have here?
You know, what's going on?"
And he goes, "Well, the Air Force is looking for women pilot candidates."
Since I work DOD, I had access to all the regulations now.
I knew the scores.
I knew all the forms I had to fill out, all the medical forms that I had to take and all the tests.
So that the open house was in the summer... December 27th, we received the notice that I was accepted.
Now, the deal was that there was a cutoff date.
26 and a half and I just turned 26.
So now I had to go to the flight screening program to see if I had what it took to become a pilot.
Then I had to go to the officer training school to get my commission and become an officer before I actually started and went to undergraduate pilot training and I made it by two weeks.
My goal was not to be first, and I say that every opportunity because I did a lot of first in the Air Force.
Being the first at Laughlin as an instructor pilot there and then going to the Pilot Instructor Training.
I was the first female in that squadron, as well, to teach other pilots to become instructors.
Being first was a challenge, but it kind of proved I was cut out for this and I was good enough and I was good at it.
Even though we had the fighter rating we could not be assigned a fighter because Congress had not passed the law.
But I got the fastest airplane in the inventory at the time for women.
After eight years, I decided that I would transition to the reserves and I would go ahead and start getting ready to apply for the commercial airline side.
American Airlines was where I ended up, and I was the first Latina pilot at American.
It was a great career, spent 20 years there, flew everywhere and, and my husband became Mr.
Mom when I was away.
I think I'm working more now than I ever have in both of my careers.
To me, paying it forward is so important, and I need young Latinas to see that they too can do whatever they want.
I'm not saying it was easy it was very hard, very challenging.
But you make it work.
The experience was unbelievable.
Hard at times, but so worth the journey, so worth it.
♪ BOZA: Ella.
♪ ♪ Ella.
♪ ♪ Tiene algo que me atrae.
♪ ♪ Que me distrae.
♪ ♪ Que loco me trae.
♪ ♪ La tratan de prepa.
♪ ♪ Porque vive con su amiguita en el depa.
♪ ♪ !¡Epa, así no es la vuelta!
♪ ♪ Siempre está arriba y cualquiera no trepa.
♪ ♪ Me gusta todo de ti, me gustas tú.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo me habla' y tu actitud.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo se te ven los tattoo'.
♪ ♪ Y cuando fuma', te achina' como.. ♪ ♪ Me gusta todo de ti, me gustas tú.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo me habla' y tu actitud.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo se te ven los tattoo'.
♪ ♪ Y cuando fuma'.
♪ ♪ Hey, ella estaba puesta pa' él, ♪ ♪ pero él nunca estuvo pa' ella.
♪ ♪ Se enamoró muy rápido y así es que uno se estrella.
♪ ♪ Ahora tiene un ring light pa' tomarse fotos bellas.
♪ ♪ Coge la suya sola y no anda pegando querella.
♪ ♪ Gucci son sus sábanas, cigarro con... ♪ ♪ Sola en la recámara, posa frente a la cámara.
♪ ♪ Llama si está tomando, cuando quiere prender.
♪ ♪ Ye, ye, y que la retrate.
♪ ♪ Carolina, Givenchy, Burberry, Louis V, Balencia... ♪ ♪ Tú eres la mala, uno se la hizo, todos pagan.
♪ ♪ Va sola en el mundo, así como las almas vagan.
♪ ♪ Abrió su OnlyFans y solo atiende si le pagan.
♪ ♪ Ella, tiene algo que me atrae.
♪ ♪ Que me distrae.
♪ ♪ Que loco me trae.
♪ ♪ La tratan de prepa.
♪ ♪ Porque vive con su amiguita en el depa.
♪ ♪ !¡Epa, así no es la vuelta!
♪ ♪ Siempre está arriba y cualquiera no trepa.
♪ ♪ Me gusta todo de ti, me gustas tú.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo me habla' y tu actitud.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo se te ven los tattoo'.
♪ ♪ Y cuando fuma', te achina' como.
♪ ♪ Me gusta todo de ti, me gustas tú.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo me habla' y tu actitud.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo se te ven los tattoo'.
♪ ♪ Y cuando fuma', te achina' como Kung Fu.
♪ ♪ Yo me pongo Romeo, ♪ ♪ pero creo que ella no será Julieta.
♪ ♪ Lo único que le importa es el gin y la dieta.
♪ ♪ El corazón lo guardó en una maleta.
♪ ♪ Y sacó a pasear... ♪ ♪ Visionaria, tiene metas.
♪ ♪ Falta mucho pa' que se comprometa.
♪ ♪ Con cualquier ma... no creo que se meta.
♪ ♪ Ella es inesperada, una ruleta.
♪ ♪ Ay, mami tú, ♪ ♪ sabes que tienes fanáticos.
♪ ♪ Y yo no soy uno de ellos.
♪ ♪ En ti yo veo algo bello.
♪ ♪ Tú sabes que tienes fanáticos.
♪ ♪ Que están mirando lo que tú haces.
♪ ♪ Pero te quedas sola, pase lo que pase.
♪ ♪ Ella.
♪ ♪ Tiene algo que me atrae.
♪ ♪ Que me distrae.
♪ ♪ Que loco me trae.
♪ ♪ La tratan de prepa.
♪ ♪ Porque vive con su amiguita en el depa.
♪ ♪ !¡Epa, así no es la vuelta!
♪ ♪ Siempre está arriba y cualquiera no, cualquiera no.
♪ ♪ Me gusta todo de ti, me gustas tú.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo me habla' y tu actitud.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo se te ven los tattoo'.
♪ ♪ Y cuando fuma', te achina' como.
♪ ♪ Me gusta todo de ti, me gustas tú.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo me habla' y tu actitud.
♪ ♪ Me gusta cómo se te ven los tattoo'.
♪ ♪ Y cuando fuma', te achina' como Kung Fu.
♪ (SINGING IN SPANISH) STEPHANIE: Our next honorees may call themselves a "group of guys from East LA," but for the last 50 years, this group has been taking their unique blend of Rock, Blues, and Spanish-language folk music all around the world, becoming ambassadors for their Mexican-American culture, and creating a sound that can only be described as "Los Lobos."
When we sat down with the band, David Hidalgo wasn't able to join us, but let's learn more about our 2022 Arts Award Honorees, Los Lobos.
LOUIE: It's great to be recognized and at a national level like this with this award and other things that are starting to happen, which is really nice way... CESAR: Yep.
LOUIE: For us to get to 50 years of doing this?
ANNOUNCER: For nearly 50 years, Los Lobos has remained one of the most vibrant bands in America, a group defined by their exquisite musicianship, authenticity and impossibility to categorize.
Started by a mutual love of rock music, classmates David Hidalgo, Louie Perez, Frank Gonzalez, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano formed the band in 1973.
CESAR: Me and this guy Frank started the band Los Lobos, right.
This and then everybody else came in, a lot of friends... Louie, Conrad.
LOUIE: Mexican music was always like an underscore of us growing up.
Of course, as we got older, you know, we, we wanted to find our own music and that's when we discovered rock and roll.
It just resurfaced as we were getting more into, you know, the musicality of things.
CESAR: We realized we were on a mission from God, you know, with the Mexican folk music.
You know, it was, it was right in the middle of all the Chicano movement and all that.
And we, we figured hey, what we're doing is important, you know?
ANNOUNCER: The group quickly became a staple in LA's vibrant Mexican-American communities, winning their first Grammy Award for best Mexican-American Song.
After a decade, Lobos began integrating the musicality of their Mexican songs with their rock roots, taking the punk genre by storm.
Their unique sound, even drawing in former member of The Blasters, Steve Berlin, who continues to play with the band to this day.
CESAR: We wound up in Hollywood playing in all the punk clubs, you know.
And it was it was because a group called The Blasters, they had seen a documentary of us that was filmed in 1976, 75.
PBS.
And the couple of the guys went to go see them and they said, "Hey, aren't you those guys?
Which... didn't you do like a documentary?"
"Yeah," you know, whatever.
Anyways, they were very interested in us and they, they said, "Hey, you guys want to open up a show for us at The Whiskey?"
You know, we did that.
You know, we opened up for them and then the rest is history.
We were just right deep into that, that punk scene, L.A. punk scene, you know, you had all these groups and then, then you had Los Lobos, you know.
A couple of years later, you know, we had attorneys.
We had a record label, booking agent.
Oh, yeah, we had a van, you know, we bought a van, we decided to jump in and go across America.
You know.
ANNOUNCER: Even as Los Lobos dominated the rock and punk genre, they remained in dialog with their Spanish roots, reaching international fame with the success of the Ritchie Valens biopic "La Bamba", following it up with the Grammy winning album of traditional Mexican songs and doing the score for "Desperado" earning their third Grammy.
STEVE: It was Richie's family.
We had known them all along.
When they sold the rights to the story, they stipulated that nobody else could touch his music but us.
Taylor Hackford, the producer agreed to it, so that was more or less where we entered.
LOUIE: I don't think anybody really wanted to be rock stars.
That's what it was cool about it.
We just did it because we, we, we enjoyed it.
CESAR: I did.
LOUIE: Yeah, yeah, well, he's a rock star.
We followed everything that, that our instincts told us to do whatever felt right to us and it felt right for us to, after a worldwide hit, to put out a record of traditional Mexican music.
I think it all made us chuckle a little bit that there'd be huapango being listened to in Helsinki because "La Bamba" kind of paved the way to it.
ANNOUNCER: Fresh off their fourth Grammy win for their love letter to Los Angeles, "Native Sons", and an NEA National Heritage Fellowship, Los Lobos continues to thrive, expressing the humanity and complexity of Mexican-American culture to the world.
LOUIE: We had never been anywhere and we found ourselves in, like, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Burlington, Vermont, and we've firsthand discovered that there is more similarities than differences.
CONRAD: We met a lot of friends.
We made a lot of friends.
That's a big part of it.
And then, of course, you know, doing the shows and the people, you know, you watch the audience and it's, they're enjoying themselves and they're having a wonderful time.
And it makes us happy.
It makes us feel good.
You know.
LOUIE: Like Cesar says we're like on a, we're like on a mission, you know, where we're taking our music all over the world to places where, where, where no one would have any idea.
And at the same time to kind of demystify what a Mexican person is and what our culture is all about.
CESAR: And family, it always goes go back to the family.
You know.
LOUIE: Family was always been real important.
East L.A. was always important.
East L.A. is what created us.
So we never kind of lost sight of that.
We continue to think about it, and still it's infused in everything that we do.
STEVE: We, we've honored the tradition, but tried to create our own version of it.
CESAR: We're proud that, hey, these couple of guys from East L.A., you know, did something, you know, receive Grammys.
We played for presidents.
You know, we played at the White House.
LOUIE: Would I do anything different?
I don't know, you know, might change a couple little things, maybe the hours.
(group chuckles) LOUIE: Yeah, aside from that, I don't think there's too much we would change.
It has been a pretty good trip.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ HECTOR: She came crashing through.
♪ ♪ Her silver blue.
♪ ♪ Jellyfish shaped clouds.
♪ ♪ In the heat of June.
♪ ♪ He sang a moon-drunk song.
♪ ♪ And we all belong.
♪ ♪ In the eye of it.
♪ ♪ And the world rejoiced.
♪ ♪ In a single voice.
♪ ♪ 'Cause we had no choice.
♪ ♪ Like the leaf is green.
♪ ♪ And tomorrow knows.
♪ ♪ We will all come home.
♪ ♪ From our shipwrecked ships.
♪ ♪ ALL: It all came flashing back.
♪ ♪ HECTOR: Every time I took a hit.
♪ ♪ ALL: And a smile behind my mask.
♪ ♪ HECTOR: Knowing I created it.
♪ (guitar solo) ♪ ♪ ♪ ALL: It all came flashing back.
♪ ♪ HECTOR: Every time I took a hit.
♪ ♪ ALL: And a smile behind my mask.
♪ ♪ HECTOR: Knowing I created it.
♪ ♪ And the world rejoiced.
♪ ♪ In a single voice.
♪ ♪ 'Cause we had no choice.
♪ ♪ Like the leaf is green.
♪ ♪ And tomorrow knows.
♪ ♪ We will all come home.
♪ ♪ From our shipwrecked ships.
♪ ♪♪ STEPHANIE: This year's recipient of the Inspira Award made history as the first openly queer Afro-Latina to earn an Academy Award... And a BAFTA... And a SAG Award... And a Golden Globe for her breath-taking performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story".
And while she's a powerhouse performer, she is also a vocal advocate for her Hispanic Heritage and for our collective shared humanity.
Let's learn more about our 2022 Inspira Award Honoree, Ariana DeBose.
ARIANA: I've always been an eclectic being... As you can tell.
I don't know what accent I'm talking in today.
It's fine.
She's an actor, everyone.
(laughs) I never really thought I would be celebrated for my Hispanic heritage.
That is not, I don't know if I thought I'd just be celebrated for my dancing skills.
You know what I mean?
I was born and raised in North Carolina.
I lived with my grandmother and my mom for a long time.
They, those, those are the two fabulous women who introduced me to dance when I was three.
Now, mind you, my mom is white and I didn't grow up with my dad.
So, you know, my dad is Puerto Rican.
And while I may not have been steeped in my Hispanic heritage, it showed up for me along the way.
And it certainly shows up in my dancing.
I didn't go to college for what I do, so when I got to New York, I got the opportunity, thankfully, to learn on the job.
And so, in essence, I grew up in the Broadway community, and that was my schooling.
I started in "Bring It On: the Musical" as a featured member of the ensemble.
And then I went on to "Motown" and understudied the leading lady well while I was in the ensemble, and then understudied again in "Pippin".
And that led me to "Hamilton", in a show that changed the way we, we look at musical theater, created by a Latino, you know, and that's, that's a point of pride for me.
And then that led me to "A Bronx Tale" and "Donna Summer".
I think it's an understatement to say life is a bit different, but I also think I'm much more equipped to deal with all of the changes that have happened to and around me.
And I do credit my time on Broadway with that.
This whole last experience, especially with "West Side Story", it's the first time that I ever really felt like I had a seat at the table that wasn't going to go away.
I have more opportunity as I sit here talking with you now, opportunities I would not have had without "West Side Story".
While I'm so grateful to have found the space in the world for this film, for my version of Anita, the iconic character that she is, I'm grateful to have been celebrated for that work, you know.
Or rather, it was more important that the version of this character be celebrated because we'd never seen an Afro-Latina play a character that was at the forefront of a plot like this.
That is the important part.
I am separate of it.
If it were to all go away tomorrow, I would be fine.
Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my lifestyle and my opportunities, but I've worked really hard to learn how to be a good human and to learn how to care about the people around me and to live a good life.
I can do that with or without an Oscar or a BAFTA or a SAG or a Golden Globe.
I don't need those things to be a good human.
When I think of Anita and I think of those experiences, I'm like, they enhanced my humanity.
That's the gift they gave me and I'm really proud of that.
I really feel like my Hispanic brothers and sisters gave me a seat at the table and it's not moving.
I am Hispanic.
I am Puertorriqueña.
Yeah, like I am half Puerto Rican.
And yes, I'm half white.
And I look like this and I'm queer and that's fabulous.
You know.
And no matter how I came to be on this planet, my answer doesn't change.
No matter how much I know about my background or what, I don't know what I know is that this body es Puertorriqueña.
And I hold on to that so fiercely now, you know.
And I encourage young people, even if you've never had access to your culture in the way that you would hoped, do a little digging.
Even if you don't know where your family's from or the full breadth of your ancestry.
Like just go do a little Googling about the town.
Or just the island itself.
Just try and be a little bit knowledgeable because it'll just help you feel more connected.
And by the way, if anybody needs to hear it, it's okay if you don't know, you're not less than.
You're perfect.
♪ AYMÉE: Soy yo.
♪ ♪ Aymeé.
♪ ♪ Dalé.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Ayyy, que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Voy detrás, voy detrás, voy detrás, ♪ ♪ voy detrás.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Ay detrás.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Si, eso!
♪ ♪ Happy me siento cada día.
♪ ♪ Al tener en mi vida.
♪ ♪ Un hombre de verdad, hah!
♪ ♪ Oye!
♪ ♪ Sin ti me cae una bobería.
♪ ♪ Pero veo tu risa y no pienso en más na'.
♪ ♪ Camina.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Voy camina.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Happy detrás.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Voy detrás, voy detrás, voy detrás, ♪ ♪ voy detrás.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Camina que yo voy detrás.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Eso!
♪ ♪ Pero happy yo me siento cada día.
♪ ♪ Traes a mi vida la felicidad.
♪ ♪ Tuyos son mis sueños baby.
♪ ♪ De mi tú eres dueño baby.
♪ ♪ Marca el camino que yo, te sigo.
♪ ♪ Oye!
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: La la loh, la la loh, la la loh.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: La la loh, la la loh, la la loh.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Ay que rico!
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Dalé mambo.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Como.
♪ ♪ Sera!
♪ ♪ Hey!
♪ ♪ Doo, do, do do, do, do.
♪ ♪ ALL: Sigue caminando y no te pares.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Sigue caminando y nunca te pares.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Sigue caminando y no te pares.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Que yo sigo atrás de ti porque sé que ♪ ♪ tú tienes la llave.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Sigue caminando y no te pares.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Pero sigue, pero sigue, y sigue caminando.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Sigue caminando y no te pares.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Quítate de alante que vengo bajando.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Oye sabór ♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: La la la loh loh loh♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.
♪ ♪ BACKUP VOCALS: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
♪ ♪ AYMÉE: Recógete carretel.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Soy yo.
♪ ♪ Aymée.
♪♪ STEPHANIE: As we've started to experience the effects of global climate change, our relationships to our food and our supply chains are also changing.
Our next honorees are showing how Latino and First Generation-owned businesses can help us face these global challenges head-on and bring us closer to our planet.
Let's learn more about our 2022 Entrepreneurship Award honorees, Alejendro Velez and Nikhil Arora.
ALEJANDRO: We never sought out to create a garden company, that just was like a result of this curiosity and passion for just getting people to learn about where food came from.
I was born in Medellín, Colombia, and when I was ten years old, I moved to a tiny little town in Michigan called Paw Paw.
I was the only Hispanic kid in the entire school, out of a town of 5000 people.
Always I come back to my roots of Medellín.
It's a city with so much, so much history, so much, so much pain.
At the time when I was living there, Pablo Escobar was the most powerful person in our country and one of the most powerful people in the world.
And you were always one degree of separation from somebody in your family being impacted by the violence.
And coming to the United States, being able to experience leaving your doors open every single day, being able to ride your bike to school every single day.
It created almost, and it sounds super cheesy, but this really is the land of opportunity.
NIKHIL: I grew up in Southern California.
My parents both immigrated from India, and so I grew up a first generation Indian-American.
And I think looking back, one of the sparks for the entrepreneurial drive for me was just, I think the hope.
And I think also there was just I grew up around this kind of sense of connection to food, spirituality coming out of the culture.
And I think all that in the back of my mind kind of got me curious about what ultimately got me interested in this was like growing our own food in an area and teaching people where food comes from and teaching them back.
You know, to reconnect with the land.
And I think a lot of that was just part of kind of culture that I grew up in with my parents, my grandparents, and I don't think I realized it, but all that was in the back of my mind when we heard this fact in class and got me to raise my hand and say, I want to learn more.
So we both met during the last semester at UC Berkeley.
And the crazy thing is we were in the same classes, both, both undergrad business majors, the same classes for four years and somehow never connected, never met, the last semester we're in this business ethics class.
And our professor is talking about sustainability and wrapping up a bunch of different ideas.
And one of them, one sentence is this idea that you can grow mushrooms on coffee grounds.
We both ended up emailing our professor after class for more information.
That's how we met through this one sentence, one idea in the class and totally changed our lives from there.
ALEJANDRO: I think with the foundation that we had, the partnership that we had, we said, "Hey, let's give it a go" and started farming ourselves.
So we would five in the morning, collect coffee waste from Starbucks, bring it back, grow the mushrooms, hustle them at the farmer's markets in Whole Foods, demo them at night.
I mean, it was 16 hour days of farming.
NIKHIL: Our transition from farming to gardening was really driven by our, our customers.
ALEJANDRO: You know, being at farmer's markets, talking to families, realizing like, hey, we can not just have a regional farm, but we can make a national, even global impact by letting families themselves do the farming at home.
And that's how we created the first ever grow kit, which was our little mushroom kit, which you could put in any kitchen or classroom in America and grow mushrooms in ten days.
As we started with, you know, one mushroom kit, now we have over 150 products in 12,000 stores, fastest growing, largest organic garden company in the United States.
Yet it's all rooted on the same principles of getting every family to be curious, to learn about sustainability, how food comes from getting people connected.
NIKHIL: While gardening in and of itself may not solve the climate crisis, but what drives us so much that we think what is needed in this world more than anything else is for people to feel connected, connected back to each other, connected back to their food, and connected back to the environment and until we have a generation that actually cares and is curious again about the land, nothing's gonna change.
And that's what, that's what drives us.
We know that if we can get every single kid in this country to garden, to grow something, to get their hands in the dirt, that's going to let, set off light bulbs and sparks a curiosity about where else does that come from, where does that come from?
And that's the curiosity we need to rethink our entire ecosystem, entire business models, and that's going to solve the climate crisis.
And so we hope that our brand can be that spark of curiosity, that spark of wonder for a new generation to just feel connected again to the world around them.
STEPHANIE: Our final honoree is a true trailblazer who reshaped reggaetón from a niche urban genre into a global music powerhouse, forever changing the sound of Latin music.
And as he retires at the end of his world tour, he leaves behind a legacy as one of the most celebrated and influential Latinos of our time.
Let's learn more about our 2022 Legend Award Honoree, Daddy Yankee!
DADDY YANKEE: What kept me grounded definitely has been my family, my friends, my teammates.
The word of God.
My island.
Those are the elements that kept me grounded, for all of these decades.
ANNOUNCER: For over 30 years, Ramón Ayala, better known around the world as "Daddy Yankee", has been the undisputed King of Reggaetón.
Growing up in the Villa Kennedy Housing Projects of San Juan, Puerto Rico, DY initially aspired to play professional baseball.
But his life shifted abruptly when he was struck by a stray bullet, ending his baseball career, and pushing him fully into music.
He then spent the next decade experimenting with the Reggaetón sound and style, until the release of his iconic album "Barrio Fino" and the lead single "Gasolina" took Latin music by storm, becoming the best-selling Latin Album of the decade.
DADDY YANKEE: When we dropped "Barrio Fino", we didn't think it was going to take over in a worldwide status.
I mean, I had the vision and I dreamed about it.
But when you see that realized, it is a surprise still.
ANNOUNCER: Drawn to his authenticity and music that elevated and challenged mainstream perceptions of Latinos, audiences clamored for more.
Yankee's success triggered an explosion in urban Latin music globally, revitalized Latin music sales; and laid the groundwork for the rise of contemporary hitmakers like Karol G, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny.
And as Yankee released hit after hit, he continued to look to the future, nurturing the next generation of artists to ensure the longevity of the genre and provide new opportunities for their success.
DADDY YANKEE: Daddy Yankee legacy definitely has been a game changer.
An artist that shaped the culture.
I really seen the results of having that vision right now seeing different talents.
The rise of new artists is bringing hope to the Barrio and seeing those new kids changing their lives.
I think that's beyond music.
It's the culture and give them an opportunity to change their life.
That has been DY's legacy.
ANNOUNCER: Yankee's global icon status was cemented in 2017, when he collaborated with fellow Hispanic Heritage Award honoree Luis Fonsi on the hit single, "Despacito."
The song became a record-smashing hit, quickly becoming the first Spanish-language song to hit Number 1 on Billboard since the "Macarena," and being named the most listened to artist worldwide on Spotify, the first Hispanic to do so.
After over 30 years in the industry, Daddy Yankee announced his new album, "Leggendaddy" would be his last, and that he was retiring from music at the end of his tour.
He ends his career as one of the most successful and highly decorated musicians of all time.
Even being named one of "Time Magazine" and CNN's "Most Influential Hispanics."
But as he steps away from the limelight, DY leaves behind a changed world, a changed genre, a changed industry, a changed global Latin community.
DADDY YANKEE: Ese chamaco está ahí y sigue ahí.
Ese Daddy Yankee sigue ahí.
El chamaco que nunca perdió la pasión por la música, ese chamaco que que le gusta siempre innovar, que es un fiebre en el estudio.
Ese chamaco está ahí siempre buscan la manera de crecer como artista, pero aprendiendo a través de los años.
Me ha interesado crecer más como ser humano y eso me ha llenado muchísimo.
Oh, thank you, thanks!
Appreciate that.
It's a great honor.
Hey.
Para mí este premio significa muchísimo, un gran logro.
Creo que va más allá de la música, en la cultura, y eso es lo que yo he tratado de hacer.
Desde el día uno.
Impactar la cultura de una forma positiva, una manera de traer esperanza... And the main thing to put the Barrio on top of the world.
And we did that.
ROBI: Hola soy Robi.
Soy de Carolina, Puerto Rico, y para mí es un honor interpretar "Tu Príncipe" de Daddy Yankee porque desde muy chiquito es uno de mis temas favoritos y es mi tema favorito de Daddy Yankee.
Daddy Yankee representa la juventud apasionada y el modelo a seguir para todo el que quiera seguir un sueño.
Para mi Daddy Yankee es un ícono de la cultura latina y su legado es la definición de lo que es ser un líder.
Él encabeza el movimiento de la música latina a través del mundo.
Yo soy, yo soy fruto de los sacrificios que ha hecho Yankee, así que Daddy Yankee, muchísimas gracias por representarme y representar el futuro de la música en cada rincón del mundo.
♪ ROBI: Si tú supieras que me pasa cada vez que te veo, ♪ ♪ Quisiera confesarte lo que siento y no me atrevo, ♪ ♪ Mil emociones me dominan cada vez que te veo, ♪ ♪ Te veo cerca y a la misma vez te siento tan lejos.
♪ ♪ Rrrobi!
♪ ♪ Si tú sintieras lo mismo que yo, ♪ ♪ Estuvieras aquí conmigo, ♪ ♪ Fueras mi novia y yo tu príncipe, ♪ ♪ Ser más allá que un amigo, ♪ ♪ Si tú sintieras lo mismo que yo, ♪ ♪ Estuvieras aquí conmigo, ♪ ♪ Fueras mi novia y yo tu príncipe, ♪ ♪ Me muero por estar contigo, ♪ ♪ Tengo ganas de castigarte, ♪ ♪ Pero eso es aparte, ♪ ♪ parte por parte, ♪ ♪ Te pasas guayando en treehouse ♪ ♪ Por eso ya se que te dejaste, ♪ ♪ Te pusiste esa falda pa guillarte, ♪ ♪ Pero ke lo ke vamos a vernos, ♪ ♪ Dile a mi yerno ♪ ♪ Que la noche se presta pa no recogernos, ♪ ♪ Yo te hago un concierto privado en tu apartamento, ♪ ♪ no se ni lo que siento, ♪ ♪ Solo se que correcto, ♪ ♪ Y que si te pegas ♪ ♪ Cómo el calor en Las Vegas ♪ ♪ Y me perreas como si estuviéramos en la escuela, ♪ ♪ Tu estás suelta conmigo y no tienes idea, ♪ ♪ Yo no fallo como Kobe ♪ ♪ Por mas que tu me gardeas, ♪ ♪ No hay nada malo, malo, ♪ ♪ en darle calor, calor, ♪ ♪ Apenas tú puedes ver todo lo que por ti siento, ♪ ♪ Me tienes mujer,♪ ♪ no digo que no quiero, ♪ ♪ La cura de mi querer tú eres ♪ ♪ y no lo sabes, ♪ ♪ Si tú supieras que me pasa cada vez que te veo, ♪ ♪ Quisiera confesarte lo que siento y no me atrevo, ♪ ♪ Mil emociones me dominan cada vez que te veo, ♪ ♪ Te veo cerca y a la misma vez ♪ ♪ te siento tan lejos.
♪ ♪ Si tú sintieras lo mismo que yo, ♪ ♪ Estuvieras aquí conmigo, ♪ ♪ Fueras mi novia y yo tu príncipe, ♪ ♪ Ser más allá que un amigo, ♪ ♪ Si tú sintieras lo mismo que yo, ♪ ♪ Estuvieras aquí conmigo, ♪ ♪ Fueras mi novia y yo tu príncipe, ♪ ♪ Me muero por estar contigo, ♪ ♪ Rrrobi, yea, yea.
♪ ♪ Si quieres vacilar vente con Robi, ♪ ♪ Sabes que nunca falla como Kobe.
♪ ♪♪ STEPHANIE: Congratulations to all of our honorees and our performers!
Thank you to the Hispanic Heritage Foundation for having me, and for celebrating and empowering our Latino community for the last 35 years.
!¡Adios y Buenas Noches!
((music plays through credits)