LATINO PERSPECTIVE-One of the great things of Los Angeles is that on any given day, there is an important event. The Oscars, The Golden Globes, The Grammy Awards and the Emmys among others. But then we have the “Latinos de Hoy Awards.”
The annual Latinos de Hoy Awards is a bilingual/bicultural event to honor members of the Latino community who exemplify leadership, service, and a dedication to setting an example for their peers and the next generation. It is a celebration of our shared culture and the vibrant and diverse voices within it.
This year’s Latinos de Hoy Awards ceremony, was hosted by the Los Angeles Times and Hoy. Held on Sunday, October 11 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, it benefited the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. As a closing celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the evening started with a red carpet arrival, followed by the awards show, and ended with a post-event reception.
At this event, Roaldo Moran, publisher and general manager of the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy Los Angeles, said, "We are proud to continue to recognize important Hispanic leaders in the worlds of entertainment, sports, culture, education and the arts through Latinos de Hoy."
Among the honorees were several prize winning members of the cast and crew of "East Los High," a drama series in English that relates the experiences, challenges and heartaches of Latino teenagers at a high school in the strongly Hispanic neighborhood of East Los Angeles.
Bricia Vasquez, who is a restauranteur from Oaxaca, Mexico was honored as Cultural Ambassador. Giovani dos Santos, who has become the pride of Latinos since arriving in Los Angeles with the Major League Soccer team Galaxy, was the winner in the Excellence in Sports category.
Actor and writer Luis Guzman took the Humanitarian award, Rafael Agustin was named as Emerging Leader, and Castulo De La Rocha was recognized as the Pioneer in Health.
Liz Hernandez, the "Queen of Entertainment News," presented a recognition to Dolores Huerta, the 85-year-old activist who, together with Cesar Chavez, founded the United Farm Workers union. The UFWU played the key role in organizing agricultural laborers and protecting them under the law. Huerta has led and organized multiple campaigns in defense of women, immigrants, the LGBT community and minorities.
Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said, "…we have to honor Hispanics particularly here in the United States, because many Americans still don't understand what we are, our families, our values…it's important that they know who we are.”
I’m looking forward to attending next year’s awards.
(Fred Mariscal came to Los Angeles from Mexico City in 1992 to study at the University of Southern California and has been in LA ever since. He is a community leader who serves as Vice Chair of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition and sits on the board of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council representing Larchmont Village. He was a candidate for Los Angeles City Council in District 4. Fred writes Latino Perspective for CityWatch and can be reached at: [email protected]) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 91
Pub: Nov 10, 2015
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