Actresses Jessica Alba and America Ferrera will headline the #LatinasRepresent Lifestyle Special Edition, a major virtual event presented by Hispanicize Media Group.
Dubbed as a “virtual gathering of Latina influencers, celebrities, community leaders, (and) entrepreneurs” in the United States, the event will cover leadership, power, equality and entertainment. It will also feature success stories and hold an awards ceremony. It will take place April 21.
Alba and Ferrara are two of Hollywood’s most prominent Latina stars.
Alba is a Golden-Globe nominated, prolific actor and founder of a multi-billion dollar company.
AN ‘ANGEL’ TAKES OFF
Her breakout role was the lead in the sci-fi superhero series Dark Angel, directed by Oscar-winning Titanic director James Cameron. This role earned her a nod to the award handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Her movie credits include Robert Rodriguez’s acclaimed drama Sin City, the rom-com Valentine’s Day, the thriller The Killer Inside Me, the children’s action film Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World and the superhero franchise Fantastic Four. More recently, she starred in the police comedy-drama LA’s Finest, which she helped co-produce.
The actress has also banked on her fame to go into business. In 2012 she co-founded The Honest Company, which specializes in household goods, diapers, and body care products and is now reportedly valued at about $2 billion. Alba has also been involved in activism encouraging youths to vote and supporting causes like safe chemicals and same-sex marriage, children’s education in Africa and the non-profits Habitat for Humanity and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
A SUNDANCE WINNER
Ferrera, for her part, is a Golden-Globe-winning actress who in recent years has put on a hat as a producer and executive director of projects that are either Latino-themed or have main characters who are Latinos. Her feature film debut was as the lead in her breakout role in 2002 at Sundance in the award-winning drama Real Women Have Curves, written by Josefina Lopez and for which she won the Special Jury Prize for Best Actress.
Ferrera’s TV breakthrough role was in Ugly Betty. The Salma Hayek-exec directed TV series won Ferrera three coveted prizes for best actress: a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy—the first Latina to earn the honor in that category.
After Ugly Betty, she went to star in the independent limited series Christine and had a recurring role in the law drama The Good Wife. She also voiced Astrid Hofferson in the DreamWorks Animation franchise How to Train Your Dragon, including the feature films, shorts and TV series. Her film credits also include Cesar Chavez, in which she plays Helen Chavez, the wife of the farmworker and labor leader, and the two The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants films.
Ferrera donned the hats of executive producer and director for two recent series, NBC’s Superstore, in which she also stars as Amy Sosa, and Netflix’s Gentefied, a drama about gentrification in East Los Angeles—also making an appearance in one episode.
As an activist, Ferrera has supported getting out the Latino vote, immigration advocacy and women’s rights. She was the opening speaker at the 2017 Women’s March on Washington.
MORE STARS & LEADERS
Several other Latina actresses will also be joining #LatinasRepresent. They are Dascha Polanco and Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black), Julissa Calderon (Gentefied), Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Cristela Alonzo (Cristela), Giselle Blondet (Mujeres Asesinas) and Julissa Bermudez (Hunters).
The event will also feature prominent Latina leaders like Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers and head of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and Janet Murguia, president of UnidosUS, the Hispanic advocacy organization formerly known as the National Council of La Raza.
Other women participating in the event are Univision anchor Yarel Ramos and the up-and-coming singer Mariah Angeliq.
Hispanicize Media Group, the organizer of #LatinasRepresent, is owned by NGL Collective, actor John Leguizamo’s independent media and entertainment company.
#LatinasRepresent is a free event. To register, click here.