The Mexican-American Cultural Educational Foundation (MACEF), a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the narrative of Mexicans in the U.S.A. through unity, pride and education, will host its 4th History Maker event with Gary Segura, Dean of UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The History Maker event spotlights Mexican-Americans who have achieved the highest degrees of success in their respective fields. Past History Maker includes Playwright  Luis Valdez, Alex Nogales, CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and Julian Nava, former Ambassador to Mexico.  The MACEF History Maker event takes place on Thursday, January 23, 2020, at the historic La Plaza de Cultura y Arte at 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

MACEF was conceived by Dr. Jose Luis Ruiz, who serves as President.  Dr. Ruiz is a well known, nationally recognized professor, researcher, cosmetic dentist, Amazon bestseller and award-winning Mexican-American novelist. As a young man, he relocated to the U.S. where he experienced the unique challenges and opportunities of other Mexican immigrants witnessing the life and perspective of countless U.S.-born Mexican-Americans. 

“For over a century Mexican-American misinformation has been spread and in recent years it has been amplified by the megaphone attacks of the current president of the United States,” stated Dr. Ruiz. “Our History Maker illuminates the positive of our community. And, we encourage all Mexican-Americans to be a part of the change to be elevated.”

Ruiz believes the MACEF organization focused on Mexican-Americans can end the invisibility by focusing on achievements by promoting unity, education, pride, and progress. At every event, MACEF invites two Mexican-American Role Models to share their “secrets to success” in a short mini “TEDTalk like” presentation. On January 23rd, Naibe Reynoso, a multiple EMMY award-winning journalist/Author/Producer and Luis Fernandez, Executive Director, Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum and Researcher, will present “Pearls of Wisdom” and “How To” talks for success.  

As with every MACEF event, high school students are bused in to attend these cultural and informative forums. And as is customary, one student out of each MACEF event is presented with a scholarship at a subsequent event, to further their education. To date, two students, Victoria Nava and Anthony Garcia have recently been awarded the Katie Suarez Social Justice Scholarship.  Each and every past History Maker has left an indelible mark that inspires, motivates, encourages and enables young Mexican-Americans to pursue an education and become leaders at whatever industry or profession they seek.

Director/Playwright Luis Valdez (La Bamba, Zoot Suit) kicked off the launch of the History Maker events last October. He spoke about the inherent creativity of Mexicans.  “The grace of Mexican art. The visuality of Mexican art is the raw stuff that you need [to be great Mexican] filmmakers”. 

Alex Nogales, President of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, talked about the discrimination towards Mexicans growing up as a farmworker. “Up and down the state there were signs…that said, “No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed”.  It took me years to get over those kinds of put-downs. But once I did and I got an education, it was a different story,” directing his words towards the students in attendance.

History Maker Dr. Julian Nava was the first Mexican-American Ambassador to Mexico was appointed by President Jimmy Carter.  Had this to say at his History Maker talk, “Be proud of your cultural heritage. See it for what it is, an asset. Most people who know Mexican-Americans think well of us because we don’t cause riots, turmoil or burn downtowns. Yet we have suffered discrimination of a more polite but equally as offensive and oppressive form. But we don’t have to suffer that if we just don’t want to. It’s in our mind to be yourself.”

“It is hard to look in any direction in this beautiful country and not see the powerful and positive influence the Mexican-American culture and people have given to America,”  Dr. Ruiz laments. It is for this reason the Mexican American Cultural Education Foundation exists.  

To read more on the fascinating history of Mexican-Americans, and about how the organization is changing the false and negative narrative, visit the MACEF website. 

The event is open to the public and it is free of charge. For more information call (818) 641-5577 or CLICK HERE. Limited seating. 
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ABOUT MACEF
The Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation is a non-profit foundation with the mission of educating the community about the rich cultural contributions of the Mexican-American community to this country, which are often unrecognized. To spotlight the many wildly successful Mexican immigrants, Mexican-Americans, and Chicanos and recruit their help as role models and mentors and to promote education, unity, pride, and progress. MACEF offers a variety of scholarships and grants to encourage advancement for Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans. For more information CLICK HERE

ABOUT GARY SEGURA: History Maker
Prior to his UCLA Dean appointment, Professor Segura served as the Morris M. Doyle Centennial Professor of Public Policy, professor of political science, and professor and former chair of Chicana/o-Latina/o studies at Stanford University. As a result of his research focusing on issues of political representation and the politics of America’s growing Latino minority, it is no surprise he has been called to brief members of Congress and senior administration officials on issues related to Latinos. In addition, he has served as an expert witness in three marriage equality cases heard by the Supreme Court and has filed amicus curiae briefs on subjects as diverse as voting rights, marriage equality, and affirmative action.

Latin Heat Media, LLC 

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It has long been known through academic studies that fair representation in media matters because that is where people get their beliefs as to who we are, what we are, and how much we are worth. American Latinos, other people of color, LGBTQ people and women, can only thrive in a society where we are authentically represented in film, television, radio, digital media and newspapers. But that is not the case in “liberal” Hollywood. It continues to make films and television shows with white male leads, adding truth to Trump’s vision of who the “real Americans” are in our country.

Historically marginalized communities are grossly under and misrepresented in media. The numbers speak for themselves. It is not for a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity that is so pervasive that in 2015 the ACLU sought a state and federal investigation into the discriminatory practices at Hollywood’s major studios, networks, and talent agencies, which it deemed a violation of civil rights.

Given President Trump’s divisive, anti-immigrant policies and racist rhetoric, representation in media matters now more than ever. Trump has repeatedly insulted and dehumanized American Latinos, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ Americans and women for nearly three years, emboldening radical, white nationalist groups, and inciting intolerance and hate against the “others”, the non-real Americans, us, almost 40% of the nation.

Latinos currently makeup 18.3% of the U.S. population, have a purchasing power of $1.5 trillion dollars, and buy 24% of all tickets sold at the box office, which allows Hollywood to achieve its significant margin. Yet, according to a recent study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative out of 1,200 popular films released between 2007 and 2018, only 3% featured Latino leads or co-leads. As Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times culture columnist and critic, recently pointed out that even the USC initiative itself faced criticism in January for leaving Latinos out of its ‘Inclusion in the Director’s Chair’ study, which broke down statistics for black, Asian and female directors.” (This was the second time, Stacy Smith, associate professor of communication, and founder and director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, has left Latinos out of her studies).

That sharp criticism McNamara refers to came from an NHMC January 8, 2019 press release which Alex Nogales, NHMC President and CEO, argued that the exclusion of Latinos in the USC director’s study, as well as the Los Angeles Times failing to question why Latinos were left out of the discussion, sends the message and perception that Latinos are non-existent and not worthy of being included, even when they are excluded. 

Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President & General Counsel and National Latino Media Council (NLMC) Chairman, also stated in the release that “inexplicably omitting the nation’s largest minority group from this report is the exact opposite of inclusion; it is academic apartheid that should have no place at any reputable scholarly institution, particularly in the very Latino city of Los Angeles. The L.A. Times and the so-called Annenberg Inclusion Initiative are complicit in suppressing the extreme and unacceptable exclusion of Latinos in the entertainment industry, and in serving a naked Trumpian agenda.”

Consequently, the NHMC, Saenz, and other top Latino national leaders met with top editors of the Los Angeles Times who verbally promised coverage that is more inclusive, accurate and authentic of the American Latino community, and pledged to meet again in the fall of this year to discuss how the Times can be more engaged with the Latino community.

In the fall of 2018, NHMC demonstrated against Paramount Pictures twice for having the worst record amongst the six major film studios in hiring Latinos in its workforce. After extensive research, NHMC announced in a press conference that none of the twelve Paramount Pictures films in 2016 featured any Latino directors, writers, or lead actors, and of the top 100 grossing films in 2017, eight produced by Paramount, none of Paramount’s films featured any Latino writers or lead actors. Only two months after NHMC’s last protest against the studio, on February 20, 2019, Paramount’s Chairman and CEO, Jim Gianopulos, announced a historic initiative that includes promoting diversity and inclusion across the studio’s film, television and animated storylines, vendors, shooting locations and crews. The initiative was the first of its kind since Paramount was founded over 105 years ago. NHMC’s actions prove that boycotts and demonstrations work, and NHMC and its allies will use them more often to get positive results.

When Netflix canceled the critically acclaimed American Latino sitcom One Day at a Time in 2018, NHMC was the lead signatory of an open letter endorsed by fifteen other civil rights organizations nationwide, urging the studio to renew the series for season three. It did. Although the show was later canceled by Netflix because, according to it, the viewership did not justify the cost of another season. (Netflix did not reveal the cost of the program nor its viewership numbers). Fortunately, One Day at a Time was saved by PopTV in part because of its loyal fan base and because executives at the TV channel felt it was a “show to be proud of.”

Institutional change in Hollywood will occur not just by mounted and longtime pressure of national civil rights groups and activists, but also with the top studios and networks understanding that demographics in the U.S. have shifted, and continuing to do stories about white people, with a majority of white males in them, is prejudicial and financially small-minded when you consider the huge population of people of color and other marginalized groups in the U.S..

The Change will come when studios and networks allow people of marginalized groups to give voice to the stories they know and experience, who also know great writers, actors and directors across the nation. Failure to do so puts these studios in complicity with the president who disregards the marginalized and call on “real Americans” to follow his racist lead. His followers don’t know us and of course believe the prejudices the president preaches.

Studio and television executives must be willing to shatter decades-old myths that white leads are the only actors who will make money, and employ and cast women and people of color. They must be willing to lose money on many Latino-focused projects in order to gain money on the successful ones. They must be willing to allow Latino-focused projects to potentially fail as they have consistently done for generations with hundreds of movies with white leads and co-leads. They must be willing to hire talented Latinos in decision-making roles so that they, in turn, help create authentic, three-dimensional stories that speak to diverse audiences and their demands.

As McNamara eloquently stated, “Hollywood likes to play it safe, even though safe has led not only to a monochromatic landscape but all the various financial issues currently plaguing the entertainment industry. You want a bigger audience? Broaden the stories you tell.”

NHMC is strongly urging Hollywood executives to be all-inclusive in their hiring practices, and recognize that the negative and stereotypical images of people of color and women seen on the big and small screens impact people’s identites and sense of self. Seeing positive portrayals of American Latinos in media will allow more people throughout the U.S. to view Latinos – immigrants included – as hard-working contributors to our economy, culture and society. 

Some of these executives are not believers of diversity and inclusion, but at the very least, will accept that diversity benefits the bottom line, as evidenced in the successful films and television shows such as Coco, Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians, Empire and One Day at a Time. Providing content that aligns with the growing, more diverse audiences will help these big studios save money in the end, instead of losing it.

As always, NHMC will continue to stand firm and demand change in Hollywood, patiently and sometimes impatiently, moving the needle one bit at a time. But, real, widespread change can only happen with the collaboration of Hollywood’s top leaders allowing change to occur, shaping the behaviors and opinions about the “others” through its content. This has been NHMC’s key message since its founding in 1986, and as Alex Nogales has stated then and now, “Hollywood, sooner or later you’re going to have to face the consequences of exclusion, and that’s beginning to happen now. I don’t want to tell you that I told you so, but I told you so!”

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After several well-attended protests, media interviews, significant coverage in print and television, institutional diversity reports that provided indisputable numbers of the near exclusion of Latinos in film, and an ongoing social media campaign against Paramount Pictures in 2018 for having the worst studio record in hiring Latinos in front and behind camera, the NHMC is now urging the U.S. Latino community to see the Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies film in large part because of its all-star, nearly all-Latino cast.

“Media has a profound impact on how people think and behave, and NHMC firmly believes that equity in media can only happen if film studio executives and those who greenlight blockbuster movies – like Dora – recognize that hiring Latinos is a profitable business imperative,” said Alex Nogales, president, and CEO of the NHMC. “Paramount Pictures could no longer ignore that the U.S. Latino population is 18.9%, has an estimated purchasing power of $1.5 trillion dollars, and buys 24% of all movie tickets nationwide. By casting a nearly all-Latino cast, Paramount has taken its first step, in 105 years since it was founded, to diversify its nearly all-white workforce. It is my hope that Paramount continues to take representation seriously by diversifying all of its upcoming television, film and animated projects.”

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a movie that Latinos need to support,” says the incoming president and CEO Brenda Castillo. “The plot is positive, bilingualism is embraced, and the characters are not stereotyped as thugs, drug dealers, prostitutes, gang members or all things that are bad in our society. Dora is a Latina superhero, and because of that, not only Latinas – but all women – should celebrate this film for its focus on a strong, competent woman as its lead. Please go see this movie so other film studio executives can realize that movies featuring Latinos and our rich culture can be a big, blockbuster hit.”

On February 22, 2019, nearly three months after NHMC’s last protest against Paramount Pictures, and two days before the NHMC’s 22nd Annual Impact Awards Gala, Paramount chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos announced the creation of a historic initiative – one that would promote diversity and inclusion across storylines, vendors, shooting locations and crew, in all film, television and animated projects. Read Gianopulos’ memo to Paramount employees here.

“Who said that pressure doesn’t help change minds?”, concluded Nogales.

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Nearly two months after the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) called upon the American Latino community and communities of conscious to boycott CBS This Morning and CBS Evening News broadcasts in the wake of Latino exclusion in anchor and correspondent roles in New York City, CBS News’ president and senior executive producer Susan Zirinsky announced in a press release that former longtime Univision newscaster Maria Elena Salinas has been hired as a contributor across CBS’ broadcasts and platforms, and to frequently take part in the 2020 election coverage. 
NHMC announced the viewer boycott on May 29, 2019 after Zirinsky overhauled CBS News in part to help boost the network’s ratings, which have lagged behind ABC and NBC. Back then, the racial/ethnic makeup of the new co-anchors and four correspondents were two African Americans, one Haitian/French, and the rest were Caucasian. 

Nearly two months after the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) called upon the American Latino community and communities of conscious to boycott CBS This Morning and CBS Evening News broadcasts in the wake of Latino exclusion in anchor and correspondent roles in New York City, CBS News’ president and senior executive producer Susan Zirinsky announced in a press release that former longtime Univision newscaster Maria Elena Salinas has been hired as a contributor across CBS’ broadcasts and platforms, and to frequently take part in the 2020 election coverage. 
NHMC announced the viewer boycott on May 29, 2019, after Zirinsky overhauled CBS News in part to help boost the network’s ratings, which have lagged behind ABC and NBC. Back then, the racial/ethnic makeup of the new co-anchors and four correspondents were two African Americans, one Haitian/French, and the rest were Caucasian. 

In a phone conversation with Zirinsky on May 23, 2019, Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the NHMC, said Zirinsky explained that she was not able to “find” a Latino to fill any one of those new spots, even though at the time CBS News had 6 Latino correspondents out of 78 on-camera journalists, which equals to 7.6% of their staff roster. After Zirinsky asked Nogales if the Latino community could assist her in locating a Latino to fill an on-air role, Nogales refused by saying “he has heard this excuse before” and that Zirinsky “deliberately overlooked” many “qualified Latino journalists” who could fill a top job in New York City as a correspondent or anchor. Nogales asserted that this exclusion was not a case of “unconscious bias.”

Meanwhile, other Latino civil rights organizations have also contacted the NHMC over their concerns about the overall exclusion of Latinos at CBS News. NHMC is in collaboration with these organizations to continue to put pressure and hold Zirinsky accountable for not fully embracing diversity and inclusion at the top tiers of the network in New York City. 

Alex Nogales, NHMC president, and CEO has issued the following statement: 

“Hiring Maria Elena Salinas, one of the most respected and trusted news sources in the U.S., is a hopeful start to increase on-camera representation at CBS, and we congratulate Maria Elena in her new and important role.
However, hiring one outstanding journalist in the field after the network’s overhaul in May is simply not enough. Zirinsky must hire a Latino correspondent or anchor on either CBS This Morning or CBS Evening News, which is taped out of their main studios in New York City – a highly desirable location every talent aspires to work at. We need to see our community, and other communities of color, represented at that level, on-air and behind the anchor desk in order to have real and adequate representation at the network. Until then, NHMC will continue to call for a viewer boycott of CBS news broadcasts.”

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Alex Nogales, president, and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) in his statement said:

“There is no doubt that this is a business about ratings. However, [Susan] Zirinsky should focus just as much effort into diversifying her newsrooms by hiring qualified Latino journalists on air as she is by trying to turn a profit. Latino journalists are not only important because they sit at the table with decision-makers, but also cover more accurate portrayals of the beliefs and experiences of the Latino community, which represents 18.9% of the U.S. population – the biggest and growing ethnic minority in the nation.
Zirinsky and other high-ranking, CBS news executives are part of a profession that hold others accountable, yet do not hold themselves accountable. They should be ashamed for not being committed to inclusive hiring practices because race matters. Don’t get me wrong. The new CBS team has the qualifications and experience to do an outstanding job for CBS. But, our community is tired of being absent in the national consciousness and now absent in the consciousness of a national news network. We should not be at odds with CBS and other media outlets across the nation, fighting to be rightly represented on camera and off, and advocating for content that includes our demographic’s socio-economic and political concerns.

“If Zirinsky and her news teams are truly in pursuit of bringing authentic, three-dimensional and original stories to the American public ethically, impartially and honestly, then they should be inclusive of all major ethnic, racial groups in their hiring practices. If not, CBS risks Latinos abandoning its national newscasts.”

The new CBS This Morning anchor team consists of Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil, and the correspondents dedicated to the show are David Begnaud, Jericka Duncan, Anna Werner and Vladimir Duthiers. Of this team, two are African Americans and one is Haitian/French. The latter does not consider himself Latino. As for CBS Evening News,Norah O’Donnellwill become its anchor and managing editor this summer, replacing Jeff Glor. (John Dickerson of the morning show is departing).

The shakeup was led by Susan Zirinsky (pictured left), CBS News division’s first female president, who assumed her post in March. It has been widely reported that Zirinsky hopes to increase CBS’ ratings for both telecasts, which have lagged behind ABC and NBC for years. Ratings have suffered in part from scandals tied to sexual harassment and workplace culture at CBS. CBS employees who either stepped down or were fired due to these allegations were CEO Leslie Moonves, 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager, and Charlie Rose, the former co-host of CBS This Morning.

For more information on NHMC, please For more information on NHMC’s work on media diversity, please visit NHMC.org/issues and follow us on Twitter @NHMC.

Photo Credits: CBS News, Mixdex, Charles Sykes/Invision AP

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For tickets click here.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) announced today that Yalitza Aparicio ( Roma‘) and Veronica Falcon (Queen of the South) will be honored at this year’s Impact Awards on February 22, 2019 which will be held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

For 22 years the NHMC has been recognizing Latino talent on film and TV at the Impact Award, usually held in February prior to the Academy Awards. It is at these awards gala where Latino talent is recognized for their work, in front, and behind the camera. Also lauded are Hollywood entities and individual that believe in diversity and the inclusion of Latinos on both sides of the camera.

This year’s most lauded Mexican actresses to date Aparicio, she becomes only the second Latina to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category (Salma Hayek was nominated in 2002 for Frida) With over 28 nominations for her role in Roma, winning the “New Hollywood Award” at the Hollywood Film Awards, she will add an Impact Award, and hopefully an Oscar to her list of acheivements.

Also an honoree that evening will be Falcon whose standout performance in Queen of the South has led to many tuning in to the USA Network for three years in a row.

Founded in 1986, by Armando Durón, Esther Renteria, and current president and CEO Alex Nogales, NHMC was created as a response to the lack of Latino representation in local news markets serving sizeable Latino audiences. Over three decades of advocacy, NHMC has increased the representation of Latinos behind and in front of the camera through media advocacy within the entertainment and news industry and with in-depth legal analysis for public policy reforms that advance affordable, open and secure communications.

For more information on purchasing tickets, please click here. 

For sponsorship opportunities please click here.

For media inquiries, please contact Alison Sotomayor at communications@nhmc.org

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On Sunday, March 4 — the evening of the Oscars — Fuse will broadcast its commercial-free premiere of Dear White People at 8:00 pm ET/PT. Throughout the broadcast, Fuse will air redubbed interstitials featuring footage from the 1950 classic film, Cyrano de Bergerac starring José Ferrer, the last and only Latino actor to be honored with an Academy Award for Best Actor 68 years ago. The remixed footage will call attention to the lack of Latino representation and provide thought-provoking commentary on inclusion in entertainment.

“It is painfully obvious, that with rare exception, the contributions of the Latino community are significantly underrepresented by the film and television community,” said Fuse Media Senior Vice President, Content Distribution and Marketing Judi Lopez.  “Media should be a mirror that reflects our culture and our country’s increasingly diverse population.”

As part of the initiative, Fuse will roll out original short form content centered around the importance of representation in media. Fuse’s digital and social platforms will further support the initiative with editorial coverage designed to spark conversation, including a quiz on the under-representation of Latinos in the entertainment industry.  Fuse will also use its social media platforms to enlist fans to call out the best performances by actors, writers, directors and producers of color.

 “We applaud Fuse for standing up for the Latino community, by helping us drive awareness for this incredible inequity in representation,” said Alex Nogales, President, National Hispanic Media Coalition.  “More media companies need to take notice and need to follow the example.”

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