By Roberto Leal

I never miss an episode of Patti’s Mexican Table on PBS. Don’t know which I enjoy more, watching Patti Jinich prepare delicious Mexican cuisine or listening to Patti speak in that delicious Mexican accent. And I always, to the ever-loving irritation of my Anglo wife, sing along to her opening theme song.  So, I was very pleased to see Patti got a primetime, two-part culinary travel series on PBS titled La Frontera with Patti Jinich: Miles from Nowhere.

I was especially pleased to see the show takes Patti to El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville porque mis raíces, mi familia, mi corazón y mi alma están en La Frontera, so I’m a little miffed about the subtitle: Miles from Nowhere. Miles from nowhere? I live in San Antonio now but have spent considerable time in El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville and lived in McAllen. Those cities are not miles from nowhere and I don’t consider myself a Nowhere Man. Some pendejo gringo copywriter at the PBS headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia who goes to Taco Bell for “authentic” Mexican food must have come up with that line. Miles from nowhere? My grandfather, Fernando Leal was born in Brownsville and so was Kris Kristofferson for Krist Sake!

La Frontera along the Tex-Mex borders is like San Marino in Italy; an independent, sovereign country within a larger nation-state. Patti will be exploring the different culinary traditions within this wonderful, culturally rich, diverse, unique and most misunderstood part of  America that author and social critic Gore Vidal called The Occupied Territories. As my home state of Texas begins to morph from purple to a beautiful, bright azul, La Frontera will play an increasingly important role in Texas and national politics.

Note to the pendejo gringo copywriter at PBS headquarters: La Frontera is only miles from nowhere in the vast empty regions of your mind. We’re right here, vato!¡Viva La Frontera! Come for the fiesta, comida, musica, cerveza, tequila y la gente encantadora y amigable. Stay for the menudo.

La Frontera with Patti Jinich: Miles from Nowhere airs on PBS. Check local listings for times.

Featured Photo: La Frontera with Patti Jinich: Miles from Nowhere (Credit: Courtesy)

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My apologies to Jimi Hendrix for appropriating the name of his classic album Are You Experienced? for the title of this blog. However, the question remains. Despite the growing demographic and presence of the Latinx community in all parts of the United States, a large percentage of the American population have no idea, or very narrow ones, of what the Latinx culture is all about. 

You will find people with Hispanic surnames in every zip code in America. California and the Southwest have long been the traditional home of the largest Latinx community, especially Mexicans. But Mexicans can also be found flourishing in the Midwest and the South. 

Florida has a huge, vibrant and influential Cuban population. New York and other East Coast cities have been blessed with Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. This colorful and significant Latino tapestry has been enriched by the addition of paisanos from all over Central America to all those parts of the United States previously mentioned. 

A KALEIDOSCOPE OF DIVERSE CULTURES

While Spanish is the common language for all these communities, the Latinx universe is a marvelous, swirling galaxy of diverse ethnic blends of Spanish, Indigenous and African DNA that make Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors look like a pale, tasteless one-trick pony. 

This kaleidoscope of cultures has produced a uniquely beautiful people, the most delicious cuisine of all time, great art, music, dance and without a doubt the greatest baseball players, toughest boxers and best fútbol (soccer) players in the world. 

The PBS film anthology The Latino Experience, which premieres July 6 on PBS SoCal and July 7 on Los Angeles’ KCET and runs through July 20, is an important visual exploration of the many sights, sounds, shapes and colors that make up the Latino mosaic. The series will be available online at PBS.org and the PBS Video App.

WE ARE NOT A MONOLITH

Wendy Llinás, senior director of programming and development at PBS and one of the executives in charge of The Latino Experience, says, “The main point of all the films in The Latino Experience is to illustrate to the viewers that we are not a monolith. These short films told in the forms of narratives, documentaries or satires at once show the uniqueness of Latino culture as well as its universality.” 

No, Latinos are not a monolith. But it could be argued that we Latinos are a megalith. For over five hundred years, Latinos have been the historic bedrock foundation of North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. People of mixed Spanish, Indigenous and African ancestry were living and thriving in this country a century before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The first European language spoken in the New World, including the United States, was Spanish not English. The Latino Experience film series is a cinematic testament to that often inconvenient but unavoidable historical fact and reality.

FEATURED FILMS

Following is the list of some shorts with their respective airing dates and times:

The Blue Cape. July 6 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and July 7 at 9 p.m. on KCET
Set in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico two months after Maria hit the island, ten-year-old Junior (Yanniel A. Arce Rivera) is summoned by his mother to search for the medicine his grandfather so desperately needs. To embark on his journey, Junior wraps himself in a cape made from the blue tarp that covers his roof. Written, directed and produced by Alejandra López. Co-produced by María José Delgado.

Body and Spirit in Times of Pandemic. July 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and July 14 at 9 p.m. on KCET.

Edwin Siguenza is a Guatemalan immigrant truck driver and pastor of a Latino evangelical church in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hits, Edwin has to navigate the risks of being an essential worker while attending to the needs of his congregation and the pressure to keep the church open. Directed and produced by Andrés Caballero. 

Pasos de Valor. July 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and July 14 at 9 p.m. on KCET

The film tells the story of Val (Nathalie Carvalho), a pregnant university student pursuing a master’s degree whose due date and final exam are in conflict. Determined to create opportunities for her Mexican American family, Val takes the exam despite her professor’s refusal to make accommodations. Written, directed and produced by Natalia C. Bell, the film is inspired by the director’s own birth story.

The Daily War. July 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and July 21 at 9 p.m. on KCET

A co-production with Latino Public Broadcasting, the film is the story of a veteran (Adelina Anthony) and her son, who struggle to make ends meet. When a job opportunity presents itself, it ends up triggering her PTSD. Directed and produced by Karla Legaspy. Co-produced and written by Adelina Anthony.

Noche Buena. July 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and July 21 at 9 p.m. on KCET

This film takes place on Christmas eve as a dysfunctional Cuban family gathers around the dinner table. Caro (Erica Adams) struggles to get through the night as everyone grapples with political correctness, current events and the incessant battle between left and right. As resentment escalates into verbal and literal diarrhea, they uncover hard truths about themselves—all before the ?an. Written, directed and produced by Andres Rovira. Also produced by and starring Ray Tezanos.

All three episodes from The Latino Experience will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast.

Featured Photo: ‘The Blue Cape’ by director Alejandra López (Credit: PBS)

The post Are You Latino Experienced? first appeared on .

Los Angeles – KCET is set to premiere the documentary entitled 187: The Rise Of The Latino Vote. The 90-minute film, chronicles Proposition 187, a California ballot measure passed in 1994 that sought to deny public services to undocumented immigrants. The outrage of the Latino community, in-retrospect lead to a political awakening of this powerful group that took action that would dramatically change the state’s electoral politics, transforming the state into a Blue and progressive state for the first time. 187: The Rise Of The Latino Vote premieres in Southern California on Tues., Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. PT on KCET and encores on Thurs., Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal, as well as Sun., Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide (Dish Network 9410 and DirecTV 375). The documentary will also be airing in the San Francisco area on Fri., Oct 9 at 8 p.m. PT on KQED and in the Sacramento area on Thurs., Oct 29 at 8 p.m. PT on KVIE.

This pivotal moment in California history unfolds through more than 20 interviews with major political figures, artists, and thinkers from across the state including California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, former California State Senator and current LA City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, former California State Senate President pro tempore and LA City Councilmember-elect Kevin de León, Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund (MALDEF) president Thomas Saenz, California State Assembly speaker emeritus Fabian Núñez, the first Latina in history to be elected to the California State Legislature Gloria Molina, former California State Senate Majority leader and member of the California State Assembly Richard Polanco and more.

This important documentary stemmed from Somos California (“We Are California”), a group of Latino leaders in Southern California originally formed to coordinate activities commemorating 25 years since the passage of Proposition 187. The overarching goal of this committee and project is two-fold: 1) generating awareness around the 25th Anniversary of Prop 187 – its passage,  repeal, and impact – and 2) utilizing lessons learned 25 years ago to drive action and civic participation today. Somos California has since continued its work by focusing on emerging issues affecting California’s Latino communities.  

This program was made possible in part by We Are CA, Somos CA Committee with funding provided by LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Eastside Arts Initiative, California Community Foundation, Weingart Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe broad foundation.

 Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag: #Prop187

The post “The Rise Of The Latino Vote” KCET’s New Doc Premieres Oct. 6th first appeared on .