Top-selling Mexican recording artists Alejandro Fernández and Fher Olvera of the rock band Maná are lending their voices to a new effort calling for immigration reform under the new Biden/Harris administration.

Just days after Joe Biden was sworn in as president, both artists posted videos online in support of the We Are Home/Estamos en Nuestro Hogar campaign on behalf of the national coalition of immigrant advocacy organizations. The videos in Spanish feature immigrants in a variety of settings—getting ready to go to work, holding a banner for Dreamers, demonstrating on the streets, and sharing family moments, and were shown during the kick-off of We Are Home on Facebook Live.

“Because of your sacrifice, because of you, because of your struggle, I’m joining the campaign We Are Home,” says Fernández. “We ask for citizenship, dignity, and a halt to deportations.” He adds, “In demonstrations, movements, and elections, I will fight alongside you.”

The  Mexican Mariachi singer and Mexican rock musician seem to also offer veiled criticism of former President Donald Trump. “We are still here despite some saying we don’t belong, ready to close a chapter of cruelty, push forward and stop the imprisonment of our families,” says Fernández. For the past four years and under a “zero tolerance” federal policy, thousands of immigrant families were detained in centers that some critics labeled “concentration camps,” and thousands of children were separated from their parents.

The Mana frontman’s video is introduced with the music of the heartfelt romantic hit Rayando el Sol taking on a new meaning when addressing immigrants. “To all my compadres, conationals, and all the Latino immigrants in the United States, I wish you luck,” says Olvera. “Let’s keep pressing, let’s keep pushing to change the laws and achieve fair and dignified immigration reform, to stop those cruel deportations. And let us all keep pushing because the wheel (of change) just started to turn.”

The recruitment of the two top-selling artists was a huge accomplishment for We Are Home. Fernandez and Olvera are among the best known Latin American singers in the world and have a strong following in the U.S.

Fernández has won two Latin Grammys and reportedly sold more than 20 million records worldwide. Among his many hits stand out Nube Viajera, Si Tú Supieras and Me Estoy Enamorando. 

Olvera’s band has earned four Grammys and seven Latin Grammys and reportedly sold more than 40 million albums the world over, making it arguably the best selling Latin rock band of all time. In addition to the song featured on the video, their major hits include the dance-friendly tune Oye Mi Amor and Me Vale and the romantic ballads El Puente de San Blas and Corazon Espinado, the latter recorded with the legendary rocker Carlos Santana as part of the Grammy Award-winning album Supernatural.

Both singers posted their videos on three popular social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where they have a combined following of more than 38 million people. The posts, which displayed the hashtags #WeAreHome and #NuestroHogar, have raked in tens of thousands of views in just a few days.

“Our movement has felt the presence of these two Latin icons for decades,” says Nathaly Arriola, director of We Are Home. “From protests to concerts, their songs have become anthems that have lifted us up in good and bad times. We are extremely thankful for Fher and Alejandro’s support during this historic moment in our country.” Adds Arriola, “A Together, we will work for a humane and just immigration system that will treat our community with the dignity it deserves.” 

We Are Home coalition organization members include Community Change/Community Change Action, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Care in Action, Service Employees International Union, United Farm Workers, and United We Dream.

This is not the first time Fernández and Olvera come together in public campaigns in the U.S. Last year they worked on getting out the Latino vote for the presidential election.

A poll by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative reports that a record number of 16.7 million Latinos voted in the 2020 suffrage, an increase of almost a third compared to four years earlier.

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More than a million Brazilians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, many of them indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest.
And to help them, a group of musicians and celebrities from around the world will come together for an online music festival.

SOS Rainforest Live, organized by Rainforest Foundation Norway and Rainforest Foundation USA, was broadcast live on YouTube and TikTok on Sunday.
Lars Lovold, former director of Rainforest Foundation Norway, said the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus will affect an already precarious region.

“We have been concerned for decades about the forest and indigenous people. They already are vulnerable and with the pandemic, this scenario is worst,” he told Zenger News. “They have just a few health assistance, and are far away from the urban locations.”
Nearly 50,000 people in Brazil have died of the illness, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Lovold also said the money raised by the event will also help combat hunger in the region, and the organization will include a basic-needs grocery package for people affected.
“We do hope the great names help us to increase the interest of people to donate. Any amount helps. We expect at least 300,000 U.S. dollars,” he said.

Lisley Lemos, a biologist working in the Amazon rainforest, told Zenger the pandemic is hitting Tefé, where she lives, very hard.
People can’t fish in the rivers and are getting hungry, she said, because of seasonal floods. They have to decide between staying at home in social isolation or trying to farm or produce products to sell in the city.
Tefé is a small city of about 62,000 people, many of whom are indigenous, about 600 km (373 miles) from Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state.

Brazilian TV personality Maria Paula Fidalgo, who will help host Sunday’s online event, told Zenger she got involved thanks to “Game of Thrones” actress Oona Chaplin, who is also taking part in the event.

“Last year, I was in New York City for a night event with Oona Chaplin. So, they knew me as a person engaged in environmental and indigenous causes,” she said of the festival’s producers.
Fidalgo began her career on Brazilian MTV in the 1990s, then appeared on a comedy program on Brazilian station TV Globo and in local productions and movies. She and Chaplin, who played Talisa Maegyr in the HBO drama, will be joined by supermodel Gisele Bündchen and musician Sting, who is slated to perform, among other local stars.
“People are now understanding that to take care of Amazon is take care of the world,” she said. “It will be amazing, a lot of nice artists and indigenous. It will be beautiful.”
Monday marks World Rainforest Day, an annual event to raise awareness of the dangers facing rainforests across the globe. The Amazon, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, stretches across eight South American countries and has lost 17% of its forest cover in the last 50 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Much of the deforestation is a result of efforts to clear the land for agriculture, cattle ranching, oil and gas production, mining and other efforts related to economic activity such as infrastructure, according to Rainforest Foundation Norway. The country is the world’s eighth-largest economy, with a per-capita GDP of $15,600, according to the CIA World Factbook. Last year saw a well-publicized uptick in fires in the forest. Environmental advocates warn deforestation will lead to a rise in carbon emissions that could affect the climate and to a loss of biodiversity.
(Edited by Allison Elyse Gualtieri)

The post Stars gather for online festival to combat hunger in Amazon rainforest appeared first on Zenger News.

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— P&G says “presente” as champion-level supporter of unprecedented festival —

Virtual Event — More celebrities and musical acts have joined the avalanche Altisimo Live which will be hosted by Eva Longoria and IHeartLatino’s Enrique Santos. Maná, Los Tigres del Norte, Sofia Vergara, Juanes, and Dolores Huerta are now also slated to appear the history-making, star-studded livestream of Altísimo Live! music and pop culture livestream festival set for Cinco de Mayo (May 5th). Inspired by Live Aid and supported by P&G as a major corporate champion, the benefit aims to raise $3 million – $5 at a time – for the Farmworkers’ Pandemic Relief Fund created by Justice for Migrant Women and Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP).

As part of this historic broadcast, organizers also announced that the event will additionally feature participation by (in alphabetical order): Camila Chávez, Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Cristela Alonzo; David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos;Frankie Negron; Howie D of The Backstreet Boys; Luis Guzmán, and Tito Puente, Jr.

Created by RetroPop Media and iHeartLatino, iHeartMedia’s Hispanic platform, and co-produced with WFHN-TV, CIEN+, Justice for Migrant Women, Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), INGEÑUITY, The Latinx House, Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and PEOPLE en Español, the festival is being co-hosted by actor, producer, director, and activist Eva Longoria and iHeartLatino Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Enrique Santos. Other celebrity co-hosts throughout the livestream benefit festival will include: J Balvin, Kate Del Castillo, Rosario Dawson, and Alejandro Sanz.

With today’s talent announcement, the festival now also features (in alphabetical order): A.B. Quintanilla III y Los Kumbia Allstarz; Adamari Lopez; Adriana Barraza; Alejandro Fernandez Jr.; Ana Barbara; Ana Brenda Contreras; Andy Garcia; Angelica Vale; Anitta; Banda Recodo; Becky G; Belinda; Bobby Pulido; Brian and Natalia Cordova Buckley; Carlos Vives; CNCO; Dayanara Torres; Diane Guerrero; Edward James Olmos; Elvis Crespo; Esai Morales; Flor Amargo; Fonseca; Farruko; Gente de Zona; Gloria and Emilio Estefan; Gloria Trevi; Ivy Queen; Jesse & Joy; Jenny Yang; Juanes; Justin Quiles; La Energia Norteña; Larry Hernandez; La Santa Cecilia; Las Cafeteras; Lila Downs; Luis Fonsi; Maluma; Making Movies; Marc Anthony; Marianna Burelli; Nicky Jam; Nicholas Gonzalez; Ozomatli; Rosanna Arquette; Roberto Aguirre; Roberto Pulido; Sandra Echeverría; Sech; Stephanie Sigman; Steve Aoki; Silvestre Dangond; Tainy; and Wisin y Yandel.

Fashion designers Mario De la Torre, Carlos Marrero, and Raul Peñaranda, will also join the event to share how they are using their talent and unique designs in support of the pandemic relief effort. Some of their special edition farmworker-inspired designs will be available for purchase in support of the fund.

Even though the online benefit is free, the festival features a call to action for viewers to give cinco this cinco (#CincoOnCinco), with a $5 or more donation online or via text by texting CINCO to 91999.

Supporters, corporations, and philanthropists are urged to pledge whatever amount they can ahead of or during the festival at the fund’s link, which is farmworkers.hipgive.org to help meet the fund’s goal.

In a show of solidarity, even the high-profile global generosity movement, Giving Tuesday, announced that Altísimo Live! is one of the special causes they have designated for donors on Cinco de Mayo this year.

Altísimo Live! Schedule Highlights

Altísimo Live! features an inspired, jam-packed day of at-home performances, comedy skits, celebrity activations, artistic exhibits, and other surprises that will keep audiences glued.

Festival highlights include a kick-off tailgate celebration and appreciation parade that will travel to the farmworkers to show them love and appreciation. In Miami, renowned muralists Luis Valle and Ivan Roque from Wynwood will collaborate with developer Moishe Mana and City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez to paint a monumental wall that will pay tribute to the farmworkers. In other parts of the country, fashion shows, Cinco de Mayo recipes, mixologists and Latino social media influencers will collaborate to keep the tailgate fun flowing leading up to the prime time celebrities and music acts. Among those scheduled to perform are Maná; Juanes; Gloria Estefan; Gloria Trevi; Ivy Queen; Jesse & Joy; La Santa Cecilia; Elvis Crespo; Los Lobos; Ozomatli, Farruko;, Sech, Justin Quiles; and La Energia Norteña.

The festival will also highlight stories from farmworker leaders, as well as messages of gratitude and appreciation from notable individuals, with an overall goal of driving combined action to support our farmworker community.

When/How to View Altísimo Live!

Altísimo Live! officially kicks off on @AltisimoLive’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Periscope, and Twitch accounts simultaneously on Tuesday, May 5th at 10:00 a.m. PT/ 1:00 p.m. ET with an interactive livestream tailgating experience that will include entertainers, comedians, chefs, social media influencers, and other surprise personalities. iHeartLatino and PEOPLE en Español will also carry parts or all of the broadcast at various times on one or more of their respective livestream and/or broadcast platforms.

At 5:00 p.m. PT/ 8:00 p.m. ET, the groundbreaking interactive festival transforms into a series of continuous musical performances and interactive Q&A’s and experiences with the artists.

Audiences at home will also have several options throughout the day to get involved live on the show with opportunities to not only win prizes but also be featured on the show in a variety of creative ways.

Among the Latino leaders joining the festival line-up are Justice for Migrant Women’s founder Mónica Ramírez; HIP’s Ana Marie Argilagos; INGEÑUITY’s David Chavez; CIEN+’s CEO Lili Gil Valletta; The Latinx House co-founders Olga Segura and Alex Martinez Kondracke; HHF’s Antonio Tijerino;, PVBLIC Foundation’s Sergio Fernandez de Cordova and WFHN-TV co-founder and Altísimo Live! Executive Producer and Tailgate co-host Lizza Monet Morales amongst others.

To learn more, participate and/or support Altísimo Live! visit www.altisimolive.com

Beneficiary, Media and Partner Organizations

All funds raised by the event are tax-deductible and will be managed by a 501(c)(3) in support of the Farmworkers’ Pandemic Relief Fund effort.

Justice for Migrant Women and Hispanics in Philanthropy created the Farmworkers’ Pandemic Relief Fund in order to meet some of the community’s basic needs. Money raised through this fundraising effort will be disbursed to farmworker-serving organizations around the U.S. and Puerto Rico to help provide food, formula, diapers, emergency financial assistance for medical needs and other support during this crisis. Organizations such as the Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations (FL), East Coast Migrant Head Start Project (Multi-state), Farmworker Association of Florida (FL), The United Farm Workers Foundation (CA, WA), Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noreste (PCUN) (OR), Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) (FL), Pathstone (Multi-state), NC Fields (NC), La Cooperativa Campesina de California (CA), Proteus, Inc. (Multi-state), Student Action with Farmworkers (NC), Telamon Corporation (Multi-state), UMOS (WI, MN) and La Union del Pueblo Entero (TX) have been named among the recipients from this fund who are providing the farmworker community members with much-needed aid.

Additional media partners so far also include Remezcla, mitú, Vix, Latinx Newswire, Latino Rebels, Latino Loop, Viva Tu Musica, Mundial Sports Network, Diario Las Américas, Latino Thought Makers, reVolver, Latin Heat Media, and more.

Corporate supporters and partner organizations include Chispa, the Latino dating app; Pantaya; Mana Wynwood; the Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing (AIMM); the Culture Marketing Council; We Are All Human; National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start; the National Association of Hispanic Publications; Friends of the American Latino Museum; Friends of Puerto Rico; the Latino Business Action Network (LBAN); DMI Consulting; the Latino Startup Alliance; Latinos In Media and Arts (LIMA); The New York International Latino Film Festival; Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC); Support Latino Business; Es Tiempo; Alianza de Impacto Latino; and The PVBLIC Foundation.

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