PBS Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Special Programs

To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, PBS will offer a range of new programming celebrating Latinx heritage and culture this September and October, culminating in the broadcast of the 32nd ANNUAL HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS.

"PBS is committed to programming that showcases the diversity of our country," said Perry Simon, PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming. "We are proud to present a Hispanic Heritage Month lineup that honors the extraordinary contributions of Latino Americans, and we look forward to sharing these programs with our audiences."

AMERICAN MASTERS presents "Raúl Juliá: The World's a Stage," the first-ever film on the influential stage and screen actor. The film, a co-presentation of VOCES, follows Juliá's journey from his childhood home in Puerto Rico, to the creative hotbed of 1960s New York City, to his illustrious career in Hollywood and on Broadway.

The new season of VOCES includes three additional films that shed light on current issues impacting LATINO AMERICANS and the rich diversity of their experience. In "The Pushouts," Victor Rios, a high school dropout and former gang member, now an award-winning professor, works with young people who have been "pushed out" of school. "Adios Amor - The Search for Maria Moreno" introduces an unsung heroine - a migrant farmworker and gifted orator who became a groundbreaking labor organizer. "Porvenir, Texas" tells the story of the January 1918 massacre of 15 Mexican men in a small border town and reveals the tensions that remain along the border today.

In the POV film "América," a young man named Diego returns to his hometown of Colima, Mexico to care for his grandmother, América, after his father, América's caregiver, is imprisoned for negligence. Along the way, Diego reconnects with his two brothers and finds himself caught in a clash between love and obligation.

PBS programs honoring Hispanic heritage (check local listings):

AMERICAN MASTERS "Raúl Juliá: The World's a Stage" - Friday, September 13, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET

Discover the life and career of Raúl Juliá, the charismatic, award-winning actor and humanitarian known for versatile roles on stage and screen, from Shakespearean plays to "The Addams Family." A co-presentation of VOCES and AMERICAN MASTERS.

VOCES "The Pushouts" - Friday, September 20, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Meet Victor Rios, a high school dropout and former gang member-turned-award-winning professor, author and expert on the school to prison pipeline, who works with young people who have been "pushed out" of school for reasons beyond their control.

VOCES "Adios Amor - The Search for Maria Moreno" - Friday, September 27, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

See how the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot - Maria Moreno, an eloquent migrant mother of 12 who became an outspoken leader for farmworker rights. Her legacy was buried - until now.

VOCES "Porvenir, Texas" - Friday, October 4, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Discover the true story behind the 1918 massacre of 15 Mexican men in this tiny border town. The film asks what led to the events of that fateful night and reveals the tensions that still remain along the border a century later.

POV "América" - Monday, October 7, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Diego lives away from his family, where he scrubs wax in a surf shop by day and stilt-walks the malecón by night. He returns home after his grandmother, América, falls from her bed, leading to his father's arrest for elder neglect.

THE HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS - Friday, October 11, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Join the country's highest tribute to Latinos by Latinos. The program includes performances and appearances by celebrated Hispanic artists.

Hispanic Heritage Month programming will 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 and Chromecast. PBS station members will be available to view all episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details).

Photo of Raúl Juliá. Credit: Courtesy of Family Collection