In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the annual four-week-long celebration beginning on September 15th, Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. (HMTV) is marking the occasion by recognizing the distinct yet interconnected histories, cultures, and contributions of the nation’s largest minority group.
HMTV has leveraged its five U.S. Hispanic cable networks, Cinelatino, Pasiones, CentroAméricaTV, Televisión Dominicana, and WAPA América, as well as its digital platform, Pantaya, to create a multinetwork campaign celebrating the unique experiences of both Hispanic/Latino individuals and the numerous segments that make up the sum of the larger community.
Building off last year’s #OrgulloHispano365 initiative, the campaign goes one step further than the standard celebratory fare, calling attention to the fact that for Hispanics/Latinos and other marginalized communities, the pride felt for culture and heritage is an integral and regular part of daily life, not easily packaged or commodified within specialized months highlighting these groups during a limited window of time. #OrgulloHispano365 seeks to symbolically address and break through this narrow approach to appreciation and acknowledgment, in this case, specifically of the Hispanic/Latino community, while still embracing and celebrating the overall spirit of the month.
The on-air centerpiece of this year’s #OrgulloHispano365 campaign is SOMOS, a poem by Mexican American writer, advocate, and entrepreneur Kim Guerra, which speaks to the strength, diversity, and resilience of a distinct people connected through shared heritage, language, traditions, and cultural pride. Read by a mix of popular Hispanic/Latino talent from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico—including Carlos Ponce, Angélica Vale, Jaime Mayol, Frank Perozo, Ximena Córdoba, Zoe Navarro, Ricardo García, Gaby Espino, and others—the poem is an embodiment of the variety, richness, and joy found within the many different faces and facets of the Hispanic/Latino community.
“Our goal continues to be amplifying and promoting Hispanic/Latino narratives and voices with the nuance they deserve. Not only do we aim to cultivate awareness and appreciation of the individual segments within the larger community, but we also seek to offer representation, providing these linked yet unique groups a connection to their specific cultures, traditions, and interests through our content and programming,” said Alan J. Sokol, president, and CEO of Hemisphere Media Group, Inc.
In addition to Hispanic Heritage Month, Hemisphere’s CentroAméricaTV will be celebrating the Central American Bicentennial with special cultural programming.