CBS' "Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event" Pays Homage to the Latinx Community on the Pandemic Frontlines

With many small businesses closed due to the shutdown the Latinx community the fastestgrowing group of small business owners in the US has been grievously impacted Everyone involved in the special hopes to provide help and support quotMomento Latino did a study about how folks are doing in our community during this timequot explained Longoria during a Zoom call with Estefan and the show39s creator Henry R Muamp241oz III quotWe found that we are 18 of the population in the United States but we are 34 of frontline essential workers That39s your nurses your health care workers farmworkers delivery people restaurant and hotel workers We are the majority of frontline essential workers keeping this country moving forward and often not at livable wages in very substandard living conditions and without PPEquotWe thought we needed to applaud these people who are really keeping food on our tables keeping the deliveries going when you can39t go to the store taking care of your parents and people in hospitals and nursing homes everywherequot she continued quotHenry thought we should say something We know what our contributions are to this country but so many don39t So to put it up on a stage and have an opportunity for CBS to partner with us in amplifying the contributions that we39ve been making by the way preCOVID but especially now during COVID it39s been exciting to have this opportunity to do thatquotquotI was taken into what at the time was the epicenter of COVID19 New Yorkquot Muamp241oz pictured below left recalled quotI was driven to one of the first testing sites in the country where you had to be able to drive a car and make it through the National Guard state and local police before you were given an opportunity to be tested for COVID19 even if you were symptomatic I thought if you39re in any way intimidated if English isn39t your first language if you have a citizenship issue you39re never going to get tested and the impact is going to be bad on your family and in your community I remember saying 39We39ve got to do something I don39t know exactly what it is but we have to do something39 That39s where this coalition idea of Momento Latino came from to amplify the work of organizations around the country that are already doing great work but to also share the experience of what39s happening get stronger from it and unify our voicesquotThrough song and storytelling packages the plight faced by many Latinoowned small businesses will get that unified voice quotEmilio Estefan and I are smallbusiness ownersquot said Gloria Estefan pictured above right quotTwo of our restaurants are closed and we don39t know if they39re going to come back At the beginning of this pandemic we got jobs for our workers that we couldn39t keep on and kept people on as long as we could But we are rethinking how to move forward Emilio has reinvented an entire business on our end and we39re trying to find places for everybody that was a part of our businesses who maybe still haven39t found their niche This is going to be a very important moment for all of usquotLongoria also explained that when enlisting support for the special those approached were saying 39yes39 even before finishing her invitation quotOur talent lineup is insanequot she ravedHowever it was Gloria a regular on One Day at a Time who noted that support in all forms is paramount especially when it comes to the representation of Latinx families on television quotIt39s importantquot she declared quotI think it39s a lack of the advertisers really understanding the market Latinx Latina however you want to call it We are people that continue to buy even through our hardest time and contribute to the economy and I don39t think advertisers know thatquotThey really don39t focus on us as a viewing audiencequot she continued quotThey give up easier on shows that are talked about greatly through critics but don39t really understand the buying power of the Latino That39s why it39s important that we vote that they see both our political and economic power Maybe that39s one of the reasons why you don39t see a lot of Latinofocused shows on television or why they get axed quickly after beginning It39s important we support these shows so they do see that they are out therequotquotThere has to be a lot of onus on Latino audiences with any Latinx show that is onquot Longoria concurred quotYou should support Unfortunately there39s still an archaic TV system that goes for streaming as well where they develop all this stuff and they go 39We have the one Latino project the one Black project39 and they check a box But you did 20 of the white shows Why can39t we have 20 Put them all on and then see what worksquotThen you39ll seequot she added quotBecause if one Latino show fails that39s some sort of metric system for 39Oh Okay then this doesn39t work39 No You gotta keep trying you gotta keep putting it out there In this age of streaming and cable we are flooded with options to watch as content consumers You can39t keep tapping the same well for talent in front of and behind the camera because innovation comes from diversity Innovation comes from having different perspectives and different storytellers Hopefully networks will start to wake up the studios will start to wake up to that and go 39Okay it39s not just morally responsible to do this it39s economically soundquotEssential Heroes A Momento Latino Event will be telecast Monday October 26 at 9 pm on CBSClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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CBS' "Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event" Pays Homage to the Latinx Community on the Pandemic Frontlines

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CBS' "Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event" Pays Homage to the Latinx Community on the Pandemic Frontlines

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