Premieres Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Monday, Oct. 11 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / On Demand
Celebrate the recipients of the 34th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country's most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries.
Barrier-shattering superstar Salma Hayek will receive this year’s Hispanic Heritage Arts Award - joining Carlos Santana (Legend), Ivy Queen (Vision), Kali Uchis (Inspira), Ron Rivera (Sports) and NASA Engineers Clara O’Farrell, Christina Hernández, and Diana Trujillo (STEM), completing the slate of 2021 Honorees.
This year’s presentation will once again feature more intimately filmed segments captured on location across the United States and Latin America. In addition to the exclusive honoree profiles, the show will be hosted by former Hispanic Heritage Award winner John Leguizamo and showcase an impressive set of performances celebrating the richness and stylistic diversity of Hispanic music and culture.
These special guests will include: Cimafunk, Leslie Grace, Kali Uchis, Gabriella Reyes (& The American Pops Orchestra) – plus, a “West Side Story at 60” retrospective, and an all-star musical tribute to Carlos Santana, Starring: Ally Brooke, Black Pumas, Alex Cuba, Juanes and The Mavericks.
The show will be available on demand on PBS.org and the PBS Video App!
“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is thrilled to recognize the incomparable Salma Hayek with the Arts Award,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. “As an international star, Salma has leveraged her position and representation to impact the entire industry, as well as inspire youth while proudly representing her culture. What makes Salma our Arts Awardee is that her goals have never been about her. She wanted to create opportunities for others and grow the entertainment industry to have more representation in front and behind the cameras like she did with FRIDA, which earned her two Academy Awards nominations. But even that wasn’t enough, Salma continues her commitment to change the face of Hollywood on screen and off.”
“Having John Leguizamo come back to host is a special moment after he received the very award he will be presenting to this year’s class of honorees,” added Tijerino. “We also look forward to celebrating Salma and all the Awardees with compelling performances by such a dynamic group of performers on PBS to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with all of America.
The Hispanic Heritage Awards, produced by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, were created by the White House in 1988 to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America and is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions. Visit the Hispanic Heritage Foundation on Facebook + Instagram + Twitter
