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(L to r): Sylvia Acevedo, Residente and Eugenio Derbez
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Time, Jose Jimenez/Getty Images, Victor Chavez/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
Tuesday night’s acceptance speeches and performances at the 32nd annual Hispanic Heritage Awards acknowledged Latinos’ history, contributions and challenges — beginning with a moment of silence to remember victims of the Aug. 3 shootings in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood of El Paso, Texas.
Hundreds of activists, artists, celebrities and leaders attended the event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
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“Our country needs to know our stories, needs to know the talent that lives in our communities and the impact we are having,” said José Antonio Tijerino, president and chief executive of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation that gives out the awards.
AARP was a sponsor of the Hispanic Heritage Award for Film, given to Mexican actor and producer Eugenio Derbez.
‘Tell the story of our people’
Isabela Moner, the Peruvian American actress who costarred with Derbez in this summer’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Puerto Rican comedian Elizardi Castro presented Derbez with his award. In his speech, Derbez, 57, thanked the Latino community for its support and praised its family values as one of the richest aspects of Hispanic heritage.
“It doesn’t matter if you got here yesterday or three generations ago, this heritage is yours,” he said. “We don’t keep our heritage to ourselves. The more we share it, the richer we become.”
The comedic actor spoke of the first 10 years of his career when he accepted stereotypical roles before he grew tired of them and returned to Mexico to direct, cowrite and star in Instructions Not Included, a 2013 crossover success that shattered U.S. box office records to become the highest-grossing Spanish-language film released in the United States.
“As Hispanic actors and filmmakers, we have to tell the story of our people as we know them, the stories of the blue-collar workers as well as the lawyers and senators,” Derbez said.
Musical performances by Latin Grammy-winning Mon Laferte, Love & Hip Hop: Miami star Amara La Negra and others punctuated the ceremony.
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