Our Hispanic Heritage Month Programming 2020
Daniel Hautzinger
September 23, 2020
From September 15 through October 15, the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and the contributions and stories of the diverse Latino communities in this country. Here is WTTW's programming, both over-the-air (and live online) and streamable, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices
Saturdays at 6:00 pm on WTTW (11.1) and available to stream
A third of Chicago is Latino, and yet Latino communities are often under-represented in the city's media and journalism. The new Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, hosted by WTTW News director Hugo Balta, aims to spotlight the issues and voices of Chicago's diverse Latino population—but the weekly program is meant for all Chicagoans, not just Latinos. And the same goes for the companion Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, which airs on Sundays at 6:00 pm.
Hear Balta and Chicago Tonight: Black Voices host Brandis Friedman discuss the importance of the new shows.
Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless
Saturdays at 10:30 am on WTTW (11.1) and available to stream
Rick Bayless has been a leader in Chicago's food scene for more than 30 years now, his various restaurants, books, and TV show Mexico: One Plate at a Time all serving to introduce the wide variety of cuisines that can be found in Mexico. That mantle has now been taken up by a generation of younger chefs like Diana Dávila, who joined Bayless to cook on WTTW's Dishalicious.
Pati's Mexican Table
Saturdays at 12:30 pm on WTTW (11.1)
Pati Jinich hasn't been around as Rick Bayless, but she has a similar a verve for sharing the culinary delights of her native Mexico in her show Pati's Mexican Table, which has won James Beard Awards, including this year.
Afro-Latino Travels with Kim Haas
Sunday, September 27 at 11:30 am on WTTW (11.1)
Join Kim Haas as she travels through the Caribbean and Central and South America to celebrate the richness of the diverse Afro-Latino communities that live there and have built up multi-layered, vibrant cultures.
Latino Americans
Sunday, September 27 and October 4 at 7:00 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2) and available to stream
From the early settlement and conquests of the 1500s through the present day, watch the story of a gradual construction of a new American identity from a multitude of diverse sources in the face of both struggle and celebration.
Raul Julia: American Masters
Sunday, September 27 at 10:00 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2)
The Puerto Rican Raul Julia was a trailblazer known for everything from Shakespeare on the stage to The Addams Family to films by Francis Ford Coppola and Clint Eastwood, and he was also involved in humanitarian work.
Voces: Porvenir, Texas
Sunday, September 27 at 11:30 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2)
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.
The Interview Show with Mark Bazer
Sunday, October 4 at 11:00 pm on WTTW (11.1) and available to stream
This episode in a new season of The Interview Show with Mark Bazer featuries David Hidalgo, the founding member of Los Lobos, in conversation with the ever-entertaining Mark Bazer. Plus don't miss Bazer's other conversations in this new season and previous years.
POV: The Infiltrators
Monday, October 5 at 10:00 pm on WTTW (11.1)
This documentary follows two young immigrants as they are arrested by the United States Border Patrol and put in a shadowy for-profit detention center.
The Hispanic Heritage Awards 2020
Tuesday, October 6 at 8:00 pm on WTTW (11.1) and available to stream
Join the country's highest tribute to Latinos by Latinos and celebrate the recipients of the Hispanic Heritage Awards in a ceremony that involves performances by extraordinary artists.
Latino Vote: Dispatches from the Battleground
Tuesday, October 6 at 9:00 pm on WTTW (11.1)
Latinos are poised to be the largest non-white voting bloc in the election this year, and so both parties are aiming to maximize turnout and support amongst Latino voters. Take a look inside the high-stakes effort to get out the Latino vote this year.
My Neighborhood Pilsen
Thursday, October 8 at 9:30 pm on WTTW (11.1) and Sunday, October 11 at 10:00 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2) and available to stream
Chicago's Southwest Side neighborhood of Pilsen has long had a large Latino community, but the neighborhood is changing under the pressures of gentrification, while immigration, housing, and other concerns remain at the forefront. Hear the stories of Pilsen residents who are transforming their community from the inside out. And don't miss even more stories at wttw.com/myneighborhood.
Antiques Roadshow: Celebrating Latino Heritage
Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2) and available to stream
In this special episode of the classic Antiques Roadshow, amazing items with connections to Latin American history and culture are appraised.
Re-Evolution: Salud
Sunday, October 11 at 11:00 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2)
In this part of a special examining Cuba, the country's unique approach to agriculture and health care is explored.
Re-Evolution: Suenos
Sunday, October 11 at 11:30 pm on WTTW Prime (11.2)
Following Salud, Suenos takes a look at varied views and perceptions of Cuba, especially American ones, and includes Rick Steves.
Voces: Building the American Dream
As a building boom sweeps Texas, the construction industry is expanding—but much of its success is built on the backs of immigrant workers who have little or no rights. This documentary explores the efforts of Latino laborers to fight for equality and justice.
Emilio & Gloria Estefan: Library of Congress Gershwin Prize
Available to stream by WTTW Passport members
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song awards ceremony is always a delight. In 2019, it went to Emilio and Gloria Estefan, who were celebrated by some fantastic performers in a ceremony hosted by Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno. Cyndi Lauper, Jose Feliciano, Il Volo, and others performed, while luminaries such as Quincy Jones also took part in this musical spectacle.
Wonders of Mexico
Available to stream by WTTW Passport members
Wonders of Mexico takes you on a tour of some of our southern neighbor's most remarkable landscapes, introducing you to the people and animals that reside there. From the Yucatán peninsula, with its Mayan ruins and underground cave and reservoir system, to the volcanoes of Mexico's mountainous spine, to the dry deserts and prairies of the north, there are some extraordinary sights, cultures, and biospheres.
Independent Lens: Dolores
Available to stream by WTTW Passport members
While her fellow activist Cesar Chavez received much more attention in coverage of the fight for farmworkers’ labor rights in California in the 1960s, Huerta was just as important. A tireless labor and civil rights activist on behalf of workers, Latino workers, and women, she is the originator of the rallying cry “Sí, se puede.” Explore her indomitable life and career in this Independent Lens documentary.
Voces: Willie Velasquez—Your Vote is Your Voice
Available to stream by WTTW Passport members
Meet the charismatic pioneering activist whose rallying cry of “su voto es su voz” (your vote is your voice) started a grassroots movement that transformed the nation’s political landscape and paved the way for the growing power of the Latino vote.
