PBS Documentary Highlights "Latino Americans"

The growing influence of Latinos in the United States cannot be ignored. Latinos represent more than 16% of the U.S. population. By 2015, Forbes magazine estimates that the Latino purchasing power will reach $1.5 trillion. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 1 in three newborns in the country will be Latino by 2015.

On Sept. 17 (8pm), PBS will broadcast the first episode of Latino Americans, a groundbreaking documentary on the history and contributions of Latinos in the United States. The six-hour, three-part series is being shown to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated annually from Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

"It is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape the United States over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S.Immigration is at the heart of the American experience, and a central part of the long-running democratic experiment that is the United States.

The films will chronicle Latinos in the United States from the sixteenth century to present day. It is a story of people, politics, and culture, large in scale and deep in its reach. The changing and yet repeating context of American history provides a backdrop for the drama of individual lives. It is a story of immigration and redemption, of anguish and celebration, of the gradual construction of a new American identity that connects and empowers millions of people today."

EDIT: Oregon Health and Science University will host a special free screening of Latino Americans, starting at 5 pm on Wednesday, September 25. The screening is open to the public, and will be held at the Vey Conference Center, located on the 11th floor of Doernbecher Children's Hospital, 700 SW Campus Drive. The film screening is hosted by OHSU's Latinos Unidos Organization and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

Download the event flier, and share with your friends.

Images courtesy of PBS

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