The host of NPR’s Latino USA, Maria Hinojosa, spoke this week to students and staff at Knox and Monmouth Colleges about Latinos in the media.
In Galesburg, Hinojosa explained how Latinos are making gains in entertainment, and said they are "carrying the future of primetime television."
“With the advent of ‘Cristela’ and ‘Jane the Virgin’, we’re no longer invisible,” Hinojosa said. “We are visible, and we gotta carry primetime television on our shoulders.”
Hinojosa added that Latinos are a "trillion dollar market."
The host shared stories she covered about Latinos that have received positive news coverage, which included a southern California high school that became bilingual after a decade of resisting the change.
Hinojosa said Latinos have the opportunity to "flip the narrative" on how they are portrayed.
“All of us are part of that conversation,” Hinojosa said. “I did it by creating my own company. Linda Lopez is doing it by creating her company and with J-Lo, the executive producer.”
But Hinojosa said it's not all good news. She said Latinos still face in real life. She said that, for example, they still face immigration problems, specifically the deportations of undocumented immigrants.
