Rita Moreno, Dolores Huerta, Hasan Minhaj, Michael Schur, and Janet Mock were among the honorees at the 78th annual Peabody Awards.
The 78th Peabody Awards took place on Saturday evening, May 18, 2019, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. The show explored issues such as race, the LGBTQ experience, rape culture, and multicultural representation in media today.
Actress Rita Moreno was awarded the Lifetime Career Achievement award while the Peabody documentary award went to Dolores for the depiction on the life of civil rights activist, Dolores Huerta, who was in attendance to receive the award.
Emmy Award-winning journalist and Peabody Awards Board member Naibe Reynoso was honored to find herself in the same room with two of the most celebrated Latina women in America.
“Moreno and Huerta come from two completely different backgrounds. One is an entertainer, the other an activist, but both of their stories are our shared stories,” Reynoso explained. “They are stories of hope, struggle, and ultimately triumph. I have never been more proud to be a Peabody juror. ”
Honoree Rita Moreno (C) with Dolores Huerta (R) and Seasame Street’s Sonia Manzano on the left
Words are not enough when speaking about Moreno’s amazing career. She’s an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony award winner) who now became a PEGOT with the Peabody!
In accepting the Lifetime Career Achievement award, Moreno spoke of her mother’s sacrifices during her young years growing up in New York City as the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants. She dedicated her award to her “Mami” and spoke of her mother working as a seamstress in a sweatshop on Fifth Avenue. “She knew the prick of every pin,” Moreno recounted and credited her “Mami” with helping her in the pursuit of her career, including sewing her costumes. Moreno choked back her emotions as she said: “My fame is her fame.”
In thanking the Peabody Awards Board, Moreno said, “I am keenly aware of the high value that the Peabody places on storytelling,” Moreno declared on accepting her award. “I am so humbled that you consider the story of my life and career worthy.”
Dolores Huerta — the legendary labor leader, led the audience in a call-and-response chant that demonstrated her natural skill as an organizer and social justice activist. “Who has the power,” Huerta asked. “We have the power. What kind of power? People power!”
Rita Moreno (C), Naibe Reynoso (R) and Rita’s daughter on the left
Huerta who was the subject of the Independent Lens documentary asked the audience to make their response, “So loud that the neo-Nazis, the racists, the homophobes, the bigots, the climate deniers, those anti-union people — so loud that they can hear it.” The audience was up for it and delivered a resounding response.
It was a treat for Reynoso who recently published a bilingual children’s book “Be Bold, Be Brave, Se Audaz, Se Valiente”, to be able to congratulate two of the eleven women featured in her book, gifting Moreno one of her books.
“To see that two iconic Latinas, Rita Moreno, and Dolores Huerta stand front and center at the 78th annual Peabody Awards was empowering and affirming,” said Reynoso.
Photo Credits: Peabody Awards
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