HITN Presents “Voces del Futuro” Helping Parents Talk to Kids about Racism

HITN, through its Television Network HITN TV, and with the support of its educational division,

HITN Learning announced the special ‘Voces del Futuro,’ an original program that will provide resources, information and valuable guidance on how to speak to the youngest generations about discrimination and the social impact of current events. ‘Voces del Futuro’ will be overseen by HITN’s Executive Producer Laura Masnatta. Alfonso (Poncho) de Anda, a well-known TV personality, will be the moderator of the one-hour program, which will be broadcast on HITN-TV this Monday, June 8 at 9:00PM Eastern/Pacific.

In the past week, the voices of thousands of young people have been heard throughout the United States calling for systemic change and equality. In keeping with its mission to inform and educate the Hispanic community, HITN shares this special content through ‘Voces del Futuro’ to offer resources that may help Spanish-speaking parents initiate a conversation with their children to discuss topics related to diversity, racism, and tolerance, while also fostering a culture of mutual respect at home and for future generations.

Leading the group of experts in this discussion will be Lina Acosta Sandaal, a psychotherapist and development expert as well as founder of Stop Parenting Alone, a parenting education and consultation program in Miami, FL. Lina is a human development expert for Telemundo’s national broadcasts and consultant for MomsRising, an advocacy group for family rights in our nation’s capital. Her mission is for all parents to fall in love with their parenting journey She notes, “As parents, we must remember that the topics of justice and social difference are always present in our home; in fact, racism is among the top three topics that parents find uncomfortable to tackle. We have the responsibility to guide and educate our children about these topics. By being specific about our beliefs and principles, we can guide them and mold the personality of those who will create change in our society.”

The program will feature Maria Alvarez, Vice President of Common-Sense Latino. Common-Sense Latino is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing trustworthy information, education, and the independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. “Media plays an important role in the parenting experience,” states Alvarez. “We have to be more thoughtful about the content we pick for our kids when little, and leverage the messages in movies, streaming shows, and books when they are older. Media offers great opportunities to reinforce our values, combat racism and have meaningful conversations around these topics with our kids.”

The discussion will also feature Dina Castro, a Professor and Velma E. Schmidt Endowed Chair of Early Childhood Education, University of North Texas. Dr. Castro is a researcher and teacher educator, and serves in the Governing Board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Her research focuses on equity and quality in the early care and education of bilingual children from immigrant and indigenous communities. She has designed and evaluated professional development for teachers of bilingual children, investigated childcare decisions among immigrant families, and developed measures of quality and second language acquisition for classrooms serving bilingual children.

Dina adds, “The rejection to our language and culture, is a form of racism to the Hispanic community which translate into less bilingual programs and opportunities. If we develop a strong sense of identity and self-confidence, we are better prepared to show empathy and respect for people of all races and those victims of racism.”

Joining Lina, Maria, Poncho and Dina in this important conversation is Professor Mario A. Murillo, Dean of Communications and Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Hofstra University in New York, who will discuss issues of biculturalism and identity that college students face.

‘Voces Del Futuro’ is a conversation that opens the doors to future generations with positive messages of hope, respect and a mutual understanding to respect all communities countering all forms of intolerance and social injustice.

HITN-TV is a leading Spanish-language media company that offers educational and cultural programming for the whole family. It reaches more than 44 million viewers in the US and Puerto Rico via DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW, DISH Network, AT&T U-verse TV, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast, Charter Spectrum, Mediacom, CenturyLink Prism and Altice. For more information, please visit www.hitn.org.

HITN Learning is committed to the social, emotional, and academic success of Hispanic/Latino children ages 0-14. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, and teachers with original learning media products, in English and Spanish, which engage Hispanic families on their education journey. HITN Learning serves learners from all cultural backgrounds who value the bilingual English-Spanish experience. To learn more visit www.hitnlearning.org.

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Lina Sands (646) 731-3887 / [email protected]