Culture

Latinos Are Essential

Latinos Are Essential is a collection of unique and insightful short portraits and stories about Latinos who are serving as essential workers in a wide variety of jobs and/or services across the United States, even as the COVID 19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact Latino and other communities of color.

The Seeds They Grow

3m 45s

Filmmaker David Gonzalez profiles his father, a chef, and stepmother, a hospital maintenance worker — two of the many hardworking Latinos who have contracted COVID-19. Facing a terrifying illness while still trying to maintain financial stability, they share the effect that the pandemic has had on their lives.

Episodes

  • Night Shift: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Night Shift

    4m 36s

    Twenty-two-year-old Dulce Bueno is a first response EMT who works long nights driving an ambulance for one of Colorado’s busiest trauma centers. Her job takes an enormous emotional toll, especially during the difficult days of the pandemic.

  • Still Standing: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Still Standing

    7m 14s

    Melanie is a Cuban-American first-grade teacher who is navigating the new experience of teaching her students online while caring for her three-year-old daughter and coping with sudden single parenthood.

  • El Paso Esta Presente: asset-original

    El Paso Esta Presente

    4m 18s

    Monica Navarro is an associate at the Cielo Vista Walmart, the site of the devastating 2019 shooting that left 23 dead. Despite the tragedy, she takes pride in her work and her role in her family and community.

  • Chelsea: An Essential City: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Chelsea: An Essential City

    4m 56s

    Two-thirds of the residents of the port city of Chelsea are Latino and four out of five are essential workers. Meet a young city councilwoman and a sanitation worker who are keeping their city running.

  • Growing in the Shadows: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Growing in the Shadows

    3m 4s

    Anel Medina is a 28-year-old registered nurse and one of the 200,000 DACA recipients who are classified as essential workers, serving Americans across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • A Pescador in the Town: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Pescador in the Town

    4m 36s

    Meet PanchoPescador, a self-taught Chilean artist and teacher, who spends his pandemic-era days bringing art and life to the struggling streets of Oakland.

Extras + Features

  • Latinos Are Essential | Trailer

    1m 11s

    Across the United States, Latinos have been on the pandemic’s frontlines, providing essential services to all Americans. Many do jobs that can’t be done from home. From the fields of medicine, education, food service, and beyond, Latino workers have kept our country going. These are their stories.

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