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The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) will honor Academy Award Winning actress and passionate advocate Ariana DeBose with the 2022 INSPIRA AWARD during the 35th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The legendary program, created by the White House to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and is supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions.
The 35th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards will air Friday, September 30th, on PBS stations and stream on pbs.org and the PBS Video app. Ariana DeBose will be recognized alongside recently announced honorees Daddy Yankee, Los Lobos, Marvel Studios’ Victoria Alonso, aviation pioneer Olga Custodio and ‘Back To The Roots’ co-founders Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora.
“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is deeply honored to recognize Ariana Debose and all she has accomplished but also all she represents as a Latina,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, president, and CEO, of HHF. “Our community is so powerful because we all have unique yet common perspectives, backgrounds, and visions and her presence on a national stage is a powerful statement. She is an embodiment of our Inspira Award, which is focused on being a role model to our youth. We are thrilled to tell her story through our partnership with PBS, sponsors, and co-hosts, and celebrate our community’s accomplishment, cultural pride, and great promise.”
Ariana DeBose is an award-winning actress known for her various roles on stage, in film, and television. DeBose is best known for her groundbreaking performance in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of West Side Story, for which she received Oscar, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards for her star-turning role as Anita.
DeBose won a Chita Rivera Award for “Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show.” Her additional stage highlights include appearing alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in the groundbreaking, Tony-winning musical Hamilton as a member of the original cast in both the Broadway and off-Broadway productions, as well as the Emmy Award-winning film version that was later released on Disney+.
DeBose made her SNL guest host debut to rave reviews earlier this year. Last year, she had a breakout role in Schmigadoon!, the Lorne Michaels’ executive-produced Apple TV+ musical comedy series alongside Kristin Chenoweth, Keegan-Michael Key, and Cecily Strong, for which she will also return for its second season. She also received critical acclaim for her performance in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix adaptation of the hit-Broadway musical The Prom opposite Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, and James Corden.
Ariana DeBose now joins the ranks of previous HHA winners across the last 35 years, that includes Rita Moreno, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Martin Sheen, Ricky Martin, Rubén Blades, Fania All-Stars, José Feliciano, Los Tigres Del Norte, Anthony Quinn, Juanes, Diego Luna, Juan Luis Guerra, and right up to the continued relevancy of recent winners such as Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Bad Bunny, Ivy Queen, Zoe Saldana, Residente, Selena Gomez and more inspiring figures ranging from essential farmworkers to pioneering NASA engineers.