Sesame Street welcomes a new Latino friend to the neighborhood

Photo Courtesy: GMA

Ismael Cruz Cordova loved watching Sesame Street on television when he was growing up in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. It was one of his favorite shows even though he only spoke Spanish. Now the 26-year-old will be part of the Sesame Street family.

Cordova will be playing  the role of Armando or  ”Mando”  for short, when the show’s 44th season starts next Fall. He told Good Morning America “It’s such a dream come true, slash full circle. And my first experience with television and watching TV was in Puerto Rico, and I only spoke Spanish. I learned how to speak English watching this show.”

Cordova was chosen among hundreds of actors who tried out for the part last fall. That’s when Sesame Street held an open call to find a new Hispanic neighbor for the cast.

Sesame Street is also planning to have more of a Hispanic focus on the show.  GMA reports Sesame Street will concentrate more on the Hispanic culture and heritage. Cordova adds “I think Sesame Street is a place of kids seeing themselves on the screen like it happened to me when I was growing up.”

Cordova will join Sonia Manzano and Emilio Delgado. The two Latino characters play Maria and Luis on Sesame Street. There’s also the character, Rosita who is a bilingual Muppet.

Rebecca Aguilar is a multiple Emmy award-winning freelance reporter based in Dallas.  She has 31 years in the business, including 27 in television news.  She’s currently the VP of Online for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the VP of Membership for the Fort Worth Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.  

 

Journalist and author Alfredo Corchado talks about his new book “Midnight in Mexico”

Photo Courtesy: Jesus Chairez

Many of the bravest journalists today are those who work in Mexico. How often do we hear that one has been tortured and murdered?  Many live a life looking for the truth and end up losing their lives in the process.

One person I’ve admired for a long time is Alfredo Corchado. He’s the Mexico Bureau Chief for the Dallas Morning News and also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

On March 27th, Alfredo talked openly about his new book “Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent into Darkness.”  He gave me his first interview on his first book and what it took to write it.

Alfredo was born in Mexico, and came to U.S. with his family when he was a little boy.  He realized at a young age that he eventually wanted to go back to Mexico. He never imagined it would be as a reporter.

When Alfredo was first assigned to Mexico, he promised his parents he would not cover the drug cartels.  He decided to cover immigration issues and the other Dallas Morning News reporters at the bureau could cover the drug cartel assignments.

But today the bureau is only one person–Alfredo. He admitted he has yet to tell his parents that he wasn’t able to keep his promise to them. They know he has written a book. His mother was a great help, because she kept many of his reporter notebooks full of information.

Here’s part of the March 27th interview I conducted before members and guests of the Society of Professional Journalists, Fort Worth Chapter.

Over Easter he plans to sit down with his parents and tell them everything.  We wondered–will this book put him in more danger in Mexico? Find out what he has to say.

 

 

Alfredo has received several death threats, and has left Mexico for safer grounds. But he always goes back.  Why? Stay tuned for the rest of our interview.

Thank you to journalist Yezmin Ali Modad who shot the interview with her smartphone.

For your information–Alfredo’s book will be out in a few weeks. You can pre-order it. (AMAZON)

Rebecca Aguilar is a multiple Emmy award-winning freelance reporter based in Dallas.  She has 31 years in the business, including 27 in television news.  She’s currently the VP of Online for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the VP of Membership for the Fort Worth Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.