30th Anniversary Hispanic Heritage Awards | 2017

In 2017 Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s 30th Anniversary Hispanic Heritage Awards (HHA’s) were Latinos’ highest honors in Washington, DC at the historic Warner Theatre! The HHA’s were made possible with the outstanding support of our sponsors including Target, PBS, The Walt Disney Company, The Coca Cola Company, Southwest Airlines, ExxonMobil, Google, T-Mobile, Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, CVS Health, NASCAR, Aetna Foundation, Johnnie Walker, Crowell & Moring, Adobe Foundation, The Libre Institute, CBS, The Marquez Foundation, General Motors, CHCI, MGM Resorts International, Entravision, EsTiempo, Catholic Relief Services and the U.S. Marines. 

“We are extremely grateful to all our sponsors for their support of Hispanic accomplishment, vision and cultural pride,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO, Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “We were excited about the amazing line-up of talent that joined us in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the value proposition Latinos offer America.”

The 2017 HHA Awardees included The DREAMERS, Inspira Award, Luis Fonsi, Special Trailblazer Award, Gael García Bernal, Vision Award, Rudy Beserra, Leadership Award, The Latin Recording Academy, Arts Award and Alba Colón, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Award. Top Latino performers and personalities paid tribute to the Honorees from the stage and recognized the contributions and accomplishments of leading Latino individuals and organizations in various fields! The Awards were broadcasted nationally on October 6th on PBS.

“I want to dedicate this award to these people [in] peril that take their future into their hands, and go forth and look for a right that is undeniable to any human being, which is just to be better. And to be better means better in a community.  …to aim for the common good. This is a big shout out to all the Dreamer,” said Gael García Bernal Vision Award Honoree in his acceptance speech.

Hosts included Alicia Sanz and Frankie J. Alvarez, presenters included Civil Rights Icon Dolores Huerta, iHeart Radio DJ Enrique Santos, Actor J.W. Cortés and many more. Educators, physicians, businesspersons, community leaders and elected officials stood alongside celebrities and great artists. All those seated in our audience were as prestigious as our Honorees and presenters on the Awards stage.

“One song… in Spanish…, broke all the barriers, across all cultures, languages and ages… I want to dedicate this award to my biggest inspiration, mi orgullo and the most beautiful place in the world PUERTO RICO,” said Luis Fonsi, Trailblazer Award Honoree in his acceptance speech.

Performances included Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” Latin Grammy Winners Buika/ Gaby Moreno and ‘Miami’s Best Latin band’ Locos por Juana!

HHF also partnered with Johnnie Walker for “Culture-Stela,” an original artwork exclusive by Washington, DC based artist, art director/ designer, Juan CRI Pineda. The art piece was signed on the red carpet by HHA honorees and performers. “Culture-Stela” was a reflection of the transformative power of creative collaboration in the arts.

Thank you to all of our sponsors for your commitment and support in honoring the accomplishments of our Awardees this year. The evening was a celebration of Latino cultural pride, the great promise of America and genuine reflection of unity among all attendees in the Warner Theatre. To get the full recap of the Awards use the #HHA30 and watch the Awards here!