Puerto Rican actor, Jimmy Smits was honored during the Moving Familes Forward Gala, receiving the Ackerman Leadership Award for his work with the Latino community.
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Smits along with fellow actors, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and attorney Felix Sanchez created the National Hispanic Foundation For the Arts back in 1997. The Foundation increases access for Hispanic artists and professionals while fostering the emergence of new Hispanic talent in the media, telecommunications, and entertainment industries.
“Now they have a component called Dímelo en Español, which is talk to me in Spanish,” said Jimmy Smits to Latina. It deals with the first and second generation Latino immigrant families that come to the United States and the problems that they face. He added that the immigrant experience is so varied in the U.S. and is happy that this organization offers a place where families can turn for help. “I do feel very blessed and lucky to be doing something I love doing,” he said.