KCET's Local Heroes Awards Cultural Diversity Celebration Airs for the First Time on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m.
Burbank, CA - November 12, 2012 - For
the first time, KCET, the nation's largest independent public television
station, will broadcast its annual Local Heroes Awards Cultural Diversity
Celebration on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. KCET, in collaboration with Union Bank, N.A.,
celebrates diversity all year long by recognizing remarkable individuals in our
community. The celebration culminates
with this spectacular event.
Hosted by KCET's own Val Zavala and
Roy Firestone, the two-hour program will celebrate the extraordinary
contributions of 13 outstanding leaders, with performances by the Gay Men's
Chorus of Los Angeles, Jazz in Pink, pianist Ray Ushikubo and poet Gabriela
Garcia Medina. The event took place last month at Club Nokia at L.A. Live.
The program repeats Thursday, Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 25 at 3:30 p.m.
The 2012 Local Heroes Award honorees
include:
Ivy Bottini, Lesbian and
Feminist Activist
Bea Cohen, World War II
Veteran and Community Volunteer
Roslyn and Abner D. Goldstine,Community Volunteers; Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles
Stewart Kwoh, Co-Founder,
President and Executive Director; Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Sergeant Joe G. Leal, United States Army;
Founder, Vet Hunters Project
Dr. Samella Lewis, Artist and
Professor Emeritus; Scripps College of the Claremont Colleges
Steven Llanusa, School Board Member;
Claremont Unified School District
Annette Shapiro, President of the
Board; Beit T'Shuvah
Shirlee Smith, Founder and CEO, Talk
About Parenting with Shirlee Smith, Inc.
Carlos Antonio H. Vaqueráno,Executive Director, Salvadoran American Leadership & Educational Fund
Bill Yoshiyuki Watanabe,Founding Executive Director, Little Tokyo Service Center
Billie P. Weiss, M.P.H., Founder,
Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
To nominate a hero, please visit kcet.org/socal/local_heroes/.
ABOUT
LOCAL HEROES
As part of KCET's ongoing commitment
to the diverse communities in Southern California, KCET, in collaboration with
Union Bank, launched the annual Local Heroes Awards in celebration of national
commemorative heritage months. The awards honor exemplary community
leaders who strive to enrich the lives of others, and whose tireless
contributions are inspiring hope in the minds and hearts of future generations.
The year-long program introduces diverse local heroes to viewers on-air and
online, and culminates in October when all of the honorees are formally
recognized as part of the Local Heroes Awards: Diversity Celebration.
Over the past decade, KCET has showcased the remarkable stories of over 150
leaders.
ABOUT
KCET
On-air, online and in the community,
KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern
and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local
programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the
world. KCET currently produces the Emmy®, duPont-Columbia and Peabody
Award-winning SoCal Connected, a hard-hitting prime-time nightly television
news program that examines the issues and people of Southern California.
Throughout its 48-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its
local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and
documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's
programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET
is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about
KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community
events, please visit kcet.org.
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