The National Council of La Raza celebrated its 14th Annual ALMA Awards on Friday Sept. 27 with a brief but star-studded event at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Stars Eva Longoria and Mario Lopez hosted the event that celebrated the civic work and activism of Latino celebrities in the U.S. as well as their contributions to the arts.


The hour-long celebration saw stars such as Robert Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Carlos Santana, Tony Plana, and others receive awards for their work promoting noble causes in the arts and for their work in advancing the roles and positive perceptions of Latinos in the arts and media.


During a post-award interview with the press, actress Aimee Garcia was quick to point out the positive roles Latino actors played on "Dexter," which she starred alongside with David Zayas and Lauren Vélez. Zayas and Vélez portrayed high-ranking members of the Miami Metro Police Dept.'s Homicide Division, Ángel Juan Marcos Batista and María Esperanza del Alma LaGuerta respectively, with Garcia portraying Batista's sister, all of whom were integral characters to the series that weren't portrayed in a stereotypical manner.


Robert Rodriguez's ALMA Awards speech


"It was grim 20 years ago," said film director Robert Rodriguez during his acceptance speech for the Anthony Quinn Award for Industry Excellence. "We've got a lot to look forward to."


He also used his time on the stage to pass the torch, in a manner of speaking, to the new generation of Latino filmmakers in continuing the work he and others have spent on the past 20 years. "I want to pass the same torch to you," he said, "that Ricardo Montalban passed to me 20 years ago when he stood up from his wheelchair and he said, after seeing "El Mariachi," 'you are the hope.'"


"El Mariachi" is Rodriguez' debut film as a producer, director and writer and was made on a budget of $7,000, a number unimaginable even by the standards for an independent action film. He detailed the numerous cost-saving techniques he used and how he financed the film via his work at a medical testing facility as a clinical drug guinea pig in his book "Rebel Without A Crew." He has since become one of the most prolific and famous film directors in the U.S. today.



The ALMA Awards producers tried in vain to cut Rosario Dawson's speech for her award in Outstanding Commitment to Cause and Community (though they did cut off the live feed) for her work with Voto Latino, the Lower East Side Girls Club, and other groups.


With Latinos making so much inroads inside and outside Hollywood, perhaps it's time to lengthen the ALMA Awards to another hour.


This article originally appeared in VOXXI under the title "ALMA Awards highlight civic activism of Latinos in entertainment."




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  • Longoria <a href="http://www.contactmusic.com/news/eva-keeps-in-touch-with-wendys-staff_1077508" target="_hplink">told Latina Magazine</a> about her teen years working at the fast food restaurant: "I loved it. And I still love them. They are an amazing organization. I still keep in touch with my manager from when I was 14. They are just great to me. I wanted to have a <em>quinceanera</em>, so I went to Wendy's to work to pay for my own <em>quinceanera</em>. I stayed. I paid for my cheerleading and everything through that. It was like whatever you want to do outside of school, you have to pay for it. I never had a car because I was always trying to save."




  • Longoria <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9580764/#.T1-icWK3BXN" target="_hplink">graduated</a> in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from Texas A&M Univerisity-Kingsville and planned to become a sports trainer.




  • Se was crowned as Miss Corpus Christi in 1998. But Longoria <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-511229/How-I-bullied-ugly-Eva-Longoria.html " target="_hplink">says she grew</a> up as the "ugly duckling" -- or "la prieta fea" -- of her family saying "I was the darkest one of my family. I was the only one with black hair and the only one with dark skin. All my sisters were light blondes with hazel eyes. They used to call me ugly duckling. Longoria tells Dateline's Stone Phillips: "People would literally walk up to my mom when we were little and they would go-- "Oh my god, your daughters are so beautiful-- and who's this?" I was skin and bones. I was clumsy. I was dark. I was ugly. So I think growing up, I didn't depend on looks or the superficiality of being pretty because I wasn't. I always knew that I'm gonna work have to work hard. Nothing's gonna be given to me. And I think that comes from my mom and dad."




  • Before she made it big with "Desperate Housewives," Longoria was on the daytime soap operas like "Berverly Hills 9012," "General Hospital ," <a href="http://www.people.com/people/eva_longoria/0,,,00.html" target="_hplink"> and "The Young and the Restless" for two years and says</a>, "It was, like, almost minimum wage. But I had a great time on it, and it obviously led me to better things." She also played bit parts on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/10-fun-facts-about-eva-longoria_n_1343308.html" target="_hplink">General Hospital and Beverly Hills 90210.</a>




  • Eva in "Beverly Hills 90210."




  • For three years (2001-2003), Eva Longoria played the role of a psychotic woman in the series "The Young and the Restless".




  • When "Desperate Housewives" premiered on the alphabet network (ABC) in 2004, the show had four stars: Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria. Even though Eva was the least well-known of the group, her character Gabrielle Solis -- a materialistic former model turned housewife -- was easily the character most beloved by fans. DH fans loved the season 1 story line in which Eva's character Gaby has an affair with her hot young gardener John Rowland (Jesse Metcalfe). Her performance on the show turned Eva into an overnight star and a household name.




  • In an <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9580764/#.T1-e7GLLxeM " target="_hplink">interview with Dateline's Stone Phillips</a> in 2005, Longoria recalls her audition with the show's producer Marc Cherry:
    <blockquote>Marc Cherry asks, "So what did you think of the script?" like the whole thing. And I said, "Well I didn't read the script. I only read my part." And Marc Cherry goes, "I knew you were Gabrielle at that moment because it was such a Gabrielle thing to say."</blockquote>




  • ABC gave her the opportunity to start in the "Desperate Housewives" as Gabrielle Solis, role for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe.




  • Eva Longoria became a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAjlzP4rbXw" target="_hplink">spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris</a> in 2005 and was featured in L'Oréal TV commercials and print ads until 2010.




  • Eva Longoria in a commercial for L'Oreal Paris in 2005.




  • ¡Un momento inolvidable! En el mismo escenario bailando Eva Longoria, Constance Marie, Carmen Electra y Roselyn Sánchez, con Paulina Rubio cantando "Pretty woman", en la ceremonia de los Alma Awards en el 2006. An unforgettable moment! Eva Longoria, Constance Marie, Carmen Electra and Roselyn Sanchez, Paulina Rubio dancing together in the Alma Awards ceremony in 2006.




  • Eva Longoria supports The Larry King Cardiac Foundation, during the Larry King & friends charity fundraiser at the Beverly Hilton on November 21, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Chad Buchanan/Getty Images)




  • Raised on a ranch, Longoria's father taught her and her three sisters to handle a gun. In an <a href="http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/the-sentinel-eva-longoria-interview" target="_hplink">interview with <em>indieLondon</a></em> about preparing for her role as a federal agent in the 2006 film <em>The Sentinel</em> she said, "I used to go target shooting all the time growing up, so I'm great with a gun. We'd shoot Coke cans and anything that exploded really. I can handle a gun, I can skin a deer, I can skin a pig and pluck a quail - you name it I've done it.




  • But that doesn't mean the actress endorses the sport, <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/Longoria-Secret-Shooting-Skills-7833.html " target="_hplink">telling WENN Media</a> in 2007 that, "Shooting wasn't fun and it certainly isn't a sport."




  • On her back-to-back wins for the Maxim's Hot 100 in 2005 and 2006, Longoria humbly <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-05-15-longoria-maxim_x.htm " target="_hplink">told USA Today</a>: "I just couldn't believe it. I was like, 'Surely there are more beautiful women in the world.' I can name 10."




  • Actress Eva Longoria speaks at a rally for Proposition 87 November 1, 2006 in San Francisco. The measure would impose a tax on oil production in California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)




  • US actress Eva Longoria kisses her Bambi, category 'TV Series International', during the Bambi media prize awards ceremony, 29 November 2007 in Dusseldorf. (SASCHA SCHUERMANN/AFP/Getty Images)




  • In 2008 the actress starred in the movie "Over Her Dead Body", a romantic comedy in which she shared credits with Paul Rudd, Lake Bell and Jason Biggs.




  • Eva Longoria was seen during the celebration of the 2008 Cannes Festival. The actress stole cameras for her beauty and good taste in fashion.




  • Eva Longoria poses as a hot for the ALMA Awards in 2008.




  • Eva Longoria opened the restaurant Beso ( "Kiss") on Hollywood Boulevard, <a href="http://besohollywood.com/" target="_hplink">along with partner and celebrity chef Todd English,</a> in March 2008. The menu offered <a href="http://besohollywood.com/" target="_hplink">a Latin approach to a classic Steakhouse. </a>




  • In 2009, Longoria enrolled in a Master's program in Chicana/o Studies at California State University Northridge. She tells <a href="http://www.latina.com/entertainment/celebrity/eva-longoria-parker-head-class" target="_hplink">Latina.com</a> she went back to school "Because of my
    involvement with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and my charity work, I really wanted a better, more authentic understanding of what my community has gone through so I can help create change."

    Longoria speaks during the National Museum of the American Latino final report press conference at the U.S. Capital Mansfield Room on May 5, 2011 in Washington, DC.




  • Eva Longoria dances with George Lopez during the celebration of 2009 Alma Awards at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.




  • Eva Longoria was responsible for conducting the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 held in Spain on November 7. The actress' participation made ​​headlines by appearing in a swimsuit to introduce Mariah Carey.




  • She also had her wax doll unveiled on October 13, 2010 at Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas, Nevada.




  • Eva Longoria enjoys her work as ambassador of the non profit "Padres contra el Cáncer", dedicated to help kids with cancer and their families. On the <a href="http://www.iamhope.org/supporters/celebrities/evalongoria.php" target="_hplink">organization's website</a>, Longoria shares this about her involvement: "I've experienced cancer with older relatives and I've seen their pain and suffering. I can only imagine how hard it must be for a child. Latino families, because of social, economic and cultural barriers don't always have access to all the resources available. That's what attracted me to PADRES -- together we can break those barriers, so no child or family suffers alone."




  • In 2011 film "Cristiada" debuts where she shares credit with actors like Andy Garcia and Catalina Sandino.




  • Eva Longoria and George Lopez hosting the celebration of 2011 Alma Awards in Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles.




  • Longoria is the producer of <a href="http://theharvestfilm.com/" target="_hplink">"The Harvest/La Cosecha: The Children Who Feed America,"</a>, a documentary about the more than 400,000 children in the United States who are torn from their schools and homes to work as migrant workers with their families, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/eva-longoria-on-producing-new-documentary-the-harvest-la-cosecha_n_1016377.html" target="_hplink">according to HuffPost.</a>




  • Actors George Lopez and Eva Longoria onstage at the 2012 NCLR ALMA Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on September 16, 2012 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NCLR)




  • When Longoria's family history was profiled on the PBS program <em><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/profiles/eva-longoria/8/ " target="_hplink">Faces of America</a></em>, her family genealogy was traced back to Spanish settlers who lived in the United States 20 years before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock.

    A proud "Texican," Eva Longoria's family <a href="
    http://www.chicagonow.com/chicanisima-latino-politics-news-and-culture/2009/08/why-is-eva-longoria-parker-proud-of-henry-louis-gates/ " target="_hplink">has lived in the U.S. for 12 generations</a> and under 5 flags: Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy and the United States.

    Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. told Eva Longoria that "of all the people I have traced you are one of the most American people I've ever found. Your family was here before [the] Pilgrims."




  • Longoria was one of seven Latinos who were appointed as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/eva-longoria-msnbc-latino-vote_n_1364634.html" target="_hplink">co-chairs </a>for Obama for America in 2012. As co-chair, Longoria represented Hispanic and women's issues. "There is an attack on women's health care and President Obama's policies are the only ones that are going to move the agenda for women's rights," Longoria <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/eva-longoria-msnbc-latino-vote_n_1364634.html" target="_hplink">said</a>.




  • As an Obama Campaign Co-Chair, Eva Longoria speaks to the audience at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 6, 2012 on the final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)




  • Eva Longoria, Michael Symon


    Actress Eva Longoria and Chef Michael Symon join the Lay's brand at the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013, in New York. (Photo by Diane Bondareff/Invision for Frito-Lay/AP Images)




  • Obama Campaigns In Nevada Five Days Before Presidential Election


    Eva Longoria addresses a campaign rally before the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama on the campus of the College of Southern Nevada November 1, 2012 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)




  • The actress speaks at Latino Inaugural 2013: In Performance at Kennedy Center at The Kennedy Center on January 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Latino Inaugural 2013)




  • Eva Longoria arrives on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, in January, 2013, for the Presidential Barack Obama's ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool)




  • In 2013 the actress was the face of the cat food Sheba <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/eva-longoria-dances_n_2839376.html" target="_blank">because she assured she admire these animals. </a> "I love the qualities of cats. They are independent, feminine, self-sufficient, and playful, soulful, they are much like humans. I find their qualities admirable," said Longoria to The HuffingtonPost.




  • Longoria is also the producer behind NBC's TV show "Ready for Love,” as well as "Devious Maids" expected to run in Lifetime in 2013.