Ugly Betty Star Leads Off Latino Heritage Celebration

The Latino Heritage Celebration at GW kicked off on a roll this week as actor, director and community activist Tony Plana captivated the crowd with his keynote address Monday evening at the Marvin Center.

You may know Plana from his more recent role as Betty’s father in the hit TV show "Ugly Betty." But his career has spanned decades, and his wide range of performances in the arts as well as in the community provided a platform which enables him to inspire fellow Hispanics.

Plana told stories to a fixated audience from his early life as an immigrant Cuban child in Miami in the 60’s. At other times, the crowd curled over with laughter as Plana mused them with highlights of his acting career.

Active community service and dedication, however, was the major emphasis of the speech. He urged the crowd to pay attention to the “tragedy of education” that is prevalent in schools today.

Plana adamantly professed “if there was an obstacle in your way, that you must take action to overcome that obstacle… not only for you, but for your community as well."

“Worlds will never change unless you change them yourself,” he explained to the audience.

He concluded his talk with a lively Q & A session with audience members who called on Plana to guide them through their own endeavors. Plana continued to emphasize the importance of education as a key step in breaking the mold that has been set for Hispanics in the local community, playing nicely into this year’s theme for the celebration “Saber es Poder” (Knowledge is Power).

The Multicultural Student Services Center hosted the event. Director Michael Tapscott emphasized that “Everyone is welcome at the MSSC."

The Latino Heritage Celebration, which takes place on GW’s campus Sept 19^th-Oct 15^th, promotes the immense value of self-awareness of Latinos while simultaneously empowering the Latino community. The weeklong celebration also seeks to educate the GW and surrounding D.C. community about the rich Latino history and culture and their impact on the United States. Other events this week include a Latin American film screening, Parade of Flags and Latin dance classes.

A full list of Latino Heritage Celebration activities can be found at the MSSC website.