On Tuesday, October 23rd, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) awarded its late Board Member, Angelo Falcón, Political Scientist and Co-Founder of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) the “Angelo Falcón Indomitable Spirit” Award. The inaugural award represented Falcón’s outspoken and relentless commitment to advocacy and increasing the visibility of the Latino community’s achievements and contributions to this country. HITN’s President and CEO Michael D. Nieves received the 2018 Impact award in the category of Outstanding Service and Commitment to the Latino Community. During his remarks, Mr. Nieves noted that representing the interests of Latinos has always been an essential part of his work. Mr. Nieves stated that while “there are other Spanish-language stations…the people in charge don’t look like me— don’t look like us,” and the importance of Latino leadership at HITN means that “[HITN] viewers see programs that impact our communities and do not depict us as stereotypical Latinos, Puerto Ricans or Mexicans.”
Mr. Nieves concluded his remarks by addressing the eponym of the award: “I miss Angelo, and I miss the work he’s done. It was significant that I accept this award on the same night that Angelo’s award was given.”