1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: So as the years went by, I realized the power 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: is behind the camera, power is in the writing. 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 2: From Futuro Media, It's Latino Usa. I'm Maria ino Fosa Today. Actress, 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 2: producer and writer Sonya Mansano on her childhood in the 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 2: Bronx and how it inspired her debut animated show Alma's Way, 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 2: before winning not one or two, but fifteen Emmys for 7 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:34,919 Speaker 2: Television Writing. 8 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 3: On behalf of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 9 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 3: I am thrilled to present the Daytime Emme for a 10 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 3: Lifetime Achievement to Sonya Mansano. 11 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,959 Speaker 2: And before she became one of the first Latinas on 12 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 2: television when she took on the role of Maria on 13 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: Sesame Street in nineteen seven. 14 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: My name begins with this letter yeah, and my name 15 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: is Maria. 16 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 4: Maria, Yeah, Maria am Ryan. 17 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 5: All of mine. 18 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 2: Before all of this, Sonya Mansano was a curious and 19 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 2: imaginative little girl growing up in the South Bronx, a 20 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 2: working class neighborhood in New York City. On a warm 21 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,559 Speaker 2: afternoon in September, just as school was starting up again 22 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 2: and she was surrounded by kids, Sonya Mansano went back 23 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 2: to her old barrio and stopped by her elementary school, PS. 24 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 6: Four. 25 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: Hi, I went to this school when I was a kid. 26 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: Did you go to the school? 27 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 3: Oh? 28 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: I used to go there in nineteen fifty five. We 29 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: would play double dutch. Somebody would have a rope and 30 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: bring it to school. On the sidewalk. You'd play kick 31 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: the can. 32 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 2: Sonya's walking back to where her old apartment building used 33 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 2: to stand, and she's remembering the sights, sounds, and the 34 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,399 Speaker 2: smells of her old neighborhood. 35 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: It was a very vibrant neighborhood. There's all of this, 36 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: these tenement buildings, and there's people selling food out of 37 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: food carts, and there were horses and they used to 38 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: deliver coal to hate the buildings, and everybody was Puerto Rican. 39 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 2: From the window of her bedroom, Sonya could see the 40 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 2: bodega across the street. 41 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: Then the bodega was down here. You'd know who was 42 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: in love with who, who was cheating on who, who 43 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: came home drunk. Everybody knew everybody's business. You would know 44 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: who burned the beans when you come home. Mandela Mintoila 45 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: then Omana because you could smell it. It was a 46 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: troubled neighborhood, but it was where I had the most fun. 47 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: Now, five years after retiring from her four decade plus 48 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 2: career on Sesame Street, Sonya Mansano is back in the 49 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 2: Bronx with her new animated show on PBS Kids. It's 50 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 2: called Alma's Way Places Everyone. On today's episode of How 51 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 2: I Made It, Sonya Mansano on discovering the power of 52 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 2: her writing and how she's using that power today. 53 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: Here Sonya, my name is Sonia Mansano. I'm seventy years old. 54 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: I'm from the South Bronx, and I'm an actress and 55 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: author and now executive producer. When I was a kid 56 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: in the Bronx, I looked out of the window all day. 57 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: I was escaping the tumultuous environment that was going on 58 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: inside the house. I was raised in the household that 59 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: was ruled by domestic violence. When I couldn't go out, 60 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: I would watch television and I would watch Father those 61 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: best and leave it to beaver. 62 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: Fast your food, Hambleton, weren't you already. 63 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: In those days? Latinos were invisible. The only Spanish people 64 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: that I saw in the media were in the Mexican 65 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: movies my mother would take me to. We'd go see 66 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: Jorse elite, dool films, dantine flast, don't care. I would 67 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 1: run around the house making believe I was Mexican. I'm 68 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: Puerto Rican, but because those are the people that I 69 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: saw that were kind of like me, even though they 70 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: spoke a different kind of Spanish. But I never dreamed 71 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: that far that I could be in that In La Pandaya, 72 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 1: I had a good friend in the Bronx who wanted 73 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: to be an actress, and she told me about the 74 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: High School of Performing Arts. Somehow I managed to audition, 75 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 1: and I think they were impressed. They thought, what the 76 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,720 Speaker 1: heck is this kid from the South Bronx. How could 77 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: she know about Hamlet? Anyway, I got it, my goodness, 78 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: jumping into the High School of Performing Arts was like 79 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: landing in Planet X. First of all, it took me 80 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: forever to get there. I had to take the Number 81 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: six train to Grand Central Station. Then i'd take the 82 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: shuttle over, and then i'd walk from forty second to 83 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: forty sixth Street, because it was on forty sixth Street, 84 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: And then I would meet all of these kids from 85 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: all over the city. I was a good student in 86 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: the Bronx because so little was expected of me. But 87 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: then when I got into performing arts and I went 88 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: from being an A student to a C student, I 89 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: figured that college I couldn't get in on grades, it 90 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: had to be on acting. So really my desire to 91 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: go to it with acting school was more because I 92 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: had to get a higher education. I didn't care what 93 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: it was in. And then I came upon I'm Elmer 94 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: rice play called street Scene and it was a story 95 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: of immigrants. 96 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 5: I got to go up and get my thing. 97 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: Wait a minute, Rose, I want to talk to people. 98 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 6: I really think the best thing for William we would 99 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 6: be to get out of you. 100 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: And of course I know why it touched me personally 101 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: is because I came from the same environment where you know, 102 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: I felt my mother was in danger. I did that 103 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: monologue and I got accepted. Then I'm at Carnege Mellon University. 104 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: I'm plunged into the same experiences performing arts, except there's 105 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: a lot more people from Ohio. They're not just from 106 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: the boroughs. And a lot of stuff was going on 107 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: in America. It was a civil rights movement, you know, 108 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: there were marches on Washington. While this is going on 109 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 1: my third year at Carnegie Mellon, we created the show Godspell. 110 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,280 Speaker 3: Nominated in the category Slory of Best Original Cast Album. 111 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 4: Here's a very exciting young cast of God's Spell. 112 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: All of a sudden they decided to come to New York. 113 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: We did the short cafe that Mama, and I learned 114 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: that I could make people laugh and that was faby. 115 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: I didn't know that and it was powerful. And then 116 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: I got the call to be on Sesame Street. My gosh, 117 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: I could never forget the first time I saw Sessame Street. 118 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: I walked into the student union where there was a 119 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: television set, and there on a black and white television 120 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: set was James Earl Jones reside in the alphabet A 121 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: B C, and the letters flashed over his head and 122 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: I said, what the what is this? And then they 123 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: cut to Susan and Gordon on the street and I flipped. 124 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 5: Susan km hell is Sally? 125 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: What are you doing? Off? 126 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 5: So early? 127 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 2: Had a teacher's meeting was called off. 128 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 5: Just brought Sally around. 129 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 2: She's not to the neighborhood. 130 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 6: Oh you just moved. 131 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: In sixty nine, you hardly ever saw people of color 132 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: on television. Their target audience was African American children, and 133 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: because it was the sixties, Mexican American activists on the 134 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: West coast said, if you have role models for the 135 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: African American kids, what about for the Latinos. So they said, okay, fine, 136 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: we'll get some Latinos on the show, and I got 137 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: cast along with Amidia the gotta who's a Chicano? Hi? 138 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 3: Big Bird? 139 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:32,560 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I can't wait. 140 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: Okay, Now, which one of these should I read today? 141 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 4: Well, you know I've read all of them many times. 142 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 4: I'm tired of them. Maybe you could make me up 143 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 4: a story. 144 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: Make up a story, I mean one that's not in 145 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: a book. Yes, I don't think I can make up 146 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: a story on such short notice, Big Bird, Well. 147 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 4: Then maybe you could tell me a true story. I know, 148 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 4: why don't you tell me your life story? 149 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: If I had to describe my character Maria, I'll tell 150 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 1: you that she's Sonya on purpose. When I first got 151 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: I would ask, what's Maria like? No, we just want 152 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 1: you to be yourself, Just be yourself, And I said, 153 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: what does that mean? I can't beat myself? What does 154 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:09,439 Speaker 1: that mean? You know, it's hard to be yourself. It's 155 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: easy to play a character. So I kept struggling with that, 156 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: and then one time I was like in my twenties, 157 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: and they used to put a lot of makeup on me. 158 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: I remember John Stone who had cast me. He grabbed 159 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: me and put me into the makeup room and he said, look, 160 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: I go through all the trouble of casting a real 161 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: person and you make her up like a cubie doll. 162 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: And the makeup artist nervously took my makeup off, and 163 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,560 Speaker 1: I said, oh man, these people aren't kidding. They really 164 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: want me to be myself. I got this Matt Robinson, 165 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 1: who was the original Cord and said to me, you're 166 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: not here to be the cute latina. You know, you 167 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: have to make sure that the Latino content is accurate. 168 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: I stepped up to it, and I remember I said 169 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: to the producers, you know, if this was a diverse neighborhood, 170 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: that fruit cart over there would have mangoes and papayas 171 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: and blatanos on it too, And they went, okay, we'll 172 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 1: do that. He said, Wow, I diversified the first fruit 173 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: third on television. So as the years went by, I 174 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: realized the power is behind the camera, power is in 175 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: the writing. Dulcie Singer, my mentor said, why don't you 176 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: try writing this yourself? I went, oh, no, no, no, me, no, 177 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: no no, And then I said, wait a minute, let 178 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: me try it. And I waited till the end of 179 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: the season. I knew the characters, and I remembered all 180 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: the movies I used to watch in black and white, 181 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: fred Astaire Ginger, Rogers, and a movie that was stunning 182 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: to me was top Hat in Rogers dancing in that 183 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: feathery dress. So I wrote a takeoff of that scene. 184 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 4: I mean, hello, not goodbye. Why were you wearing your. 185 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: Go my boy say oh. 186 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 6: Hello? 187 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,559 Speaker 1: Latins from Queen's and hit Argentines say all oh when 188 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 1: greeting each other, we know the way we can all 189 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:12,839 Speaker 1: say ohow, what's happening? Brother? And I also wrote a 190 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 1: scene where I wanted to illustrate that Puerto Ricans come 191 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: in all colors within a family often, and so I 192 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: wrote a scene where Afro Puerto Rican is my cousin 193 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: and I tell Telly, tell my cousin, I'll be right back, 194 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:31,199 Speaker 1: and this Afro Puerto Rican comes in and tell he 195 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: doesn't tell him what I said. And then I come 196 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: in and I say, hey, wyn't you tell him I 197 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: was here? And he says, oh, excuse your cousin, but 198 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: he doesn't look like you. I was proud of that. 199 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:48,319 Speaker 5: Finally, tonight, after a remarkable forty four years with Big Bird, 200 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 5: Grover and Oscar the Grouch, the actress who plays the 201 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 5: beloved Maria is moving away from Sesame Street, and now 202 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 5: the neighborhood just won't be the same without her. 203 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have thought of writing a kids show after 204 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,320 Speaker 1: Sesame Street. How are you going to follow that act? 205 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:03,719 Speaker 4: Oh? 206 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: Please forget it? No, no, no, now, no no. I 207 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: was perfectly happy writing my books. It was Linda Saminski's 208 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: idea at PBS Kids. She said, you know, create a 209 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: show with a LATINX family. So of course I said, okay, 210 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: since you asked, I will, and I'll make them a 211 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: LATINX family that's Puerto Rican, New Yorrekan raised in the Bronx, 212 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:27,359 Speaker 1: in the current Bronx. 213 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 3: And something to say. 214 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: The mission of the show was left up to me. 215 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: And I have been going around and seeing kids under 216 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: such tremendous pressure in school that they hated school. Kids 217 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,439 Speaker 1: didn't like school. Maybe they didn't speak English. There's forty 218 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 1: kids in a classroom. They have to take tests all 219 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,199 Speaker 1: the time, and I thought, you know, These kids are 220 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: turned off to thinking even before they understand the joys 221 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: of thinking, the joys that I felt imagining what was 222 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: going on in the lives of the people in the 223 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: bodega when I was a kid. 224 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 7: My neighborhood looks so cool from my window. I know 225 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 7: what I'm gonna jump. 226 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,080 Speaker 1: And so that's what I set out to do. An 227 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: almas man. I want kids to know that the way 228 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: you look at the world is valid. As Maria was 229 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: me on purpose, Alma is me as a little kid 230 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: on purpose. 231 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 6: Where should we go? 232 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 7: How about outer space? I love that idea. Ready, supersister, whatdy? 233 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 7: Super brother? 234 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 6: And three two one. 235 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 1: She's a nicer kid than I was. I fought with 236 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: my little brother Junior over toys. Alma doesn't fight with 237 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:55,560 Speaker 1: her little brother Junior over toys. She's a happier kid 238 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: than I was. But she's definitely as curious as I was. 239 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:02,199 Speaker 1: As all the characters are based on my real relatives. 240 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: Eddie Mambo is a cousin character of Almas. He is 241 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: based on my cousin Eddie Guagua Rivera, who was a 242 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 1: salsa player. 243 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 6: Hey, how about a little beat? 244 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:19,000 Speaker 1: I mean in my house on Fridays my folism might 245 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: beeel friend for my mother and my father. Everybody had 246 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: a guitar, We had guidos, we had maracas and we 247 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: would play ado. I mean we were there was music 248 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: going on all the time. My mother had a beautiful voice. 249 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: And that is Alma's family. 250 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 6: Let's welcome Lulu Rivera. 251 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: Mammy is a music teacher. She sings opera, she sings 252 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: hip hop. This is a song, but me familiar. She 253 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: was a big girl. She knows a little rap. 254 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 3: Is this train going uptown? 255 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 4: Is this train going up town? 256 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: The music of Puerto Rico, bombaba sansa and plage doon, 257 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 1: and the music of the culture of the Bronx, rap music, 258 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,160 Speaker 1: et cetera is in all of the music cues. 259 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 6: Of our show, Yo, what checks doing here? 260 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: A lot of my real life experiences are in ALM 261 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: this way. One of those experiences this I was fourteen 262 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: years old. We were in the usual family Michigan, and 263 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: so of course who can remember or be interested in 264 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: celebrating my fourteen year old birthday? So I was very depressed. 265 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: And my cousin Eddie played in a band led by 266 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: Willie Colong, the great trombone player. Name of the group 267 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: was the Caribbean Combo. Somehow Eddie got wind of my 268 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: depression and he came up to the apartment we lived 269 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: on Washington Avenue. They played the whole junto Caden to 270 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: the apartment and in the episode, a fictitious singer named 271 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: Sonny Soto comes to the Bronx to sing and the 272 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: concert gets rained out, and then Sonny ends up doing 273 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: the concert in Alma's house. When I was a kid 274 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: in the Bronx, and it's something that I hope that 275 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: Alma's way has, there was a vivaciousness. There were a 276 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: lot of people in the street, people looking out for 277 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: each other. 278 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 7: Wow, that plan must be really heavy for mss B. 279 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, let's go see if mss Bean needs our help. 280 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:35,120 Speaker 1: A thing that's different is that the Bronx is more diverse. 281 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: It was all Puerto Ricans when I was a kid. 282 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: There was like one Cuban that I remember and one 283 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: Dominican girl. The Bronx of today is more diverse. There's 284 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: a lot of people from many different South American countries. 285 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: There's Nigerians. The bodegas are owned by a lot of 286 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 1: Bangladeshi people. We're taking advantage of those changes and having 287 00:16:55,040 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: a more diverse bronx, but the six is the same, baby. 288 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:05,119 Speaker 7: So much figure it out your house on the sixth grade, we. 289 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 4: Would you come up. 290 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,199 Speaker 1: I hope that the kids watching Almond's Way learn to 291 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: trust themselves, to trust their points of view, to trust 292 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: their instincts, and understand that we all have particular ways 293 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,920 Speaker 1: of seeing the world, and everybody's way is just as 294 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: valid as anybody else's. 295 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 2: This episode was produced by Julia Rocha with help from 296 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 2: Andrew Binalis. It was edited by Andrea Lopez Crusado and 297 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:48,120 Speaker 2: mixed by Gabriela Biez. The Latino USA team includes Marta Martinez, 298 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 2: Mike Sargent, Julia Ta Martinelli, Victoria Strada, Patricia Sulbaran, Gini 299 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:57,880 Speaker 2: montalbo Alejandra Salassa, and Rinaldo Leanos Junior, with help from 300 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 2: Raoul Bees. Our editorial director there is Julio Ricardo Garella. 301 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 2: Our supervising senior engineer is Stephanie Lebou. Our assistant senior 302 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 2: engineer is Julia Caruso. Our associate engineers JJ Carubin. Our 303 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 2: digital editor is Luis Luna. Our New York Women's Foundation 304 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 2: Ignite fellow is Mari Esquinca. Our fellows are Elisa Reena 305 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 2: and Monica Morales. Our theme music was composed by Saniel Roubinos. 306 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 2: If you like the music you heard on this episode, 307 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:31,159 Speaker 2: stop by Latinousa dot org and check out our weekly 308 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: Spotify playlist. I'm your host and executive producer Marie no Hoosa. 309 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 2: Join us again on our next episode, and in the meantime, 310 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 2: look for us on all of your social media. I'll 311 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 2: see you there. I knows bemos Choo. 312 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 6: Latino USA is made possible in part by New York 313 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 6: Women's Foundation. The New York Women's Foundation funding women leaders 314 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 6: that build solutions in their communities and celebrate reading thirty 315 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:05,960 Speaker 6: years of radical generosity. The Annie Casey Foundation creates a 316 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:10,160 Speaker 6: brighter future for the nation's children by strengthening families, building 317 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 6: greater economic opportunity, and transforming communities. And the John D. 318 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 6: And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 319 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: I'm ready to rock and roll.