UnidosUS Presents the 2024 ALMA Award to Congressman Joaquin Castro
ALMAs to return in 2025, reimagined to celebrate the entertainment industry and showcase people on the ground shaping a new Latino narrative
WASHINGTON, DC— UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, announced that Congressman Joaquin Castro is the 2024 recipient of the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for his strong leadership on behalf of the Hispanic community and his work toward elevating Latinos in the arts and entertainment industries.
“Congressman Castro has been a prominent voice and the leading advocate in Congress for greater representation of Latinos in American media—both in front of and behind the cameras,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “He embodies the philosophy that UnidosUS President and CEO Emeritus Raul Yzaguirre envisioned when we established THE ALMA AWARDS® nearly 30 years ago—to elevate the voices and stories that showcase the full spectrum of Latino experiences, in all their complexity, diversity and humanity.”
A six-term congressman from San Antonio and a lifelong activist in the Latino community, Rep. Castro has used his Congressional platform to call for change in the entertainment industry and promote the telling of the Latino story, which has seldom received the attention it deserves in mainstream media. As chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in 2021, Castro commissioned a ground-breaking and historic investigation by the Government Accountability Office on Hispanic underrepresentation in American media. He has also directly engaged the media industry by convening CEOs and high-ranking executives at the major film studios, television networks and media companies to urge greater diversity both in employment and content, particularly with the Latino community.
“I’m deeply honored to receive an ALMA Award from UnidosUS. From its earliest years, UnidosUS has been at the forefront of the fight for positive Latino representation across American society—pushing for our voices to be heard and our stories to be recognized inside the halls of power,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “Latinos make up nearly 20% of our nation, and our contributions have shaped this country’s development for centuries. But despite our numbers and growing influence, our stories have been systematically excluded from Hollywood and the American media, which are the dominant image-creating and narrative-defining institutions in the United States and the world. Over the years, as I’ve used my bully pulpit as a member of Congress to call attention to the lack of Latino representation in the media, UnidosUS has been a steady partner. The return of THE ALMA AWARDS® is an incredible step forward to honor Latino excellence across the media, and I look forward to seeing the generations of future artists, advocates and creatives who will be celebrated by UnidosUS in the ceremonies to come.”
At the ceremony, UnidosUS announced the return of THE ALMA AWARDS® in 2025. The program will be reimagined to affirm the importance of reclaiming the Latino narrative — both to celebrate the creative might of our entertainment and media industry and to showcase the people on the ground shaping new and powerful Hispanic stories and contributions across America. From community organizers to dedicated educators, groundbreaking artists and inspiring actors and filmmakers, UnidosUS and the ALMAs will continue to illuminate the profound impact that Latinos have on American society.
In 1995, UnidosUS established THE ALMA AWARDS® in response to the lack of authentic and positive portrayals of Latinos in entertainment. Since then, the ways we consume media may have changed, but stereotypes and discrimination in media remain, making the need for greater representation of Latinos more pressing than ever.