Nicholas Gonzalez (The Good Doctor) and Melissa Barrerra (Vida and In The Heights) lead first two conversations; series partners include the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and the League of United Latin American Citizens 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 28, 2020) — Listos California, a statewide disaster preparedness campaign anchored in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), in partnership with two leading national Latino organizations, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA), announced the launch of InformaGente, a new online conversation series to foster a culture of emergency readiness among Latinx communities.
 
The first InformaGente conversation – released today – features actor Nicholas Gonzalez, star of ABC’s The Good Doctor, and Dr. Gil Chavez, Senior Advisor to the Director of the California Department of Public Health. Dr. Chavez and Mr. Gonzalez discussed issues related to COVID-19 from hand washing and physical distancing, to concerns about visiting a doctor due to immigration status.

Watch the first episode here (in English) →
Watch the first episode here (en Español) →

The second InformaGente conversation – to be released next week – features actress Melissa Barrera, star of the upcoming film In the Heights, the film adaptation of the Tony-award winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Monica Vargas from Cal OES. Their conversation will focus on California’s upcoming wildfire season and the 5 steps to prepare for major disasters.

“InformaGente will unite celebrity talent with state and local leaders in order to connect our Latino community with critical information on COVID-19 and how to prepare for other emergencies like wildfire and earthquake. As frontline workers who often face challenges with issues like access to healthcare or serious concerns about immigration status, our goal is to deliver critical facts and messages that our community needs to hear,” said Listos California Co-Chair Justin Knighten. “Through engaging conversations, we hope to provide lifesaving information to our Latino community, who as essential workers are bearing the brunt of COVID-19. Listos California has their back and the tools to help keep their families and neighbors safe.”

The series will include topics of high importance to Latinx communities, such as health and wellness support and resources for farmworker communities, with the main objective of promoting healthy practices and greater preparedness against future emergencies like wildfires, earthquakes and floods.

"NHFA, co-founded by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and myself, is so thankful for our celebrity partners, who have rallied to participate in the InformaGente conversation series. We are proud to be part of a program directing timely and critical information to the Latino community, which has been amongst the hardest hit both physically and financially by COVID-19,” said Felix Sanchez, chairman and co-founder of the foundation. “NHFA, Governor Gavin Newsom’s Listos California campaign and LULAC have come together to reach millions of Californians and provide helpful information related to health and safety issues created by the pandemic and natural disasters, which can happen at any time.”

Sindy Marisol Benavides, LULAC Chief Executive Officer, is also leveraging the vast network of LULAC to deliver messages from the series. “LULAC, the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the country, has been working tirelessly to address the many inequities facing the Latino community across the nation and Puerto Rico for over ninety years. The Coronavirus is disproportionately hitting Latinos through loss of lives and loss of jobs across the nation which will have long-term impact. InformaGente is a major initiative being implemented with Listos California and NHFA to address a range of topics of immediate importance and concern to our Latino community in California.”

The series will live on Listos California’s social media channels and be shared by partners and featured guests.

# # #

ABOUT LISTOS CALIFORNIA
The Listos California Emergency Preparedness Campaign is an effort based on an investment of public funds by Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers, to ready our most vulnerable populations for disasters like wildfires, earthquakes and floods, and now public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. before disasters strike. The campaign – which is led by co-chairs Karen Baker and Justin Knighten – is anchored at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

ABOUT NATIONAL HISPANIC FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS
NHFA was co-founded by Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and Felix Sanchez to promote Latinos both in front of and behind the camera. Since 1997, the Foundation has provided scholarships, outreach and adjunct programs to more than 500 Hispanic students pursuing graduate degrees in the arts in excess of $5 million dollars.

ABOUT LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future.