El dieciocho de abril/April 18th

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Photo from The Advocate. Click HERE. 
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... America Ferrera! (1984-        )

"Every single one of us, we can leave the next generation with a better reflection of [its] innate worth and inherent power simply by claiming and living in our own power." -America Ferrera (see article in The Advocate, link under photo at right, for more in this speech)

An American actress and activist born to Honduran parents in Los Angeles, Ferrera is perhaps best known for her role as Betty Suarez in the ABC comedy/drama Ugly Betty (2006-2010), though she made her film debut before that, winning accolades for her role in the 2002 comedy/drama Real Women Have Curves. She was also in the popular 2005 movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She has been in numerous television shows and movies then, and she has received recognition in the form of an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among others. In 2007 Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Ferrera, who was born as the youngest of six children, paid for acting classes in high school by babysitting and waiting tables. After high school, she enrolled in The University of Southern California on a presidential scholarship, double majoring in theater and international relations, though she dropped out to pursue her career (she returned and received a degree in 2013). Currently, Ferrera stars on the NBC show Superstore, which is in its 4th season. She has been married to actor, director, and writer Ryan Piers Williams, who she met at USC when he cast her in a student film, since 2010. The two announced on December 31st, 2017 that they were expecting their first child. See their Instagram announcement in this LA Times story. Ferrera spoke at the Women's March on Washington in January of 2017. See her speech HERE. Ferrera speaks English, even in this interview on the Spanish-language show Un Nuevo Día about Superstore (the show subtitles her interview).

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Other April 18th birthdays:

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (1819-1874): A Cuban who freed his slaves and then declared independence from Spain, inviting his former slaves to fight with him. His declaration is known as El Grito de Yara, which started the 10 Years War. The Spanish killed him in 1874. Today, he is remembered as a hero in Cuba.


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