Eva Longoria: ‘Hollywood defines what heroes look like…And they never look like us’

The acclaimed actress highlighted the importance of telling stories from the Latino perspective, aiming not just for the community but for a broader audience. Longoria shared her vision of creating heroes that look like the Latino community on both the small and big screens.

“I knew I wanted to have the opportunity to tell our stories from our perspective…But not for us: for everybody. So it’s not by us, for us; it’s by us, for everybody. I wanted to create heroes for us that look like us on the small screen and on the big screen…Hollywood defines what heroes look like…And they never look like us.”

Carla Vernon, the CEO of The Honest Company drew parallels between her upbringing in the era of hip hop and the need for disruption and innovation to make change.

“Growing up in the era of hip hop gave us permission to throw off the old rules and the old confines of tradition…Hip hop told us that disruption is key, and we need you to put your own unique spark on things to drive transformation, to drive innovation.”

Dolores Huerta on Combating Racism: The labor leader and civil rights activist addressed the legacy of slavery and the ongoing struggle against inequality. She stressed the need to address homelessness and societal injustices.

“One of the legacies of slavery is that some people have to work all of their lives to make other people rich…There is no reason that we should have people who are homeless and sleeping on sidewalks.”

Author, Elizabeth Acevedo, underscored the significance of belonging and the duty of great leaders to consistently show up and foster a sense of community.

“In every stage of our lives, from the moment we are given to light, we long to belong, to know and be known…And I think the first lesson of any great leader is to show up. The second greatest lesson is to continue showing up.”

NBCUniversal News Group Chairman emphasized the critical role journalists play in uniting a nation and helping to resolve difficult conflicts in the country.

“We have a divided nation…We’re seeing polarization at levels we haven’t seen in a generation, and that division has not allowed us to find solutions or compromise to some of the most challenging issues that we face as a society.”