Dozens of spectators packed the newly renovated Woodbury Branch Library on Saturday to honor three people for service to Denver's Latino community. Florence "Flo" Hernandez-Ramos, KUVO host of Cancion Mexicana, accepted the ninth annual Lena L. Archuleta Community Service Award. Denise Maes, now the director of operations for Vice President Joe Biden, was inducted into the Cesar Chavez Leadership Hall of Fame along with community activist and educator Bernard "Bernie" Valdez, who died in 1997.
"The cultural landscape of the city is so diverse," Hernandez-Ramos said, and Cancion Mexicana allows a diverse audience to connect with music that might otherwise seem inaccessible. A longtime force at KUVO, Hernandez-Ramos described the show as an "important confluence of cultures." The desire to stitch together Denver's diverse population weaved throughout award recipients' and audience members' comments. "The more we can build bridges and bring communities together, the better off we are," said Crisanta Duran, candidate for state representative.
Acknowledgment of Denver's strong Latino leadership drew her to the ceremony, she said. READ FULL STORY
