American Family

American Family, PBS' widely acclaimed drama, returned to broadcast television in April on Sundays at 7:00 p.m. (see episodes on TV12 on July 4 and July 11), with the Gonzalez clan celebrating the wedding of one son while confronting their worst fears as another goes off to war. Starring Academy Award(r) nominee Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie, Yancey Arias, Jesse Borrego, Patricia Velasquez, Kate del Castillo and Raquel Welch, with special guest stars Esai Morales, Lynn Whitfield and Rachel Ticotin, and special appearances by Sonia Braga, the second season juxtaposes the Gonzalez family's story against the broad sweep of contemporary history. American Family - Journey Of Dreams interweaves the Gonzalez' courageous escape from the Mexican Revolution in 1915 to seek a better life in America with the sacrifices the family made in the 1990s to send their first-born son to medical school and the consequences of those sacrifices as seen through the war in Iraq to reveal how their past informs their future.

The American Family - Journey Of Dreams national outreach campaign will focus on building PBS stations' capacities to reach and serve Latino families and neighborhoods, and on helping stations create sustainable relationships with local Latino organizations. Many member stations will initiate extensive educational outreach efforts to emphasize health, wellness and the importance of family in their local Hispanic communities, and establish new relationships with national and local organizations dedicated to these issues. Partnerships include: National Alliance for Hispanic Health; League of United Latin American Citizens; National Council of La Raza, Institute for Hispanic Health; MANA, A National Latina Organization; National Diabetes Education Program; National Latina Health Network; National Latino Council on Alcohol/Tobacco Prevention; American Diabetes Association; Readjustment Counseling Services; National Latino's Children Institute; Association of Hispanic Arts; Generations United; Latino Public Broadcasting; National Hispanic Council on Aging; National Association of Latino Arts and Culture; and WomenHeart.

Major funding for the American Family - Journey Of Dreams television series is provided by Johnson & Johnson, the American Legacy Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.

An extensive Web site at http://www.pbs.org/americanfamily allows visitors to become involved in the story through a variety of interactive features. The site currently offers engaging content about the Gonzalez family, their East L.A. neighborhood and Chicano culture. The site has cast updates, features tied to this season's stories and a virtual health fair, offering resources to help families stay healthy and active.