Headlines

We are excited to share that Alma's Way, a new animated PBS KIDS series from Fred Rogers Productions, will premiere next week on October 4th. We are even more excited to exclusively represent the creative genius behind the show, Sesame Street icon and author, Sonia Manzano. Beloved by generations, Manzano broke new ground as one of the first Latino characters on national TV.

One of Peloton's most popular instructors is about to take the stage on Dancing with the Stars! ABC recently announced that APB speaker Cody Rigsby will compete when the show returns for season 30. A highly relatable, super entertaining fitness star, Rigsby connects with people on a level that makes everyone feel like he’s their BFF.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that APB speakers Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will share hosting duties for the syndicated quiz show Jeopardy! through the end of the year. Bialik and Jennings each took a turn guest-hosting the show after the death of Alex Trebek in November 2020. Bialik was then named host of Jeopardy!’s primetime specials and spinoffs. Both Bialik and Jennings proved to be fan favorites.

It began as a beautiful fall-like morning in New York City and Washington, D.C. And yet, less than two hours later, it turned out to be one of the darkest days in American history. APB would like to take a moment to honor the 2,977 victims and fallen heroes of the 9/11 attacks. It’s been 20 years, but we will never forget the courage and selfless acts of our first responders and passengers on United Flight 93 and those who were killed in the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. May they rest in peace.

In an effort to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations in communities of color, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and members of the White House Corona Virus response team recently met with former surgeons general to discuss advancing equity in our country’s COVID-19 response. Those who joined the meeting included exclusive APB speakers and former surgeons general Drs. M. Joycelyn Elders, David Satcher, Richard Carmona, Regina Benjamin and Jerome Adams. The physicians met to discuss how they could work together to ensure that communities of color have the information and access they need for vaccination. 

A two-part investigative podcast series led by veteran journalist and APB speaker Maria Hinojosa has been recently honored with an Overseas Press Club Award. The Pulitzer Center-supported The Moving Border, by NPR’s Latino USA, won the Lowell Thomas Award for the best radio, audio or podcast coverage of international affairs. “Maria Hinojosa and team first reveal that a ‘paper wall’ has been a stronger barrier than a physical wall at the U.S. border,” the jury commented. “Then, the team went further, uncovering how Mexico has become a wall itself.’" 

An essay by APB speaker Deborah Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Professor at N.Y.U. School of Law, was recently featured in the Opinion section of The New York Times. The newspaper asked seven writers and legal scholars what they believe should be updated in the Constitution. It’s been a half-century since America’s last real revision. According to The Times, the essays are part of a series exploring bold ideas to revitalize and renew the American experiment.

A trio of APB speakers was recently named to Forbes magazine’s 50 Over 50 List of Women Who Are Leading the Way in Impact list. The three honored are: Melissa Berton, Cofounder and Executive Director of The Pad Project; Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies; and Winona LaDuke, Founder, White Earth Land Recovery Project. According to Forbes, the women are being recognized for changing their communities and the world in ways big and small through social entrepreneurship, law, advocacy and education.  

For Floridian and APB speaker Sybrina Fulton, life was good. In fact, she describes it as mostly happy and joyful. She worked for the Miami, Florida Housing Department while raising two sons with her ex. She was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Miami Gardens. And then came Feb. 26, 2012. That’s the day her son, Trayvon Martin, was fatally shot and sparked a movement that changed the world—Black Lives Matter (BLM). “My son's name became a lightning rod for this country,” she writes in a recent opinion piece for USA Today, marking the eight-year anniversary of BLM. “But for me, he was my baby boy. I had planned to spend many more years watching him grow up, if his life hadn't been cut short.” 

In a little more than a month, over 14,000 people from more than 200 countries will gather in Tokyo, Japan, for the Summer Olympics. They will be joined by thousands of delegates and members of the press. One month later, an additional 5,000 athletes and support staff will come together in Tokyo for the Paralympic Games.  These two enormous events have APB speaker Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and several of his colleagues deeply concerned.