UWS graduate sets off on big project

By Patrick Lilja, Staff Writer

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Hernandez graduated from UW-Superior in 1984.
University of Wisconsin-Superior graduate Tony Hernandez returned to UW-Superior this week to receive a Distinguished Alumnus award from the University as well as speak to classrooms and community members throughout the Twin Ports. 
 
On Thurs., Sept. 16 he stopped by the Multicultural Center in Old Main for an open forum and brief presentation of what he plans to present in full on Friday night, Sept. 17.

Born in Cuba, Hernandez left his home country for Miami at the age of five, grew up in New Jersey, and attended UW-Superior from 1980-1984 where he graduated with a degree in Mass Communication with a minor in journalism. 

Despite UW-Superior’s smaller stature compared to other universities in both size and funding, Hernandez said that he was just as well served coming here as he would have been going to a larger school.

“The education I received here allowed me to compete and succeed among those who went to larger universities,” he said during his open forum on Thursday morning.

Today, Hernandez is the president and CEO of Miami-based Latino Broadcasting Company, a distributor of Latino-oriented programming that distributes syndicated content to media outlets across the country.

In addition, Hernandez is the main force behind the Immigrant Archive Project, which seeks to document stories and experiences of the lives of immigrants of color. Initially the project was directed at those of Hispanic descent, but it has been expanded to include immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. The Immigrant Archive Project has even attracted the interest of organizations who wish to archive the project such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute.

Of the Immigrant Archive Project, Hernandez says it is as much homage to the past as it is a preservation of immigrant heritage for the future.

“This is as much a tribute to your grandparents’ generation as it is a gift to your generation,” he said as he closed the morning’s open forum. 

The forum also touched on the current immigration controversies in the United States as well as airing stories from the Immigration Archives Project.

On Friday, Hernandez will visit classrooms in Duluth before returning to UW-Superior for Friday night’s presentation, which is at 7 p.m. in the Multicultural Center in Old Main. The event is free and open to the public.