A quick guide to Kwanzaa
The holiday, which serves as a nationwide communal event reinforcing self-determination and unity in the face of oppression, spans seven…
'I will never forget that hug.' Gloria Estefan ordered a hazmat suit to hug her grandson
Just like other grandmothers across the country, Gloria Estefan hadn't hugged her family in months.
But her grandson's birthday was approaching, and the singer-songwriter had convinced her son to allow her to host a small gathering in her backyard in Vero Beach, Florida.
And "I was not going to let my son tell me that I could not hug my grandson," Estefan said.
Enter the hazmat suits. It was sort of a joke at first, but, she said, "I will never forget that hug. He wouldn't let go. He was holding on to me, like squeezing me. That hug was the best thing the entire day."
Gloria Estefan says she plans on framing photographs of her wearing a hazmat suit as a memento capturing her and her family's experience during the pandemic.
READ MORE: To Gloria Estefan, wearing a mask is as simple as taking care of each other
Estefan recently spoke with the PBS NewsHour about her upcoming album "Brazil305," as well as why she turned one of her hit songs into a public service announcement urging people to wear masks. The singer-songwriter also discussed the hug with her grandson with the NewsHour's Amna Nawaz in the video above.
"Beyond the CANVAS" showcases some of the nation's leading cultural creators — musicians, playwrights, comedians, among many others — who show us how they turn their visions of the world into art. Watch the new series, every Sunday, at 10:30 p.m. Eastern on PBS or streaming on artscanvas.org.
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