“Jane the Virgin” Gina Rodriguez’ acceptance speech for humanitarian award trends on social media

“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez gave a moving speech last February 26 when she received the young humanitarian award given by Variety’s Unite4:Humanity, which began since 2014. She received the award for building the We Will Foundation which aims to empower women through the arts. 

Gina’s speech just recently went viral on Philippine social media because Jane the Virgin is dubbed in Tagalog and is currently airing on ABS-CBN.

Gina, who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois talked about her parents, who worked hard for a better future for her and her siblings. She also said that her parents inspired her to give back because she witnessed their selfless acts despite challenges in their own lives. 

“Among the many emotions of pride I also can’t help but feel I shouldn’t be accepting this award. Let me explain, I grew up in the ‘hood of Chicago. We didn’t have much, but that didn’t stop my parents for doing everything they could to provide for their kids. They set the trend — they taught me that being good was a standard that doesn’t need praise or recognition. This isn’t an award that we work toward. This is me — this is my heart. This is a reminder that the world I want to live in is one of service.” 

Watch Gina’s full speech below.