Cristela Alonzo made history in 2014 when she became the first Latina to create, produce and star in a network TV sitcom. 

The show Cristela was an homage to her Mexican mother and how she raised Cristela and her siblings in Texas border town. The self-titled sitcom was cancelled after one season, but Cristela is using her name and platform to focus on an issue that’s pressing in this election year: The Latino vote. 

She’ll be part of a forum Thursday at DePaul University where she’ll discuss “hispandering,” shorthand for pandering to Hispanics, as many politicians are wont to do. 

Morning Shift talks to her about the event, the importance of the Latino vote and how she found her way to comedy.