As a veteran journalist in this region, I have always had a curiosity and fondness for the Native American people. When I landed here in 1995, I arrived from Tucson, Arizona -- home of the Yacqui and Tohono O’odham tribes, where I worked as a reporter at KGUN-TV.
Before that, as a native of Chicago, I had never been on a reservation. I was fortunate in Tucson, I got involved in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, and my little sister was a proud member of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
I learned a lot from her family. They were kind and patient as I navigated my way through covering their community.
Now here I am 20-plus years later, in San Diego, in a county where there are 18 federally recognized Indian reservations. That’s more than any other county in the United States. And they essentially get zero coverage from mainstream media.
After being ousted from The San Diego Union-Tribune in June, I promised myself that from now on, I would only attach my name to publications that care about the community in which they serve. That’s why I will proudly be contributing content to “Indian Voices.”
Journalists don’t choose this career to get wealthy. It’s an addiction. We want to serve communities with news, information, and sometimes entertainment, especially when there is so much ugliness and mistruths out there. I
I just returned from my hometown of Chicago, where I attended the annual National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference. There were dozens of panels and workshops on how to be a better journalist and how journalists can stay safe covering the ongoing ICE raids coast to coast.
I serve as the president of NAHJ here in the San Diego/Tijuana region. It’s my responsibility to be an effective leader and mentor the generations who come after us.
I hope by contributing stories and opinion pieces, I can spread real news and information and help in some small way.
I can be reached at presspassLC@gmail.com
