Growing numbers of Latinos identifying as "Some other race" for the U.S. census have boosted the category to become the country's second-largest racial group after "White." Researchers are concerned the catchall grouping obscures many Latinx people's identities and does not produce the data needed to address racial inequities.
I cover Latino communities in central Pennsylvania with a special focus on Reading and other cities where Spanish-speaking communities are growing rapidly. My stories explore the impact of language barriers, labor issues, the growth of Latino political power through grassroots efforts and many other things.
I’m a native Spanish speaker myself. I grew up in the San Juan area of Puerto Rico. The English I know now, I learned mostly thanks to watching a lot of TV growing up, mostly Nickelodeon shows. I also learned Russian in college, which I perfected during my time teaching English in southern Siberia through the Fulbright Program.
In my free time I like to hike, hang out with my two cats, Yanka and Ruben Blades, and watch every awful horror movie I can find.
Ada daSilva / Getty Images
Growing numbers of Latinos identifying as "Some other race" for the U.S. census have boosted the category to become the country's second-largest racial group after "White." Researchers are concerned the catchall grouping obscures many Latinx people's identities and does not produce the data needed to address racial inequities.
My name is Gabriela Martínez and I cover stories related to identity – race, ethnicity, religion, gender – as well as issues that are important to south central Pennsylvania’s Latino communities. I’m interested in engaging with you on issues related to housing, access to public services, voting and more.
As part of America Amplified, a national community engagement project, WITF’s newsroom is using Subtext, a texting platform that allows journalists to connect directly with people.
I invite you to connect with me via text message. A few times a month, I’ll text you links to my stories and updates on what I am reporting on. You can also send me feedback, questions, tips or ideas of what I should know about in your community. I look forward to working with you!