Multimedia Editor / Pop Culture Blogger
Los Angeles, CA
Jorge Rivas is multimedia editor and pop culture blogger for Colorlines.com. A firm believer in the power of visual communications to inform and move people into action, Jorge uses multimedia presentations to help readers build stronger connections to stories. Jorge has covered the public housing crisis in a post-Katrina New Orleans, the effects of deportation on families, and brought live images of the President Obama's inauguration to Colorlines.com readers.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jorge started in broadcast as an intern at the age of 16 and since worked in the entertainment industry and on international advertising campaigns. Jorge received his B.A. in Raza Studies from San Francisco State University where he studied immigration, healthcare perspectives and the interrelationship of culture, community, and the internet. Prior to joining Applied Research Center (ARC) and Colorlines.com in 2005, Rivas worked on a living wage campaign in Brooklyn, NY through the Minority Activist Apprenticeship Program (MAAP).
Jorge uses his media and ethnic studies background to deconstruct representation of people of color in pop culture, illustrating how pop culture can shape opinions, perceptions and even public policy. Jorge's work has appeared on Elle.com, Essence.com, Racialicious, The Root, Alternet, and Feministing.
Check out Jorge's media appearances here.
Follow Jorge on Twitter at @thisisjorge.
Infographic
Interactive
Photo
VideoRacial Divide Grows with Charter Schools Across the Country
by Jorge Rivas on February 5 2010, 9:34AM
The Los Angeles Unified School District has more charters schools than any other school district in the country. Charter schools in L.A tend to serve underrepresented communities which are often either Black, Latino or Asian. This results in schools whose…
Topics: Schools & Youth
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Disproportionately Affecting Black Women
by Jorge Rivas on February 3 2010, 9:33AM
Besides Afghanistan and Iraq, there is no other military policy that raises as much controversy as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT.) Yesterday Robert M. Gates, the defense secretary, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told…
Topics: Gender & Sexuality
There’s an App For That: The White House
by Jorge Rivas on February 1 2010, 2:32PM
In addition to the 48 million viewers watching the President’s State of the Union speech on TV last week, there was also nearly 1.3 million people who tuned into the WhiteHouse.gov’s live video feed of the speech. A good…
Topics:
Immigration Reform Deserves More Than 38 Words
by Jorge Rivas on January 29 2010, 12:41PM
Tuesday’s State of the Union address was more than 7,500 words long and all President Obama devoted to the issue of immigration was 38 of the most neutral words he could possible use. And we should continue the work…
Topics: Immigration
Somali ‘Pirates’ Plan to Send Treasures Taken from Rich Countries to Haiti
by Jorge Rivas on January 29 2010, 11:07AM
We haven’t heard about the Somali pirates in months, but they’re back in the news cycle. This time around, it’s a more positive, Robin Hood-esque story. In the article, translated on Metamute.org, leaders of the pirate groups say they’re willing…
Topics: Global Affairs
How Howard Zinn Wanted to Be Remembered [VIDEO]
by Jorge Rivas on January 28 2010, 3:21PM
In what would be one of his last interviews, Howard Zinn discusses how he wants to be remembered: For “introducing a different way of thinking about the world,” and as “somebody who gave people a feeling of hope and…
Topics:
Obama’s First Year in Pictures
by Jorge Rivas on January 27 2010, 12:35PM
President Obama’s first year in office was dominated by the economic crisis and bank bailouts, the healthcare debate and the war. We raised our eyebrows at Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance, but celebrated Justice Sotomayor’s selection and swearing in. A…
Topics:
Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil Released
by Jorge Rivas on January 25 2010, 12:22PM
It took an earthquake, but Jean Montrevil, whose arrest and deportation order has garnered nationwide protest was released last Saturday. He returned to his wife and four U.S. citizen children at home in Brooklyn. Montrevil had been detained by ICE…
Topics: Immigration
Temporary Protected Status for Haitians Begins Today, but Doesn’t Apply to Everyone
by Jorge Rivas on January 21 2010, 9:54AM
According to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano the U.S. may be home to as many as 200,000 undocumented Haitian immigrants. Starting today the Obama administration is allowing Haitians who have been in the U.S. without legal status before January 12…
Topics: Global Affairs, Immigration
Sixty Black Leaders Condemn Sheriff Joe Arpaio
by Jorge Rivas on January 19 2010, 5:26PM
Last Thursday, January 14, an advertisement appeared in the The Arizona Republic newspaper comparing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to the infamous 1960s Birmingham public safety commissioner Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor, who fought against integration by using fire hoses…
Topics:
An Open Letter to Anderson Cooper: You Know the Difference Between “Looter” and “Survivor”
by Jorge Rivas on January 19 2010, 4:05PM
A few days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 we saw images in the media of people going in to abandoned shops for food. The media was quick to identify survivors trying to get food as looters….
Topics:
It’s Official: Latinos Highly Value a College Education but Many Can’t Afford It
by Jorge Rivas on January 19 2010, 2:52AM
To be exact, 88% of Latinos highly value a college education, according to a new study from the PEW Hispanic Center. Initially, when I read the report, I thought “really, Sherlock? you really had to study that one?” But then…
Topics:
Ten OTHER Things Martin Luther King Said
by Jorge Rivas on January 18 2010, 3:44PM
via Illdoctrine At this time of year we always hear the same 2 or 3 MLK clips over and over, but there was much more to the man. At RaceWire, we’ve got our own favorite quote too: It may be…
Topics:
Pat Robertson: Haiti Disaster Due to Haiti’s “Pact to the Devil”
by Jorge Rivas on January 13 2010, 2:53PM
First we had Rush Limbaugh take the racist bigot prize when he said Americans deserve an apology from Obama for addressing the Haitian earthquake sooner than the attempted Christmas bombing. And, just when you thought it couldn’t get any…
Topics:
It’s Official: Sarah Palin Speaking at Liquor Convention in Vegas
by Jorge Rivas on January 13 2010, 12:30AM
The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) have issued a press release confirming Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker at the Annual WSWA Convention in Las Vegas. “Governor Palin is a great supporter of America’s free enterprise system…
Topics:
Immigration Reform Can Bring $1.5 Trillion Economic Growth
by Jorge Rivas on January 12 2010, 5:11PM
The Center for American Progress teamed up with UCLA Chicano studies professor Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda to study the economic benefits of comprehensive immigration reform. The report, “Raising the floor for American workers: the economic benefits of comprehensive immigration reform”,…
Topics: Immigration
Guide: The Federal Prop 8 Trial
by Jorge Rivas on January 11 2010, 3:29PM
A handy tip sheet on the key legal questions, from LAist.
Topics: Gender & Sexuality, Prop 8
The Power of Data Visualization: Used to Mislead As Much As Inform
by Jorge Rivas on January 8 2010, 3:30PM
Alex Lundry, a conservative political pollster and data visualizer, recently presented at Ignite DC, a conference designed to “spark new conversations and collaborations across cultures and disciplines.” (Before I get any angry comments, you should know I do not…
Topics: Media
Washington State’s Court Ruling Ensures Eligible Voters with Felony Convictions Can Vote
by Jorge Rivas on January 6 2010, 1:02PM
Yesterday, a Federal Appeals Court in Washington held that the state’s law denying the vote to people with felony convictions is racially discriminatory and violates the Voting Rights Act. “This landmark ruling recognizes that racial discrimination in Washington’s criminal justice…
Topics: News Items
It’s Official: Transportation Security Agency is Racial Profiling
by Jorge Rivas on January 4 2010, 2:09PM
For years, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) has denied racial profiling in airports by saying they stop passengers at random or based on behavior not appearance. The TSA has never released a list of suspicious behaviors that qualify someone for…
Topics: National Security
Popular Threads
Recent Comments