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
VideoTrue or False: Barack Obama was a Black Man Before the Election
by Jorge Rivas on September 22 2009, 8:10AM
Last night David Letterman asked President Obama what he thought about Jimmy Carter’s statements that perhaps a lot of the “poor and uneasy” signs and behavior seen at tea parties was rooted in racism. “It’s important to realize that…
Topics:
Are Republicans Encouraging Political Violence Against Obama?
by Jorge Rivas on September 22 2009, 6:11AM
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Air America’s blog has a good story on the increased hostility seen at recent political demonstrations against President Obama’s reform proposals. In “Are republicans encouraging political violence” Dorsey…
Topics:
by Jorge Rivas on September 21 2009, 10:39AM
The Obama Plan in 4 Minutes from White House on Vimeo. Learn the basic principles of President Obama’s health insurance reform plan as presented to Congress on September 9, 2009….
Topics: Health
Untying the Knot of Seperate and Unequal Marriage
by Jorge Rivas on September 21 2009, 8:38AM
While more states move to legalize same-sex marriage, California has instead eliminated this right with the passage of Proposition 8. Legal scholar Tobias Barrington Wolff and civil rights attorney Eva Jefferson Paterson join the Hammer Museum to discuss the…
Topics:
Janeane Garofalo & Kai Wright: Racism as Strong as Ever
by Jorge Rivas on September 18 2009, 2:03PM
Who knew Janeane Garofalo had such good race politics? Kai Wright, as usual, steals the show though….
Topics: Media
Carter’s Comments Right But Distracting
by Jorge Rivas on September 18 2009, 11:44AM
NPR.org has a editorial piece written by ARC’s Research Director Dominique Apollon. “Jimmy Carter’s Wednesday, Sept. 16 comments suggesting that Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R-SC) outburst was racially motivated has reignited the passionate discussion about racism in America. Liberal commentator…
Topics:
Wondering Who Attended Last Week’s DC Tea Party? [VIDEO]
by Jorge Rivas on September 17 2009, 4:01PM
Earlier this week RaceWire covered the “tea partiers” partying it up at the National Mall in Washington D.C. “protesting everything from taxes and government, to health care reform and anything they could associate with Obama and foreigners—especially immigrants.” If…
Topics: Video & Multimedia
Models of Color and Diversity Beyond the Runway
by Jorge Rivas on September 14 2009, 10:02AM
Fashion week in New York is almost over and this season there have been more models of color on the runway. In the video above, the NY Times points out that although there is more racial diversity on the…
Topics:
john powell: Is Opportunity Deeply Racialized?
by Jorge Rivas on September 14 2009, 9:01AM
Tides recently hosted Momentum, a convening “to bring together innovative thinkers and dedicated activists to challenge, inspire, and energize each other.” In the clip above john powell maps out opportunity and explains how the opportunity structure is racialized. john…
Topics:
Real Talk: What if Caster Semenya was White?
by Jorge Rivas on September 11 2009, 1:29PM
The results of the gender tests run on South African runner Caster Semenya are in, but the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) refused today to confirm or deny reports that Semenya has the biological make-up of an intersex…
Topics: Sports
Poll: 26% Who Responded Would Try Pro-White Political Party
by Jorge Rivas on September 9 2009, 9:11AM
Last week southern California newspaper “Orange County Register” ran a story on the Golden State Party, a self-proclaimed “pro-white group pushing for political representation in California.” The Golden State Party is a “Garden Grove-based group trying to gain status as…
Topics:
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich On The Public Option in 150 Seconds
by Jorge Rivas on September 8 2009, 1:22PM
Congress returns from recess tomorrow and Obama might have a major healthcare reform announcement to make and it may have a little something to do with the public option. If you don’t understand what the public option is, here…
Topics: Health
Glenn Beck Names his Next Targets
by Jorge Rivas on September 8 2009, 12:10PM
Glenn Beck has announced that Cass Sunstein, Mark Lloyd, and Carol Browner are his next targets and asked his followers to dig up all the dirt they can on them. Cass Sunstein heads the White House Office of Information…
Topics: Politics
Katrina Anniversary Approaching, Not Much has Changed
by Jorge Rivas on August 18 2009, 1:51PM
This coming Sunday, August 23rd, will mark the fourth year anniversary that Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas. We’re likely to hear uplifting stories about how far New Orleans has come in the coming weeks, but the reality is that…
Topics: Katrina
Open Books: Progressive Book Club Interview with Rinku Sen [VIDEO]
by Jorge Rivas on August 18 2009, 12:20PM
The Progressive Book Club has started a video series, Open Books, in which they ask “PBC authors to tell us about the books they love.” This week, Rinku Sen, ARC’s Executive Director and co-author of The Accidental American, recommends…
Topics:
Caption Contest: President Obama, Professor Gates and Sgt. Crowley
by Jorge Rivas on August 18 2009, 11:27AM
Almost two months later, the White House officially released the picture above with President Barack Obama walking to the Rose Garden followed by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge, Mass. police sergeant James Crowley. (Official White House Photo…
Topics:
Now It’s Official: Latinos and Asians Have Clout in the Voting Booth
by Jorge Rivas on August 17 2009, 4:52AM
Now it’s official: Roughly one out of every ten voters was Latino or Asian in the 2008 election. Last Thursday the Immigration Policy Center released “Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth,” a fact check report that “shows how…
Topics:
Why You Should Boycott Whole Foods
by Jorge Rivas on August 14 2009, 10:01AM
On Wedneday I was having a conversation with a total stranger about how much I love Whole Foods. But now I’m promoting a boycott. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey thinks many of the country’s health care problems are "self-inflicted"…
Topics:
Damon Weaver got the Interview! President Obama now his Homeboy too
by Jorge Rivas on August 14 2009, 9:15AM
After MONTHS of campaigning for an interview with President Obama, 11-year old Damon Weaver got his interview. Congratulations Damon!…
Topics:
Green For All: Building the Green Economy Rhythm [VIDEO]
by Jorge Rivas on August 14 2009, 5:36AM
via Green For All A New Sound communicates both the pain of the old economy, and the promise of the new. It illustrates why the Senate must pass bold climate legislation this fall, and why we need a vibrant…
Topics:
Popular Threads
Recent Comments