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.
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VideoLawyer’s Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.
by Jorge Rivas on July 21 2009, 8:20AM
In a statement released last night, Rev. Al Sharpton called Henry Louis Gates Jr’s arrest “an outrage of no small implication… I have heard of driving while Black and even shopping while Black, but now even going to your…
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BREAKING: Top Black Scholar Gates Arrested in Massachusetts
by Jorge Rivas on July 20 2009, 2:27PM
Associated Press is reporting: "Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation’s pre-eminent black scholar, is accusing Cambridge police of racism after he was arrested while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University."…
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On Sonia Sotomayor: Words from ‘Wise Latinas’
by Jorge Rivas on July 20 2009, 7:37AM
The LA Times asked several successful Latinas to “assess” Sonia Sotomayor and the way Senators treated her during the Judicial Committee nominations hearings last week. All the woman surveyed had very poignant observations but I thought Josefina Lopez, author…
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by Jorge Rivas on July 17 2009, 10:38AM
Yesterday the University of California Board of Regents voted to grant special honorary degrees to hundreds of men and women forced to leave their studies at the University of California as a result of the internment of people of Japanese…
Topics: History
Live Webcast of NAACP Centennial Convention Available
by Jorge Rivas on July 13 2009, 4:28AM
An estimated 5,000 members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) are meeting in New York for their yearly convention. The NAACP Convention will set the stage for its programs and legislative agenda for the next…
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“Whites Only” Pool in 2009? Condemn Discrimination at the Valley Club
by Jorge Rivas on July 10 2009, 12:20PM
via Color of Change Condemn discrimination at the Valley Club and ask the DOJ to enforce civil rights laws Sixty-five children from a largely Black summer camp in Philadelphia were turned away from a swimming club in the suburbs…
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Schools Are Safer Without Metal Detectors and Harsh Discipline
by Jorge Rivas on July 9 2009, 10:25AM
The NYCLU, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, and Make the Road New York have released a report arguing that schools can create a safer environment without metal detectors and harsh discipline. The report, “Safety with Dignity:…
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by Jorge Rivas on July 8 2009, 10:10AM
ARC’s very own Rinku Sen is participating in a discussion about a new book on the white nationalist movement over at Talking Point Memo. The discussion was sparked by Leonard Zeskind’s new book titled “Blood and Politics — The…
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Support for Los Angeles Gang Activist Alex Sanchez
by Jorge Rivas on July 7 2009, 12:27PM
via La Plaza @ LA Times Alex Sanchez, the nationally known anti-gang activist who was arrested last month on federal charges of racketeering and conspiracy, is gaining support from “clergy, professors, lawyers, community organizers and youths from Latino, black…
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by Jorge Rivas on July 7 2009, 11:54AM
via Cispes Call the State Department to demand that the Obama administration comply with U.S. law by immediately suspending aid to the de facto government of Honduras. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to meet with Zelaya TODAY - CALL Clinton’s…
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Student Voices on the High School Exam
by Jorge Rivas on July 6 2009, 12:42PM
New America Media asked a few young people in California for their thoughts on the controversial California high school exit exam (CAHSEE). Monica Carlos, 23, says: “It has been five months since I took the last CAHSEE math test. For…
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Bank of America is Accused of Exploiting Latino Immigrant Customers
by Jorge Rivas on July 1 2009, 10:13AM
The LA Times published an article yesterday that looks in to reports from Ex-employees that say working-class and immigrant clients are urged to sign up for multiple services that carry high interest rates and fees. Gabby Ornelas, a former…
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Vibe Magazine To Cease Publication
by Jorge Rivas on July 1 2009, 10:05AM
Vibe, the popular hip-hop and urban culture magazine founded by legendary producer Quincy Jones, is shutting down….
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Online Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform with President Obama and You
by Jorge Rivas on July 1 2009, 9:35AM
President Obama made a call for youtube users to submit questions on health care reform and take part in an ongoing online discussion. In less than an hour President Obama will answer some of the most popular questions submitted…
Topics: Health
Sixty-two Percent say Sotomayor Should be Confirmed to Supreme Court
by Jorge Rivas on June 29 2009, 7:53AM
via Think Progress A new Washington Post/ABC News poll out today asked respondents if the Senate “should or should not confirm” Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Sixty-two percent said that the Senate “should” confirm her — the…
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“Without Blacks’ Sacrifice, Latinos Would be 30 Years Behind in the Fight for Civil Rights”
by Jorge Rivas on June 22 2009, 9:55AM
Hector Tobar, one of the few columnists of color left at the Los Angeles Times, says “Without Blacks’ sacrifice, Latinos would be 30 years behind in the fight for civil rights.” What do you think? In “”For Latinos and…
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Immigration, Race, and the Restaurant Industry: Fekkak Mamdouh
by Jorge Rivas on June 17 2009, 7:45AM
via Progressive Book Club Fekkak Mamdouh is the co-author, with Rinku Sen, of The Accidental American: Immigration and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization. He’s also the cofounder of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York and codirector of…
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Republicans Misstep on Sotomayor Attacks: When did Newt and the Gang Become Experts on Race?
by Jorge Rivas on June 9 2009, 9:56AM
via AlterNet by C. Nicole Mason If I attend a Black Church and tithe once a week, does that make me a racist? How about if I donate my time to an organization committed to ensuring young black men avoid…
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Should Young People Care About the Employee Free Choice Act?
by Jorge Rivas on June 9 2009, 6:52AM
via Wiretap by Adam Waxman A central theme of the now-complete America’s Future Now! conference was the importance of a piece of legislation that is working it’s way through Congress right now, a bill called the Employee Free Choice…
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New York: Meet RaceWire Editors, Have a Drink and Help a Good Cause
by Jorge Rivas on June 4 2009, 4:28AM
Families are being torn apart by this country’s cruel criminal justice and immigration policies, separated by detention and deportation. RaceWire co-editors Julianne Hing and Jorge Rivas along with ARC researcher Seth Wessler will report on the intersection of criminal justice…
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