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
Video
White Students in Blackface Reenact Chris Brown-Rihanna Fight
by Jorge Rivas on October 16 2012, 11:25AM
Last Friday, three white high schools students in Waverly, New York attended a pep-rally in black face and re-enacted a “scene” from the 2009 incident in which performer Chris Brown allegedly beat his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Gap Pulls ‘Manifest Destiny’ Shirts After Outrage, Twitter Response
by Jorge Rivas on October 15 2012, 6:11PM
When McNairy heard his work was promoting “a belief that has resulted in mass genocide” he took to Twitter to stir the controversy even more.
Topics: Arts & Culture, History, /NOW Blog
Michelle Obama Casts Absentee Ballot, Urges Supporters to Vote Early
by Jorge Rivas on October 15 2012, 4:57PM
Obama’s campaign said it was the first time a presidential nominee and his spouse will not vote in person on Election Day.
BET Co-Founder Says Network Reinforces Negative Stereotypes
by Jorge Rivas on October 15 2012, 4:25PM
The co-founder says the network’s current content reinforces negative stereotypes of blacks in the U.S.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
‘Middle of Nowhere’ Opens To Biggest Per Screen Average This Weekend
by Jorge Rivas on October 15 2012, 2:36PM
The film brought in the biggest per-screen ticket sales total for any film currently in theaters.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
‘Put the White Back in the White House’ Meme Moves from Twitter to GOP Rally
by Jorge Rivas on October 15 2012, 11:31AM
A racist anti-Obama trending topic making the rounds on Twitter for months finally made an appearance on a t-shirt at a Romney campaign rally this past weekend.
Easier as a Latino? Rosie Pérez Schools Mitt Romney in New Video
by Jorge Rivas on October 15 2012, 9:19AM
Easier as a Latino? Rosie Perez sets Mitt straight.
Day Laborers Denounce Governor Brown’s Veto of TRUST Act
by Jorge Rivas on October 1 2012, 5:42PM
The TRUST Act could have been a significant blow to the Secure Communities program because over a quarter of ‘S-Comm deportations’ are currently from California.
Topics: Immigration, /NOW Blog
Meet Richard Hayes, the Black Man Who Picks Up Mitt Romney’s Trash
by Jorge Rivas on October 1 2012, 2:47PM
Richard is a City of San Diego sanitation worker whose route includes Mitt Romney’s $12 million oceanfront villa in La Jolla, Calif.
California Approves Driver’s Licenses for Young Undocumented Immigrants
by Jorge Rivas on October 1 2012, 1:23PM
On Sunday, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assemblymember Gilbert Cedillo’s (D-Los Angeles) AB 2189 in to law, which will allow DREAMers who are granted deferred action to apply for a California Drivers’ License. The bill states that any document received by…
Topics: Immigration, /NOW Blog
Philly Cop Appears to Punch Woman at Puerto Rican Day Parade
by Jorge Rivas on October 1 2012, 11:29AM
But what’s clear from the 36 second video is that a woman jumping around celebrating (by spraying silly string) ends up with a busted lip after an officer throws her down on the floor.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
Calif. Gov. Vetoes Legislation That Would Protect Farm Workers from Heat-Related Deaths
by Jorge Rivas on October 1 2012, 10:28AM
Since California issued regulations in 2005 to keep farm workers from dying of extreme heat, preventable farm worker deaths have continued.
Governor Brown Denies Overtime Protection to Domestic Workers in CA
by Jorge Rivas on October 1 2012, 9:59AM
Domestic workers in California will continue to be excluded from or discriminated against by most labor and employment laws.
Whoopi Goldberg Bleeped After Ann Coulter Tries To Tell Her About Black People
by Jorge Rivas on September 28 2012, 3:25PM
“The View” host Whoopi Goldberg confronted Ann Coulter over the topic of race and ended up cursing her out and accusing her of not knowing what she was talking about.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Marijuana Prohibition Turns 75, Blacks Three Times More Likely to be Arrested Than Whites
by Jorge Rivas on September 28 2012, 2:25PM
The most vulnerable members of our society are also the targets of a prison industrial complex out of control and getting bigger every day.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
Sikh Woman Teaches Reddit Users a Life Lesson in Tolerance
by Jorge Rivas on September 28 2012, 1:10PM
A college student who posted a mean spirited photo he shot of a fellow student to the online community site Reddit.com just got a life lesson in tolerance he’ll never forget.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Viola Davis Welcomes Protestors Who Disrupted ‘Won’t Back Down’ Premiere
by Jorge Rivas on September 28 2012, 11:45AM
An estimated 50 parents and teachers demonstrated outside the “Won’t Back Down” film premiere in New York Sunday.
Topics: /NOW Blog, Schools & Youth
by Jorge Rivas on September 27 2012, 3:37PM
It was at a 2008 Martin Luther King Day parade in Jacksonville, Florida that Mitt Romney made the ill-considered decision to chant the lyrics to the Baha Men’s song.
Did Ann Romney Just Say Being Black is Kind of Like Being Mormon?
by Jorge Rivas on September 27 2012, 2:57PM
Ann Romney told “The Tonight Show” host Jay Leno that electing her husband would help eliminate prejudice against their Mormon faith, just like we left “prejudices behind” when we elected President Obama.
Samuel L. Jackson Debuts F-Bomb-Laced Pro-Obama Voting Ad
by Jorge Rivas on September 27 2012, 12:45PM
Actor Samuel L. Jackson has a message for Democrats who supported President Barack Obama in 2008 but aren’t enthusiastic this time around.
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