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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Junot Díaz Schools Stephen Colbert on College-Bound Undocumented Youth
by Jorge Rivas on March 29 2013, 10:43AM
The MacArthur Fellow discusses path to citizenship, education for undocumented immigrants and the “Superman Question.”
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Rick Ross Says That You Totally Don’t Get His Lyrics
by Jorge Rivas on March 29 2013, 10:26AM
Because, you know, he didn’t actually say the word “rape.”
Arizona Doesn’t Want Transgender Folks to Use Public Restrooms
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2013, 3:01PM
First Arizona lawmakers went after the immigrant community. Now they’re going after transgender people.
Topics: Gender & Sexuality, /NOW Blog
George Zimmerman’s Brother Says His Twitter Tirade Was “A Mistake”
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2013, 11:45AM
Robert Zimmerman Jr. on his recent controversial tweeting: “I apologize for it and I’m sincere about that”
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
Comedian Baratunde Thurston Promises to Help End Violence Against Women
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2013, 5:21PM
Comedian Baratunde Thurston has joined the “Ring The Bell” campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Dan Choi Returns For ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Action at White House
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2013, 3:51PM
The former Iraq War vet and graduate of West Point is going to trial to face charges that stem from a November 2010 arrest for chaining himself to the White House fence to protest “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Topics: Gender & Sexuality, /NOW Blog
10 Powerful Images of Protesters at This Week’s Gay Marriage Hearing
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2013, 2:09PM
Supporters of gay marriage have been outside of the court to witness what could precipitate historic changes in how same-sex couples are treated under the law.
Topics: Gender & Sexuality, /NOW Blog
Number of Asian and Latino Writers for TV Are Up
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2013, 12:33PM
The number of Asian and Latino writers is up. But black writers saw the lowest percentage increase.
Will Smith Says He Turned Down the Role of ‘Django’ Because He ‘Needed to be the Lead’
by Jorge Rivas on March 26 2013, 11:44AM
Actor Will Smith tells Entertainment Weekly he turned down the role of Django in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ because the slave character was not the lead in the film.
Could You Wait 163 Years to be Reunited With Your Family?
by Jorge Rivas on March 26 2013, 11:02AM
A 163-year pathway to citizenship contingent upon a broken family immigration system is not a real pathway.
Topics: Immigration, /NOW Blog
Obama Tells New U.S. Citizens ‘Immigration Makes Us Stronger’
by Jorge Rivas on March 25 2013, 2:52PM
President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a naturalization ceremony Monday at the White House.
Topics: Immigration, /NOW Blog
Labor Attorneys Say Adria Richards’ Firing Will Be Hard to Defend
by Jorge Rivas on March 25 2013, 2:22PM
Adria Richards, the developer evangelist who was fired after tweeting an image of two men she heard making sexist jokes, may have a strong case if she decides to take her former employer to court.
Topics: Gender & Sexuality, /NOW Blog
ColorOfChange Launches Petition Urging Fox to Cancel ‘Cops’
by Jorge Rivas on March 22 2013, 1:45PM
In the email sent to members, ColorOfChange said the “stakes couldn’t be higher” considering “the real-world backdrop of an American culture that views young men like Trayvon Martin and Jordan Russell Davis with suspicion.”
Bruno Mars Explains Why He Dropped His Puerto Rican Father’s Surname
by Jorge Rivas on March 22 2013, 11:57AM
Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Obama Twitter Account Re-Tweets Picture Of John Lennon’s Blood-Stained Glasses
by Jorge Rivas on March 22 2013, 11:31AM
The tweet included a note that read “Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980.”
Chicago to Close 61 Public School Facilities to Address $1 Billion Deficit
by Jorge Rivas on March 22 2013, 11:11AM
Student advocates say the schools closures will disproportionately affect students of color and endanger the lives of those who may have to cross gang boundaries to attend school.
Topics: /NOW Blog, Schools & Youth
FOX Developing OJ Simpson Drama
by Jorge Rivas on March 21 2013, 12:25PM
Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will adapt Jeffrey Toobin’s book “The People v. O.J. Simpson.”
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Meet Bryant Johnson, Justice Ginsburg’s Personal Trainer
by Jorge Rivas on March 21 2013, 11:14AM
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 80, survived two cancer diagnoses during her 20 years on the high court, and now hits the gym twice a week with her personal trainer to stay in shape.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
The State of HIV in Black America: A Visual Breakdown (Infographic)
by Jorge Rivas on March 21 2013, 10:40AM
If you are a person of color — especially an African-American — you are disproportionately at risk for contracting HIV.
If March Madness Were Based on Black Grad Rates, Who Would Win?
by Jorge Rivas on March 20 2013, 2:39PM
White male basketball student-athletes on tournament teams graduate at the rate of 90 percent versus only 65 percent of black male basketball student-athletes.
Topics: /NOW Blog, Schools & Youth
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