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
Videoby Jorge Rivas on March 29 2012, 4:40PM
Pinterest, the most talked about start-up of the spring, didn’t catch on at the White House quick enough because someone has signed up for the photo sharing site with the username Obama… and the user picture is that of a primate.
Spike Lee Tweets Wrong Zimmerman Address; Says Sorry to Elderly Couple Forced to Move
by Jorge Rivas on March 29 2012, 3:14PM
Spike Lee is doing the right thing. He’s apologizing for retweeting the wrong home address he thought belonged to George Zimmerman.
Topics: Media, /NOW Blog, Trayvon Martin
Oprah Wants to Talk to Zimmerman: ‘Justice Needs to be Served’
by Jorge Rivas on March 29 2012, 2:15PM
“It is a tragedy and it is a shame that we’re sitting here 33 days later and there hasn’t been an arrest, or questioning of what actually happened,” Oprah said recently about the Trayvon Martin case.
Topics: Media, /NOW Blog, Trayvon Martin
Despite New Video, Zimmerman’s Father Still Blames Trayvon Martin
by Jorge Rivas on March 29 2012, 11:20AM
Police surveillance video taken the night that Trayvon Martin was shot dead shows no blood or bruises on George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who says he shot Martin after he was punched in the nose, knocked down and had his head slammed into the ground.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog, Trayvon Martin
Worried About NYPD Spying? Go FOIL Yourself!
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 5:13PM
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund can help you file a Freedom of Information Law request to find out if the NYPD has been spying on you.
Topics: Criminal Justice, NYPD Spying, /NOW Blog
Comedian W. Kamau Bell Gets His Own Chris Rock-Produced FX Series
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 3:28PM
Bell is best known for his one-man act, “The W. Kamau Bell Curve Show: Ending Racism In About An Hour” and for telling the very first joke about Barack Obama on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” back in 2005.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Sanford City Manager Asks Justice Department to Investigate Entire Police Department
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 2:32PM
The Trayvon Martin case is bringing more scrutiny on the Sanford Police Department.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
Canned ESPN Writer Calls Jeremy Lin Meeting ‘Incredible’
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 2:18PM
A member of Jeremy Lin’s family contacted the former ESPN writer who wrote the infamous “Chink in the Armor” headline so the pair could connect.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
‘Awkward Black Girl’ Wins Shorty Award for Best Webshow
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 1:55PM
The event that is often called the Grammys and Oscars of social media honored the web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” in the best #Webshow category.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Magic Johnson To Become First Black Owner of Major League Baseball Team
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 12:26PM
A group of investors led by Magic Johnson won a bidding war Tuesday and becoming the new owners of the Dodgers.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
Some Ask if Trayvon’s Shooter Was Protected by Father, a Retired Judge
by Jorge Rivas on March 28 2012, 9:55AM
The lead investigator in the Trayvon Martin case recommended his killer, George Zimmerman, be arrested. But he’s still a free man.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog, Trayvon Martin
Asheville Students Don Hoodies and Hijabs for Trayvon and Shaima
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2012, 6:52PM
Members of the Black Student Association (BSA) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at the University of North Carolina at Asheville have joined forces to call attention to the murders of Shaima Alawadi and Trayvon Martin in their community.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
College Board: New Photo ID Requirements for SAT Will Not Affect Undocumented Students
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2012, 4:56PM
The changes will not affect students who may not have access to government-issued IDs, according to The College Board.
Topics: /NOW Blog, Schools & Youth
Trayvon Martin’s Family Files Papers to Trademark ‘I am Trayvon,’ ‘Justice for Trayvon’
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2012, 3:26PM
Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton filed applications last week with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark two slogans associated with the 17-year-old: “I Am Trayvon,” and “Justice for Trayvon.”
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog, Trayvon Martin
![Howard University Men in Hoodies School You on Racial Profiling [Video]](http://colorlines.com/assets_c/2012/03/black-students-howard-profiling-thumb-120x120-5670.jpg)
Howard University Men in Hoodies School You on Racial Profiling [Video]
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2012, 1:57PM
The Howard University men that are part of the Howard Students For Justice group created the video above that asks viewers to check their biases.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog, Trayvon Martin
Anti-Gay Marriage Group Looked to Divide Gays, Latinos and Blacks
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2012, 12:17PM
Confidential documents made public on Monday show one of the nations leading anti-gay groups planned to defeat campaigns for gay marriage across the country by “fanning the hostility” between black voters and gay voters.
For the First Time Ever, LAPD Probe Finds Officer Guilty of Racial Profiling
by Jorge Rivas on March 27 2012, 11:47AM
A white Los Angeles Police Department officer stopped Latino drivers because of their ethnicity, an internal Los Angeles Police Department investigation has found.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
Trayvon Martin’s Dad Thanks LeBron James and Miami Heat for Support
by Jorge Rivas on March 26 2012, 6:59PM
In an interview with The Associated Press, Tracy Martin thanked the NBA’s Miami Heat for “taking notice” of his son’s, Trayvon Martin, killing.
Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog
FBI Joins Investigation of Iraqi Woman Beaten to Death with Tire Iron in San Diego
by Jorge Rivas on March 26 2012, 6:21PM
El Cajon, CA police have not been able to identify a suspect in the gruesome murder that took the life of Shaima Alawadi, an Iraqi mother of five who was beaten to death in her home.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
Members of New York Legislature Wear Hoodies to Legislative Session [Photos]
by Jorge Rivas on March 26 2012, 5:20PM
New York State Senator Eric Adams and his colleagues honored Trayvon Martin on Monday by wearing hoodies to the March 26, 2012 Senate legislative session in Albany.
Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog
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