<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists<\/a> held a virtual graduation for Latnix students who graduated this year and I was asked to join an incredible group of journalists to give a 5-minute speech.<\/p>\n

The event featured Latino\/a leaders and role models in the industry, including special remarks from keynote speaker Mar\u00eda Elena Salinas alongside Maria Hinojosa, Jos\u00e9 D\u00edaz-Balart, Fin G\u00f3mez, Obed Manuel-Estrada, Joy Diaz and more.<\/p>\n

For those interested, here is my speech:<\/p>\n

Hola todos,<\/p>\n

It is a genuine honor to get to speak to you today\u2026 congratulations on your HUGE achievement.<\/p>\n

I want to start with a simple statement: there is no<\/u> pipeline problem. <\/p>\n

Managers like to say they just can\u2019t find qualified journalists of color when hiring for a position. <\/p>\n

We know that is a lie\u2026 How? Simply because you exist. <\/p>\n

You prove them wrong. <\/p>\n

You have been proving them wrong before college\u2026 and you will have to continue to prove them wrong after college. <\/p>\n

Look, you deserve to be hired.<\/p>\n

Your voice deserves to be heard.<\/p>\n

Your work deserves to be supported.<\/p>\n

You deserve equal pay for equal work.<\/p>\n

You deserve mentorship and growth.<\/p>\n

You will deserve that promotion.<\/p>\n

But, the reality is, you might not get it. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not okay. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: you don\u2019t have to settle for their<\/em> answer. <\/p>\n

You are going to have to continue to fight to get what you deserve\u2026 and it won\u2019t be easy. <\/p>\n

To quote a wise man: \u201cWe gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time. It’s exhausting!\u201d<\/p>\n

For the record, I\u2019m not Mexican. Pues<\/em>, I\u2019m Salvi. ??<\/p>\n

But the point is still the same\u2026 we have to work harder than others to get what we deserve.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tiring. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s frustrating. <\/p>\n

It is not fair. <\/p>\n

But it is extremely important.<\/p>\n

We need your voices. <\/p>\n

Our diverse communities need your perspective \u2013 need your physical presence \u2013 in our newsrooms across the country.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been in newsrooms where the janitor and I were the only Latinos.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been in newsrooms \u2013 big ones \u2013 where me and a Korean guy were the only ones who spoke Spanish.<\/p>\n

I learned, somewhat reluctantly, that I needed to own a seat at the table.<\/p>\n

It is scary\u2026 to take that seat \u2013 I am talking about a literal seat \u2013 at the table during the morning meeting or A1 meeting. <\/p>\n

But I took that seat.<\/p>\n

And we need you to take that seat too\u2026 not only for our community, but for every community that isn\u2019t at the table.<\/p>\n

Yes, sometimes we will have to build our own table. <\/p>\n

Sometimes we have to take a smaller seat. <\/p>\n

Sometimes we\u2019ll be at the head of the table.<\/p>\n

But we have to make sure we\u2019re in the room and at that table.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s exhausting, but important.<\/p>\n

As you continue your journey and dive into your careers, I want you to remember two things:<\/p>\n

1. As our Queen says: Always stay gracious. The best revenge is your paper.<\/p>\n

2. And, lastly, don\u2019t give up. You\u2019ve still got a lot of motherf*ckers to prove wrong.<\/p>\n

Congratulations Class of 2020, Class of COVID19, Class of The Uprising. <\/p>\n

Continue to prove them wrong and Fight On!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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