October 19, 2017
Maria Hinojosa
Tanner Lecture
The Great Hall

For 25 years, Maria Hinojosa has helped tell America's untold stories and brought to light unsung heroes in America and abroad. As a reporter who was the first Latina in many newsrooms, Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. To that end, in 2010, she created the Futuro Media Group, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Harlem, NYC with the mission to create multimedia content for and about the new American mainstream in the service of empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world. In April 2010, Hinojosa launched The Futuro Media Group with the mission to produce multi-platform, community-based journalism that gives critical voice to the voiceless by harnessing the power of independent media to tell stories that are overlooked or under reported by traditional media.

Event Reflection

by Billy Clouse, Blogger for A.P.E.X. Events and Editor-in-Chief of Thunderground

Maria Hinojosa’s presentation on Thursday was fun to listen to — she knows how to use narrative to make an audience feel what she is saying — but it was also necessary to hear. A.P.E.X. Events and the Grace A. Tanner Center for Human Values brought her to campus to talk about her experience as a Latina woman and as a female journalist, and her words were inspiring. This was the Fall 2017 Tanner Lecture in Human Values.

One of the most powerful things she said came when talking about her arrival to the U.S. She was a baby at the time, but she heard stories of how her father had to decide whether to use a “white” or “colored” bathroom when he first entered the country, as well as how her mother embraced the First Amendment immediately. After telling these stories, she said, “...this is not a Latino story, this is not a Mexican story — this is my American story.”

Throughout her career as a journalist, Hinojosa has worked diligently to break down stereotypes. I love that she has dedicated her life to giving a voice to those who are often-overlooked by the mainstream media. She even made her own news organization to promote diversity, which shows that if you see something you want to change in the world, you can be the leader of that change.

Maria's Organization: Futuro Media Group