Editor’s note: Stephanie García is to begin her second year as a Report for America corps member at The Sun on June 1, 2021. This is the welcome letter she wrote in her first year.
I am one of two new Report for America corps members at The Baltimore Sun. Over the coming year, I will be reporting on issues relevant to Latino communities, and I hope to bring the passion for culture that surrounded me growing up to my coverage. My Puerto Rican and Dominican roots are filled with chaos and joy. I come from a commonwealth of resistance, of multicolor sunsets, of jíbaros, and exploited sugar. Spanish is how I connect with my grandparents, who I visit every summer in Santiago, and it makes everything sweeter: the mangoes that grow in their backyard, winning at dominoes, and even the Bachata music blasting at midnight. From New York City to Orlando, Phoenix to Madrid, I have worked across cultures as a refugee caseworker, teacher and journalist.
Report For America is a national service program that funds local journalists to cover underreported issues and communities. Diversity in journalism not only shapes coverage, but builds trust and engages community. I am here to engage with you. I am not here to report on your community but for your community.
In the past months, The Sun has written stories about volunteers coming together to provide support for neighbors, how Latinos have been disproportionately hurt by the coronavirus, how DACA recipients have dealt with the uncertainty of their status, and about heroes providing crucial information during the pandemic. But what other stories are missing? How is the city handling the issues that affect you? Where are your favorite places to eat? Who are the leaders in your neighborhood? I want to hear directly from you about everything and anything, big and small.
I’ve spent my first weeks on the job chatting with politicians, Spanish-language media, community organizers, educators, and healthcare workers. I would love to speak with you, too. I’m always available for a virtual cafecito. You can find me on Twitter @hagiastephia or over email at stegarcia@baltsun.com. Filling out this brief survey will inform my reporting, and the information you provide will not be published without your consent.
I don’t take lightly that I’m starting this job during a pandemic and social movement against racism, that I am reporting on Latino culture during a time of such uncertainty and grief and struggle and inequity. I’m so grateful to be here, and I can’t wait to share the resilience, vibrancy and diversity of your community with the rest of Baltimore.
Take care,
Stephanie García