“When the news of her passing made the obituaries last February, polite tributes to Rojas wholly glazed over the harsh truths about the racism and misogyny we faced.”
became icons in New York City and beyond. Yet, behind the scenes, it was common to hear them referred to as uppity and the n-word and to Boricuas being called spics.
The only time Gloria's name came up was when the assignment desk couldn't decide who to send to the “c-nt conferences.” Producers constantly threatened to replace us with people who would do this “glamor” job for free. One particularly ornery producer was appalled that I would “admit” to being Puerto Rican. “Don't you know you people are the bastards of the Caribbean,” he yelled. “You can't speak Spanish or English.”We celebrate our community's trailblazers, as we should.
I recount my experiences so that people can understand what Gloria and other women were walking into those days. Through it all, she did not mortgage her culture for status. She could have. And she modeled reporting for so many others. Today, many local newsrooms feature a community advocate reporter people can call. Rojas created that template.
When she passed at 82, obits painted pretty pictures with pithy quotes. I was sad to see that she was not included in the on-air memorial during the Puerto Rican Day Parade. For women like me who are still unpacking the trauma of those years, she represents our story, one that deserves to be documented and heard, and I am here to say for Gloria, for us - ¡presente!
Our best tribute to her, to the Gloria’s of now and the future, would be to insist on dismantling racism and sexism.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
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