Diversity within communities of color

Too often in newsrooms, editors and even reporters view people of color as representative of their entire community. I had a conversation with Chandra Thomas, (shown at left) staff reporter of Atlanta magazine, in which she told me about the pressure of covering Atlanta's black community as the only African-American person on staff. She struggles with covering such a varied community by herself. Even when other staff members help, she said she still feels a responsibility to be an advocate and a representative.

The coolest thing about orientation has been the recognition by Freedom Forum staff that communities of color have diversity within them, sometimes around class, region or national background. The Chipsters reflect that vision. We are different ages, we come from different backgrounds and we represent a rich cultural mix. In the coming months it will be important for us to support one another and draw from this experience to deal with newsrooms that may not yet understand diversity to the full extent that the Freedom Forum does. Even though I'm aware of the challenges ahead, I feel secure knowing I have this group around me.

-- Gabriela Resto-Montero, University of Colorado, The Salinas Californian