Uplifting BIPOC journalists,
empowering their audiences
ALTAVOZ LAB is a mentorship program designed to produce collaborative projects to strengthen reporters at community outlets that serve Black, Indigenous, immigrant and other communities of color in the U.S. with the goal of publishing stories that will enable local audiences to participate fully in democracy.
Extended Deadline – May 15
THE ALTAVOZ LAB VISION
- Strengthen and uplift BIPOC journalists.
- Empower the electorate through local accountability journalism.
- Create a collaborative network of mentorship and camaraderie
Our Mentors









2022 Cohort






About the Founder

As a journalist, filmmaker, and producer, Valeria Fernández amplifies the stories of marginalized communities. She started her career at a small Spanish-language newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona, and quickly learned how to write for immigrant communities — rather than just about them. She transitioned to writing for English-language media, including The Guardian, Pacific Standard, Latino USA, and PRX’s The World. Valeria won the American Mosaic Journalism Prize for her reporting on marginalized communities.
As a former professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Valeria helped develop the next generation of Latinx and immigrant journalists. Now, as managing editor for palabra., a publication created by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, she’s taking that work to the next level. She sees these journalists as vital for democracy and she aims to lift up their talent and wisdom.
Founding Partners


