THE TEAM
Jon Marcantoni
La Cuenta
Brenda Gonzalez
Hector Cervantes
Isella Ramirez
Enrique J. Pepén
Guest Contibutors
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is a philosophical columnist, author, and educator whose work blends storytelling, critical thinking, and empathy to challenge social norms and foster meaningful dialogue. He runs community-based education programs focused on history, ethics, and creative expression, driven by a deep commitment to justice, voluntary cooperation, and human connection.
Nayelli Bandera
Nayelli Bandera is a DACA recipient in Denver. She came to the U.S. from Durango, Mexico at just over a year old. Now a wife and mother, Nayelli has served her community as a mobile notary for over four years, after previously working as a lab technician.
Efraín Vázquez-Vera, Ph.D.
Efraín Vázquez-Vera, Ph.D., is a Full Professor and former Chancellor at the University of Puerto Rico. He holds a Doctorate and a master’s in International Relations from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), a master’s in strategic studies and international security from the Universidad de Granada (Spain), and is a graduate of the Diplomatic School at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain.
Enlace Latino NC
Enlace Latino NC is the first nonprofit, Spanish-language digital-native media newsroom in North Carolina, founded and led by immigrant journalists committed to serving the state's Latino and Hispanic communities. With both a statewide and community-focused approach, our journalism—independent, nonpartisan, and people-centered—addresses an urgent need: ensuring access to reliable, democratic information in Spanish. We cover essential topics such as politics, government, immigration, health, education, and other public affairs that directly impact the lives of our communities.
Frankie Lozada
Frankie Lozada is a writer, storyteller, and community activist. He is proud of his Puerto Rican ancestry and was born and raised in New York. He is actively involved in LISJAN, where he works to improve prison conditions and implement significant criminal justice reform through community organizing and lobbying. His activism stems from his own experience as well as his dedication to accountability, rehabilitation, and dignity. Additionally, Frankie is a vocal supporter of Puerto Rican rights who uses storytelling to communicate experiences that are frequently overlooked in the larger narrative, conserve culture, and elevate Puerto Rican perspectives. His work focuses on service, empathy, and building community via open communication and representation. He is well-known for his grounded, people-first approach.
Jessica Garcia
Jessica Garcia (she/they), aka Jesse, is a Queer Latina writer and director from Inglewood, CA. In 2024, Jesse wrote and directed her first short film, Quinceañera, which was accepted into the Palm Springs LGBTQ+ Film Festival, San Francisco’s Latino Film Festival, and more. Recently, Jesse directed a music video for Queer Latine Alt-Indie band Pardon Me Sir, which has reached over 800,000 people across social media. In all the stories Jesse shares, her goal is to bring authentic Latine and Queer representation to the forefront.
Mark Pagán
Mark Pagán is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, producer, and the creator of the critically acclaimed podcast, Other Men Need Help. A former teacher, social worker, and b-boy, his work spans print, podcasting, film, and theater, appearing in outlets and festivals including The New York Times, NPR, the BBC, The Atlantic, The Whitney, and Slamdance Film Festival.
Adriana Erin Rivera
Adriana Erin Rivera is an award-winning New Jersey-raised author of Puerto Rican descent. She is the author of PALOMA’S SONG FOR PUERTO RICO: A DIARY FROM 1898, a middle grade historical fiction novel that won the Gold Medal for Best Educational Chapter Book at the 2024 International Latino Book Awards. Her writing has appeared in Barzakh Literary Magazine, Latina Magazine, Metro New York, and Footwear News.
Edoardo Ortiz
Edoardo Ortiz is the Advocacy Director at Right to Democracy, where he helps lead policy, lobbying, communications, and narrative-change strategy focused on advancing democracy, equity, and self-determination for the 3.6 million people living in U.S. territories. He has previously held policy roles in the Illinois Legislature, at Abt Associates, and in local government and consulting, building a track record in legislative development, research, public communications, and coalition-centered policy work. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a B.B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and has published and spoken widely on Puerto Rico, democracy, and territorial self-determination. He is currently based out of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
Neil Weare
Neil Weare grew up in Guam and is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Right to Democracy, which works to advance democracy, equity, and self-determination in U.S. territories. As a civil rights attorney, he has led efforts to overrule the Insular Cases and the colonial legal framework they established. Prior to attending Yale Law School, he worked for Guam’s non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and in the Guam Legislature. He is the co-author of the forthcoming casebook Law of U.S. Territories, which he has taught at Yale and Columbia Law Schools. He represented Guam in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He now lives with his family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Neil received his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School, his Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from Lewis and Clark College, and clerked for then-Alaska Supreme Court Justice Morgan Christen, who currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Rima Brusi
Rima Brusi is a Puerto Rican writer, educator, researcher and advocate. She is currently a professor at Northern Arizona University. Previously, she served as Distinguished Lecturer at CUNY-Lehman College, Associate Professor at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, and as an applied anthropologist and writer at The Education Trust in Washington D.C. Her work draws on ethnography, mixed-methods research, and literary nonfiction to explore colonialism, political economy, and everyday life. She is the author of four books, including Fantasmas (PEN-Puerto Rico Award, 2020) and the forthcoming Phantoms (Arte Público Press, 2026).
Yiselle Santos Rivera
Yiselle Santos Rivera, is a Puerto Rican architect, the 2026 AIA (American Institute of Architects) President-Elect, and a 20-year resident of Washington, DC. She is the founder of YSR, LLC, a practice focused on healthcare architecture and organizational change, and a full-time lecturer at Howard University’s Department of Architecture. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Leadership Psychology at William James College. She has spent her career designing spaces that ask the question architects are trained to ask first: who is this for?
Sindy Marisol Benavides
Sindy Marisol Benavides is a proud Honduran-American immigrant and the Founding Executive Director of Aquí: The Accountability Movement, where she is committed to amplifying the positive narrative of Latinos across the nation, advancing accountability in the fight against hate and discrimination, and driving systemic change that expands opportunity for the largest ethnic community in the U.S. Previously, she served as President and CEO of Latino Victory, where she broke records by increasing the number of Latinos running for office and led the organization’s most successful fundraising efforts. She also served as CEO of LULAC, becoming the first woman, immigrant, and millennial to lead the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization. Sindy has held key leadership roles at Voto Latino, the Democratic National Committee, and national and state campaigns, and is a founder and board member of several organizations advancing Latino leadership and civic engagement.
Mauro Morales
Mauro Morales retired in January 2025 after 25 years of federal service, most recently as Staff Director of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, where he served for more than a decade. During the Obama Administration, he was detailed to the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and served as a special advisor to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on workforce diversity and inclusion. From 2009 to 2014, he was a senior attorney advisor in OPM’s Office of the General Counsel.
Neidi Dominguez
Neidi Dominguez is the founding Executive Director of Organized Power In Numbers, formerly known as Unemployed Workers United. Neidi is a committed organizer, experienced campaigner, and visionary strategist in the immigrant rights and workers rights movements, and has been recognized as a Ford Global Fellow and an Aspen Job Quality Fellow for her leadership in the labor movement. Prior to founding Organized Power In Numbers, she ran the CLEAN Carwash Campaign in LA, negotiated DACA with the White House as an undocumented youth, coordinated worker center partnerships at the AFL-CIO, ran the strategic campaigns division of the International Painters Union, and served as the National States Deputy Director of the Bernie 2020 presidential campaign.