Articles & Videos
Short doc: A DACA recipient braces for the 2024 election
BY RAFAEL BITANGA, NIGEL THOMPSON, AND JALEN RAMSEUR-WILLIAMS ON OCTOBER 2, 2024.
This short documentary features Daniela Morales, a 23-year-old DACA recipient that reflects on the impact that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has made on her life, and the ever-present sense of uncertainty she feels, especially during every election cycle.
40th Annual Feria del Barrio recap
BY ILIANA PINEDA, FRANCES ALMODOVAR, AND CLAUDIA CEBALLOS ON OCTOBER 3, 2024.
The 40th Annual La Feria del Barrio, hosted by Taller Puertorriqueño in partnership with other local Latinx organizations, brought Philly's Latinx community together with live music, dancing, delicious food, and arts on Sept. 8. Watch the full video recap.
Immigrant advocates march keep the pressure on closing detention centers
BY ILIANA PINEDA ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2024. Iliana Pineda reported on the Aug. 21 protest by the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC), demanding the closure of four regional detention centers. "We are urging our elected officials to improve immigrant rights, starting with shutting down these centers," stated PICC Executive Director Jasmine Rivera. The protest concluded at U.S. Senator John Fetterman's office, where community members shared their harrowing experiences in detention facilities, including the death of Cameroonian immigrant Frankline Okpu.
PAFA digitizes 5,000 archives of African-American sculptor John Rhoden
BY NEMESIS MORA ON FEBRUARY 27, 2024
‘Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden' is the first comprehensive retrospective of 20th-century African-American sculptor John Rhoden and is currently open at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). To continue the artist's legacy, PAFA celebrated on Saturday, February 10, the launch of the catalog book on the life and work of the award-winning sculptor, featuring seven essays and more than 90 pages of photographs.
The Bok Building: A Space for Cultural Rebirth for the Latine Community in Philadelphia
BY DAISY MURGUIA ON FEBRUARY 13TH 2024
The Bok Building is widely recognized as a hub for artists and a place for community events to be held without charge. Community leaders and artists share their experience with the Bok Building and the impact it has on the community with journalist Daisy Murguia. Artists share the need for a space where people can come together to collaborate and organize.
De Ecuador a Filadelfia- Michelle Myers comparte su experiencia como la primera Gerente editorial Fellow de ¡Presente! Media
POR MICHELLE MYERS TRADUCCION POR DAISY MURGUIA EL 30 DE ENERO DEL 2024
Mientras aclaraba mi confusión mental— en parte cuestionando mi identidad más allá de mi carrera, y en parte cuestionando si existía un lugar donde podía hacer periodismo que le diera importancia a las comunidades a las que iba a cubrir— me hice la compañera de gerente editorial para ¡Presente! del año 2021. Lo que debió ser nada más un compromiso de tres meses se convirtió rápidamente en siete meses de trabajo significativo y sanador.
From Ecuador to Philly- Michelle Myers shares her experience as ¡Presente! Media’s 1st Managing Editor Fellow
BY MICHELLE MYERS ON JANUARY 30, 2024
While sorting out my mental fog —half questioning my identity beyond my career, half questioning if a place to do journalism that cares about the communities it reports on truly existed — I became ¡Presente!’s 2021 Managing Editor Fellow. And what was supposed to be a three-month commitment, quickly turned into seven months of meaningful and healing work.
Ice Out Of Courts Campaign - Philly Community Urges City Investigation
BY BECCA HAYDU ON DECEMBER 21, 2023
On December 4. Juntos and the ICE Out of Courts Coalition hosted a critical press conference at the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice in South Philadelphia.
The focus? A disturbing uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests targeting over a dozen immigrant community members with pending criminal charges.
Chef Cristina Martinez talks about the challenges of being an immigrant entrepreneur
BY BECCA HAYDU, CLAUDIA CEBALLOS, JENNIFER HERNANDEZ, GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT & KIANNI FIGUEREO, ON NOVEMBER 7, 2023
Join us in this heartwarming short documentary as award-winning Mexican Chef Cristina Martinez opens up about her inspiring path as an immigrant entrepreneur. Discover the power of a strong support system and the impact of programs by the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
How Philly’s mayoral candidates plan to combat the opioid crisis in Kensington
BY JENNIFER HERNANDEZ ON OCTOBER 26, 2023
Democratic mayoral nominee Cherelle Parker and Republican mayoral nominee David Oh discussed their plans to address the opioid epidemic in Kensington during a private discussion with Tina Stankiewicz, a fentanyl, heroin, and tranq recovering addict with ties to the Kensington community, and Frank Rodriguez, a recovering heroin addict and addiction advocate, moderated by ¡Presente! Media multimedia producer Kianni Figuereo, a Kensington native.
The 1st Annual Souletri Fest honored Philadelphia’s vibrant arts scene
BY JENNIFER HERNANDEZ ON OCTOBER 25, 2023
Power Street Theatre (PST) hosted the 1st Annual Souletri Fest on Saturday, October 7th, 2023, at the Lighthouse Sports Complex Field to honor Philadelphia’s vibrant arts scene and amplify dynamic voices across the city.
Amid slow justice for Eddie Irizarry, Philly’s Latine community confronts its relationship with police
BY NIGEL THOMPSON ON OCTOBER 7, 2023
This past week, all murder charges filed by District Attorney Larry Krasner against Officer Mark Dial were dropped by a judge, marking yet another stain on the history between Philly criminal justice and the Latine community. It’s a similar relationship for many Latine communities across the country.
Breaking Barriers: Reyna Guzmán Casarez and the Birth of the Parade of Allegorical Cars
BY DAISY MURGUIA, ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Reyna Guzmán Casarez talks about her work as a community leader, the barriers she’s had to overcome, and the reasons why the Parade of Allegorical Cars means so much to the Latine people in Philadelphia.
Power Street Theatre’s Comunidades Conectadas discusses the meaning of “home”
BY KIANNI FIGUEREO, ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2023
On August 15, and in collaboration with Esperanza Health Center, Power Street Theatre reunited community members to share their stories of immigration, migration, diaspora, and displacement. The ultimate goal was to connect the community around a central theme: home.
La comunidad latina de Filadelfia se une en una marcha para exigir justicia para Eddie Irizarry
POR NIGEL THOMPSON EL 1 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023
Dirigida por activistas locales, la comunidad latina de Filadelfia mostró unidad y fuerza en una manifestación y marcha dedicada a obtener justicia para Eddie Irizarry, quien fue asesinado a tiros por un oficial del PPD el mes pasado.
Philly's Latine community rallies in powerful march demanding justice for Eddie Irizarry
BY NIGEL THOMPSON ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
Led by local activists, Philadelphia’s Latine community displayed unity and strength in a rally and march dedicated to getting justice for Eddie Irizarry, who was shot and killed by a PPD officer last month.
Comunidades Conectadas, de Power Street Theatre, analiza el significado de "hogar"
POR KIANNI FIGUEREO, TRADUCCION POR GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT EL 5 DE SEPTEMBER DEL 2023
El 15 de agosto, y en colaboración con Esperanza Health Center, Power Street Theatre dedicó un espacio en Kensington a reunir a un grupo diverso de inmigrantes, latines de primera generación y filadelfianos para que compartieran sus historias de inmigración, migración, diáspora y desplazamiento. El objetivo final era conectar a la comunidad en torno a un tema central: el hogar.
¡Presente! Media - Three years in retrospect
BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT, MELISSA BEATRIZ AND KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON AUGUST 18, 2023
¡Presente! Media is celebrating 3 years of producing media for social justice. In the last 3 years we have dedicated ourselves to community-centered journalism, celebrating Latine culture, and telling stories from the perspective of Black and Brown voices.
¡Presente! Media interview with Philly Mayoral Candidate Cherelle Parker
BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT & KIANNI FIGUEREO, ON JUNE 20, 2023
Spanish is one of the most common languages spoken in Philly yet there aren't sufficient city services and programs translated into Spanish. That’s why ¡Presente¡ Media was on the ground to explore how this issue will be addressed by Democratic-Elect Mayoral Candidate, Cherelle Parker.
¡Presente! Media at Rec It Philly Post Primary Meeting
BY KIANNI FIGUEREO, ON JUNE 12, 2023
¡Presente! Media team attended the Rec It Philly’s Post Primary Meeting where action plans and policies were formulated for the next Philly mayor around their wants for safe and clean sites, more rec programming, and growing the urban forest.