Hi! I’m Gabriela Martínez, quality of life reporter at Spotlight PA’s Berks county bureau. I’m very excited and proud to be a part of this important effort to bolster local news in such a culturally rich and rapidly growing part of Pennsylvania.
Before joining Spotlight PA, I was a radio reporter covering Latino communities in central Pennsylvania for WITF. A lot of my work focused on health and education equity, access to housing, the impact of language barriers, and the growth of Latino political power in Pennsylvania.
For example, I covered a lawsuit against York County’s Board of Elections, alleging that the county was not doing enough to provide legally required resources for Spanish-speaking voters. I also worked on a story about the shortage of Latino doctors in the state, and how immigrant doctors are working to reclaim their careers to help address that problem.
One of my favorite stories to report on was about how one Latina accountant based in Cumberland county helps address the need for more culturally-competent tax services for Pennsylvania’s growing immigrant population. One of my goals for this story was to dispel common misconceptions about immigrants being a drain on community resources. Different analyses of tax data have shown that immigrants, including those who are undocumented, contribute billions in taxes each year and help fund vital public assistant programs that millions of American citizens depend on. Through my reporting I wanted to show exactly what that looks like, and how – despite language and economic barriers –many people with uncertain legal status living in the U.S. do their best to pay their taxes.
I’m a native Spanish speaker, born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I studied Russian as an undergrad at a liberal arts school in New York and in the city of Yaroslavl during a year abroad. After college, I taught English in a town in southern central Siberia as a Fulbright teaching assistant. I later went on to pursue journalism studies at the University of Maryland, where I earned my master’s degree in multimedia journalism.
My new role at Spotlight PA is focused on accountability, access to social programs and services, and the well-being of Berks county residents. My reporting will look at whether and how community institutions such as public health agencies, safety net programs and nonprofits are providing the services they promise to the public.
There are many issues that impact the lives of residents in Reading and Berks County, including immigration, poverty, homelessness and public safety. But I want to hear your experiences and about the quality of life issues impact you most as a resident of Berks County.
Feel free to email me at gmartinez@spotlightpa.org. Excited to hear from you!