"When I heard about the Latino workers who lost their lives in the Baltimore bridge collapse, I asked, 'who is going to tell their stories?'" Yvette Cabrera emphasizes the importance of diverse newsrooms while accepting a "Sheroes in Media" award from the MMCA

From the streets of Santa Ana-where I began by asking whether children were being exposed to toxic soil lead-to the halls of National Academies for this SciComm Excellence recognition, it’s been a long road, but so rewarding to watch the community make such a difference. #EnvironmentalJustice

🧵So I’ve been working on a little something that I never imagined I could do. A Ted Talk! My hope: that it can turn into a big something. And it just might, with your help. This happened thanks to a partnership between The Rockefeller Foundation TED Talks: shorturl.at/9zATP

The Rockefeller Foundation TED Talks This “Big Bets” event in May brought together a group of The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio residents to talk about novel solutions & partnerships to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. I was blown away by my fellow Ted Talk speakers. It's one of the toughest things I’ve done.

The Rockefeller Foundation TED Talks It all started two years ago with an idea I began shaping The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Lake Como to create a toolkit for journalists so they can investigate, raise awareness & help communities create healthier neighborhoods by removing a threat that’s right under our feet.

Soil lead contamination is a problem that persists in cities globally. In the U.S., urban children are still exposed to invisible mountains of toxic lead dust, leading to health disparities & a cascade of harms like cognitive deficits, behavioral issues, and educational delays.

Earlier this year, U.S. EPA lowered the screening level for Pb in residential soil for the 1st time in decades.This new guidance is aimed at certain sites, such as residential lead Superfund sites. And it doesn’t lower the standard to what experts say is truly health protective.

Using this new EPA soil standard, a study by soil Pb experts, including Dr. Gabriel Filippelli Howard W Mielke Sara Perl Egendorf Andrew Margenot, found that nearly a quarter of U.S. households may exceed this new level. Study is here: shorturl.at/fQaUH

That’s about 29 million households that may need to address potential soil lead hazards, the study found. “Despite immense current federal efforts to ‘get the lead out,’ our national lead problem is nowhere near over,” the researchers wrote.

So grateful to The Center for Public Integrity and my editor Jamie Smith Hopkins for their unending support during a challenging year, and for so many amazing partners along the way, especially Daniel A. Anderson and Clayton Page Aldern who helped elevate this work in every way imaginable.

There’s so much more I hope to do: help journalists test soil for lead, a global convening, and more coverage of this pervasive problem. Today, it’s the United States. Tomorrow, it’s the world! And I’ll be bringing my two favorite water bottles along for the ride.

“These awards spotlight top notch journalism, including stories that would have gone untold without the cultural competence that Latino journalists bring to their work,” said NAHJ President Yvette Cabrera. #MoreLatinosInNews #NAHJ2024 ➡️ Read more: nahj.org/2024/07/12/nah…

WHCA is proud of our members, visual journalists who stood up after gunfire, moved toward chaos and documented this assassination attempt for the moment and for the historical record.Doug Mills⁩ ⁦Evan Vucci⁩ ⁦Anna Moneymaker⁩ ⁦Jabin Botsford⁩

Thank you Yvette Cabrera for your incredible work as NAHJ president supporting diversity in newsrooms and #PressFreedom — including this honor shared with you and @AshantiBlaize Matt Pearce 🦅🇺🇸 Adam Rose jarrett hill. It means so much! 1/3

The highlight of my time on the NAHJ board has been the collaborative advocacy work that our board has tackled in partnership w/our journalism allies. Especially proud to have tackled press rights w/this amazing group: @AshantiBlaize Adam Rose Julie Patel Liss Matt Pearce 🦅🇺🇸 jarrett hill

So grateful for the dedication of the indomitable Yaneth Guillen ✨ who poured her all into creating an unforgettable NAHJ 40th anniversary conference in Hollywood. It was an honor to work in partnership w/such a thoughtful, caring leader. #NAHJ2024 #MoreLatinosInNews

Bravo to Yaneth Guillen ✨! 💐

So grateful to NAHJ's members for ratifying the bylaws amendments during our recent elections.Bravo Julio-César Chávez & Arelis R. Hernández who spearheaded a 4-yr effort that will help our organization evolve, & huge thanks to the 2022-24 board for its fantastic work getting out the vote

Couldn’t agree more with Julie Patel Liss. The work our journalism orgs do in partnership at the local level, whether it’s protecting press rights or newsroom diversity, is one of the most effective ways we can serve our members & advance our shared mission. #nahj2024 NAHJ Hollywood

It’s humbling to receive this recognition from NPC Journalism Institute given in honor of two trailblazing journalists, & particularly meaningful that it’s bestowed by my peers at an organization that I greatly respect for its commitment to upholding & defending the values of a free press