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Home : About Us

About Us

Welcome!

The Minnesotano Media Empowerment Project is being spearheaded by the Department of Chicano Studies at the University of Minnesota in response to the critical lack of adequate accurate and unbiased media on issues and information relevant to Latinos in Minnesota.

This initiative received funding from the Otto Bremer Foundation to increase the capacity of Latinos to organize, share knowledge and engage the public in issues affecting our community.

We are developing numerous projects around the state including trainings and workshops, editorial teams and media production projects.

Curious about tracking the frequency and quality of coverage on Latinos?
Consider joining one of our Media Analysis Projects.

Frustrated by mass media not including the opinions and viewpoints of the Latino community?
Consider joining one of our editorial teams.

Interested in you or the young people in your life learning more about the impacts of media on our community?
Consider signing up for a Media Education workshop.

We also invite you to explore this site and give us your feedback on what you would like to see.

Meet Our Staff

Steven Renderos is the Project Coordinator for the Minnesotano Media Empowerment Project. He is originally from Los Angeles, CA but has called Minnesota home for the past five years. While attending Hamline University in Saint Paul, Steven emerged as a leader within the student of color community as he and other leaders challenged the institution to cultivate a learning environment conducive to the needs of people of color. He walked away from Hamline with a deep seeded passion for racial justice and continued his growth by becoming a community organizer for All Parks Alliance for Change, a statewide tenants union. While at APAC he was a graduate of the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing and the Organizing Apprenticeship Project. He continues his work with the media empowerment project because he believes that media has the power to shape “public perception” and therefore the Latina/o community must be key stakeholders from within and outside of media.

History

The Media Empowerment Project began in the Fall of 2005 and was officially launched at a symposium held in December of that year. The following video is of the first Symposium of Latinos in Media held on December 2, 2006 at the University of Minnesota.