Undocumented Immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas Forms New Los Angeles Times Section About Race, Immigration Called #EmergingUS
The Los Angeles Times and Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist and undocumented immigrant, have joined forces to launch a new section of the publication's website devoted to race, immigration and multiculturalism.
According to CNN, the new partnership is called #EmergingUS and is purposefully named as it can be read as "Emerging Us" or "Emerging U.S." It is shared between the Los Angeles Times and Vargas. The new partnership is a part of a series of new sections that will be launched by the publication in the coming months. The project works to explore and discuss race relations and immigration as more than just black-and-white and more than the Mexican border.
"[#EmergingUS is] a multimedia platform that, through articles, original videos, shareable data and graphics, will focus on the intersection of race, immigration and identity and the complexities of multiculturalism," Vargas said.
Austin Beutner, the publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times, said #EmergingUS explores a deeper point of view.
"The point of view is that this is an important topic to be talked about," he explained. "It's not meant to be advocacy, and it won't be advocacy. But the mere fact that we're telling more stories will change, we think, the way people view the topic."
#EmergingUS will be largely a digital venture with the occasional inclusion in the newspaper.
Due to his immigration status, Vargas cannot be hired by Los Angeles Times directly. Rather, the two have become business partners. #EmergingUS will include additional staff members, some of who already work with Vargas and his production company.
Vargas has additional projects in the coming future with MTV. The project includes a documentary that explores "whiteness."
Vargas is largely known for revealing in The New York Times magazine that he is an undocumented immigrant. He also created the nonprofit group Define American, which explores the immigration debate and works to discuss it through different angles.
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