Maria Hinojosa, award-winning journalist and executive producer for NPR's "Latino USA," presented a TEDx talk at the first-ever TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue event.

Held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on June 24, Hinojosa was one of 24 global leaders present at the event, which allowed for the exchange of innovative ideas, conversation, and community among the assortment of leaders. TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue was designed to host a community comprised of thought leaders and doers, committed to dispersing innovative and effective ideas across the nation's capital.

At the TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue event, Hinojosa presented the topic "From Invisible to Visible," and spoke about pointing her microphone at voices unheard and narratives untold. She communicated that making invisible people visible in the media and telling the stories of those people was her work. Also, she shared that she doesn't see the recent demographic shift, where multicultural individuals in the U.S. became the majority, as something to be feared; instead it should be welcomed and respected. One way to show respect is to tell, and listen to, diverse stories.

"As a little girl, I understood the importance of journalism and reporting and media, but I never saw myself there," said Hinojosa. "My stories didn't appear. We were invisible. I was invisible from the media narrative. No one in the reporting that I saw looked like me [and] looked like my family, so I began to think that maybe somehow my life - my story - was less valuable [or] less important.

"I became a journalist and was the first Latina in many newsrooms. I chose to do stories where other reporters wouldn't go, and I felt a responsibility to do that."

"Latino USA," which Hinojosa hosts, is a recipient of the 74th Annual Peabody Awards, winning the category in Radio/Podcast for their "Gangs, Murder and Migration in Honduras" episode. Produced by The Futuro Media Group and distributed by NPR, Hinojosa uses the platform to bring light to unsung heroes in the U.S. and abroad.

"Latino USA" airs on 141 radio stations across the U.S., including WNYC in New York on Sundays from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT.

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