Remembering María Martin: The Legacy of a Radio Pioneer and 'Latino USA' Founder
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Yahoo! Voices
María Martin, the creator of the groundbreaking public radio program "Latino USA," has passed away at the age of 72. Martin dedicated her career to bringing the voices and stories of U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans to English-language public radio, inspiring and launching the careers of many Latino journalists. She broke barriers as the first Latina director of an early bilingual radio station and as the only "Latino Affairs" editor on NPR's national desk. Martin's vision for "Latino USA" aimed to celebrate Latino culture and introduce different Latino groups to each other. She later operated her own media venture, Graciasvida Center for Media, and shared her skills with rural and Indigenous journalists in Central America. Martin's contributions to journalism and diversity in media were widely recognized and honored.