When storytelling is leveraged to work toward social change, our community grows stronger. This is the greatest gift good journalism can offer.
We’ve seen the importance of reporting in stories of investigative journalism that have inspired movements, in memoirs that campaign for legal change and, locally, in stories that have brought people together.
Personally, I have seen it firsthand at my school, Los Altos High School. Matilda Haney Foulds, a writer at our student paper, The Talon, reported on Gregorio, the vendor who pushed his ice cream cart to sell ice cream to the lunchtime crowd right outside our school. Initially, Haney Foulds intended for it to be a “routine” feature. Yet, the story quickly turned into something bigger.
Despite being a fixture of the LAHS lunch period, nobody truly knew Gregorio’s story. While servicing the school every day, he was struggling through health issues, including failing sight and dental problems, all without health insurance. After immigrating from Mexico to support his family, he had a hard time adjusting to the new environment and language.
After interviewing him and learning about his situation, Haney Foulds mobilized the community, publishing the article and publicizing his story, and launching a GoFundMe to raise money for his medical treatment. From there, students and clubs like the school’s Latino Student Union also promoted the GoFundMe, which generated $5,000 within a few weeks. He received the treatment he needed, made a recovery and is back to selling cold treats at LAHS.
Haney Foulds and Gregorio still keep in contact.
“He’s a part of my life, a part of my family,” Matilda said.
Thanks to her reporting, the community came together to fight for the health and livelihood of a beloved member.
“Every day he wakes up and he goes to work for 10 hours,” Matilda said. “He’s always working. He never gets a day off, and he’s still the kindest man. That in itself was inspiring.”
If he had waited just two more weeks to receive treatment, he would have gone blind, according to Matilda.
“If I hadn’t had that assignment, I probably would have never built up the courage to go talk to him,” Matilda said. “Journalism gives me an excuse to push myself out of my comfort zone and do these passion projects that I’m really inspired about.”
When news reporting shines light on issues or topics to bring awareness, that is when journalism truly lives out its goal of education and storytelling. This is why I am excited to start this column dedicated to writing about societal issues; or people and groups who could be marginalized in society, whose stories are untold; or resources that are focusing on combating inequality in our community and can act as a source of help for those who need it.
As Matilda puts it: “Everyone’s story deserves to be told.”
For this new column, Community Spotlight, we will feature local residents and groups with needs. If you have a person, group or community that you’d like us to feature, contact us at [email protected].
