Tomorrow is the last day of Long Beach Gives, and I wanted to introduce you to a few of the young journalists you’ll be supporting with a donation to the nonprofit Long Beach Post.
Lizbeth Cortes and Yasmine Poot, both seniors at Cal State Long Beach, decided to pursue journalism because they were curious about elections, politics and how people make decisions.
For Poot, the 2016 election had a big impact. Even though she couldn’t vote yet, she began to question and dig deeper as she listened to the adults around her talk about the candidates and the issues.
“I started doing my own research,” she said. “And that’s why it’s really important that you read what’s on the ballot, and make sure your voice is being heard.”
Cortes loved writing, and has always believed in the importance of keeping communities informed. With technology rapidly evolving and the proliferation of misinformation, she decided to major in journalism to provide factual answers to questions that she hopes will prompt more people to get involved.
“I want to ease (voters’) minds and take that initiative and go out and vote and know that they can stand by their decisions,” she said.
Poot and Cortes are among the first cohort of a fall fellowship program designed to provide information about the ballot measures before local voters on Nov. 5. The students will be providing content in English and Spanish, with outreach in areas that have suffered from lack of representation.
The students started work this week. Together with our partners at Long Beach Public Radio and Cal State Long Beach, we aim to make this a permanent program to encourage and advance the next generation of journalists.
But we need your help to do this work. We are seeking to raise $25,000 during Long Beach Gives to launch and develop this program. The citywide fundraising drive ends at midnight on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024.
We need your support to continue shining a light on the people and power structure that impacts everyday life in Long Beach, in ways both big and small. We do this work because we love this city, and we know you do, too.
Thank you for your gift today — we couldn’t do this without you!
Sincerely,
Melissa Evans, CEO
