In Southern California, generations of immigrants are creating a new fusion of cultures, expanding and evolving the definition of “American.” Multi-American is your source for news, conversation and insight on this emerging regional and national identity.
We’ll report on immigration policies and politics that affect Southern California residents, on the new mashups of culture that are beginning to define the Multi-American landscape, and on something broader: immigration as a topic that defines America.
The site’s curator is KPCC’s Leslie Berestein Rojas, an award-winning journalist with several years’ experience reporting on immigration issues.
Leslie most recently covered immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border for the San Diego Union-Tribune. She has retraced the steps of migrants along desert smuggling trails, investigated immigrant detention contractors, and told the stories of families left behind in Mexico’s migrant-sending towns. A native of Cuba raised in Los Angeles, Leslie has also written for Time, People, the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times. She has reported from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Multi-American is both a news project and a discussion forum. It’s also part of a partnership between Southern California Public Radio and NPR involving a dozen public radio stations around the country, among them 89.3 KPCC, in which we’re experimenting with filling the gaps left in news coverage by a shrinking media industry. KPCC’s Jason Kandel is managing and editing the project.
Feel free to e-mail Leslie with your feedback, ideas and questions. In the meantime, see you in the comments!
