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Youth Radio mourns the loss of Raul Ramirez, a much loved leader in the field of journalism in the SF Bay Area and nationally and a great champion of diversity in the newsroom. Raul was a tough editor with a great sense of humor. After working for several major newspapers, he spent more than 20 years as Executive Director for News and Public Affairs at KQED Radio in San Francisco.
For 30 years, he taught journalism classes at San Francisco State University. In the early days of Youth Radio, Raul gave us crucial advice.
He said, “As you’re establishing the credentials for Youth Radio in the field of journalism, others will want you to become advocates instead. Don’t do it.”
Raul said there were other advocates already out there, but not enough voices in mainstream media reporting on what is really going on for young people in our society. He compared this conflict to what he and other journalists experienced covering the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Raul had an enduring commitment to the next generation of journalists, and to making newsrooms stronger through diversity.
We honor Raul’s vision and his wisdom.