Streetsblog Chicago co-editor Courtney Cobbs and I are pleased to announce that we have hired Ruth Rosas as the website's first-ever dedicated, bilingual Latine Communities Reporter. (Ruth suggested using the gender-neutral spelling "Latine" in this context and says, "I use she and they pronouns. Feel free to use both or either.”) Ruth is a passionate advocate for sustainable transportation and social justice, and their skill set, and work and volunteer experience make them an excellent fit for the job.
I'm excited about Ruth helping us expand our coverage of livable streets issues relevant to Spanish-speaking communities in the city and the suburbs. Their articles will be published in both Spanish and English, which will help us further amplify the voices of neighborhood advocates, and draw new readers to the site.
Courtney says, "I had the pleasure of meeting Ruth during my stint as a bike ambassador for the city. We had another crossing on a group ride for queer people of color. I'm looking forward to them being part of the team and sharing their voice and the voice of the community."
Ruth's enthusiasm for sustainable transportation can be traced back to childhood. Born in Mexico City, they lived between the small pueblo of San Rafael, Estado de Mexico and Mexico City for about eight years. Ruth began biking regularly when they got their first job delivering newspapers in their small hometown.
Ruth has been an ardent active transportation advocate since 2012, and has volunteered with a who's who of local advocacy groups, including many efforts focusing on Black and Brown communities, women, and LGBTQ people. They've been a volunteer with Working Bikes; an organizer with Women Bike Chicago; a volunteer with the Active Transportation Alliance; a volunteer for Women and Trans Open Shop at West Town Bikes; a ride organizer for 2wheelgods/Hold the Lane; and a Young Innovators board member with the Center for Neighborhood Technology. In 2014, Ruth won an Important Cog Award from ATA for their volunteer work. Impressively, Ruth even cofounded a community bike shop that mentors at-risk youth during Ruth's time working for the Peace Corps in Fiji in the late 2010s.
Currently, Ruth is employed at the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children at Lurie Children’s Hospital, working on pedestrian and walkability issues, with a focus on vulnerable communities. Ruth's supervisors at CLOCC have graciously given their blessing for Ruth to take on this additional work, writing and translating one article a week for Streetsblog.
Ruth describes themself as "a steadfast advocate for Black and Brown communities, focusing on community building and fighting for equitable, just, and sustainable transportation systems." With that statement of purpose, along with their wealth of experience in advocacy, we really couldn't have asked for a better candidate for the Latine Communities Reporter position, so it's great to have Ruth onboard.
