Maria Hinojosa: ‘We Are Here Because of You’

Recently, I witnessed the peaceful protests outside of the ICE detention center in South Portland in Oregon. When I arrived, not only did I find peaceful people —including someone dressed in an inflated unicorn costume— but I also heard bachata music playing as couples danced to Aventura’s “Enséñame a Olvidar” during a Latin dance protest! ICE agents patrolled from the roof, but in the street, people resisted, and they did so with joy!

This moment said so much to me about our lives right now.

All of us battle fear, and we battle anger. Each day, more of us face direct harm from our federal government. Yet families and communities across the country —including Portland, and my beloved city of Chicago— are showing the nation what it means to love thy neighbor and protect each other from persecution and worse.

I never forget that I was an immigrant who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, was able to found an independent news media nonprofit, and have maintained it during the last 15 years through much hard work from Futuro leadership, producers, and staff.

Through your enduring support, together we’ve kept Futuro alive when other media organizations, several of them way bigger than us, are no longer here.

Because of you, we are here to write history and make sure that our voices are included in the telling!

I am happy to share with you that 2025 is Futuro Media’s fifteenth birthday: our quinceañera year.

In the next weeks, as we engage in our annual end-of-year fundraising campaign, we will seek out ways to celebrate this special milestone—beginning with a goal to raise $150,000 to honor the fifteen years of our independent, fact-based journalism with heart.

Futuro Madrinas and Padrinos: this is your time!

Please look for emails and social media posts that tell our story of the past year and answer the call to support our journalism and ensure that we enter 2026 stronger than ever!

Soon you will hear about our:

• 2x giving match (courtesy of the 2025 Futuro Media Community Matching Gift Fund and NewsMatch support!)
• Special Futuro quinceañera merch
• Special La Brega merch
• And more!

Most importantly, you will hear about the stories and podcasts that made us proud over this past year. You will also hear about our continued reporting work, as urgent and crucial as ever.

Never forget: we are here because of you. We stand while others do not because of you.

Thank you.

Maria Hinojosa,

Founder, Futuro Media