Elizabeth Román brings marginalized voices to Western Mass reporting

MassLive recently asked readers to identify people they believe are Hispanic and Latino leaders in Massachusetts who are committed to making a difference across the state.

Profiles of these managers will be released during Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th. These are people that readers have identified as inspirational and who may be doing good for their communities. They are recognized for their achievements, leadership and commitment to effecting change.

Elizabeth Roman

Age: 40

Community: Springfield

Your story: Elizabeth Román began her journalism career at age 19 when she was an intern at The Springfield Republican — and later became a full-time reporter. She spent nearly 20 years at the branch and in 2018 became editor of El Pueblo Latino, a Spanish-language weekly newspaper owned by The Republican.

Román wrote thousands of articles about the Latino community and expanded her repertoire by becoming editor-in-chief of the book Nuestra Historia: A History of Latinos in Western Massachusetts.

In 2020, she co-founded Colectivo de Medios Latinos, a digital collaboration with other Latino journalists in the region that provides breaking news online in Spanish during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two years later, Román joined New England Public Media (NEPM) in Springfield as a senior editor, editing reporters, working to expand the diversity of sources in news reporting and looking for opportunities to create more Spanish-language news content.

She was later promoted to editor-in-chief of Daily & Digital News and oversaw “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”

Román also works with reporters to cover events and social issues in Western Massachusetts, helping reporters distribute stories and edit their work.

“As a Puerto Rican woman born and raised in Springfield, I strive to bring the voices of often marginalized or forgotten people on the air. Our reporters are able to honor and highlight the contributions of people of color in our region and change the narrative in the media that often only focuses on the negative,” Román said.

Román said NEPM can also highlight inequities and struggles that people in Western Massachusetts face, including in the areas of education, health care, mental health and housing.

In her words: “Be curious about the world around you and how it relates to the community in which you live. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and delve deeper into topics that are important to you, but also be open to exploring topics that you may not have interest in or know nothing about. Challenge yourself to interact with and interview people who may have very different beliefs and opinions than you.”

We are always open to more inspiring people. If you would like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form this form.