Doing It My Way
Journalist Ilia Calderón on Anti-Blackness in the Latinx Community
The Afro-Latina news anchor discusses her memoir and how she isn’t afraid to confront racism
For some of us, our first encounter with Univision news anchor Ilia Calderón was in 2017 when a video of her interview with a Ku Klux Klan leader went viral after he threatened to burn the Afro-Latina journalist alive. But for those immersed in Spanish-language media, who have followed the 49-year-old’s career, Calderón is more than a viral moment. She’s an Emmy winner, a trusted voice, and an icon with 20 years of experience in journalism. But most importantly, as the first person of African descent to anchor the news in her native country of Colombia and to have worked for both Telemundo and Univision, she’s a beacon of hope for little Black girls throughout Latin America who rarely get a chance to see themselves on TV in a position of power.
Even Calderón will tell you that is a huge accomplishment for anyone, but especially for a little girl from Chocó, Colombia, an impoverished Black town that had a lot of love, but little resources and opportunities. Now, in her memoir, My Time to Speak: Reclaiming Ancestry and Confronting Race, Calderón is sharing her journey from the “paradise” of living with her…
