How does one reach the Rising American Electorate? How does she message diverse communities? How can the messages be relevant and culturally competent? For many, these are ever-present questions at work or in volunteer activities.
The Communications Hub at Fuse, Latina Creative Agency, Washington CAN, Sightline Institute, and Crosscut are partnering to present perspectives from expert communicators and members of the media. The discussion will be moderated by KING 5 News reporter Roberta Romero, and panelists will include: Joaquin Uy, City of Seattle Ethnic Media and Communications Specialist; Mohamud Yussuf, Editor of Runta News; Sian Wu, a former Board Member of the International Examiner; Chris Bennett Jr, Co-Publisher and Editor of Seattle Medium; Teresa Monzon Jones, Multi-Media Sales Executive at Univision; Travis Quezon, Editor of International Examiner; Martha Montoya, Publisher at El Mundo; and Amalia Martino, Co-Founder of Latina Creative Agency.
Cascadia is a hub for cultural diversity. King County, Cascadia’s most populous county, is also one of the most diverse: the county’s foreign-born population has increased 64 percent since 2000, and residents speak over 170 different languages. Given these demographics, it is critical for Cascadia to look at ways to make sure these communities are being served by the press and to provide support for local ethnic media outlets. (There are more than 80 ethnic media outlets in Seattle!)
The panel discussion will take place on Feb. 19 at 9:30 a.m. at the Impact Hub, and you'll have the opportunity to meet members of Seattle's ethnic media community, hear from experts on utilizing ethnic media and learn best practices for adapting messaging to resonate with ethnic communities. Leave with a toolkit that includes press kits, ad rates, contact information, and useful tips for 
utilizing ethnic media. Space is limited, so be sure to register here and save a spot!
Whether you attend or can’t make it, here’s some background reading to teach you more about how to effectively reach a diverse community.
Engaging ethnic media:
"Want to speak directly to a community? Write an ethnic media op-ed," Washington CAN, Feb. 8
"How Honest Elections Effectively Engaged Latino Voters Through Spanish Media," Latina Creative Agency, Feb. 8
"Seattle’s race and ethnicity quick statistics," City of Seattle, 2010
"Taylor Hoang created a megaphone for ethnic business owners," Crosscut, Oct. 16
"Going Beyond Translation: A Professional Marketers Tips from the Latina Perspective," Latina Creative Agency, Oct. 16
"The Power of a Spanish Language Broadcast Campaign," Latina Creative Agency, Sept. 14
"Council to examine city support for ethnic media," Gotham Gazette, Jan. 26
"6 ways to help immigrants and the entire state," Crosscut, January 2013
"Ethnic media is more than a niche: It’s worth your attention," Nieman Lab, July 2013
"Mayor Ed Murray faces ethnic media in Seattle," Northwest Asian Weekly, April 2014
Understanding Ethnic Media, By Matthew D. Matsaganis, Vikki S. Katz, Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach
"Inside the 2012 Latino electorate," Pew Research, June 2013.
