SPJ: Phoenix, Arizona Chapter

SPJ Fellow of the Society Valeria Fernández speaks in Phoenix, Aug. 21 — SOLD OUT

valeria fernandez

SORRY, RESERVATIONS ARE FULL FOR THIS EVENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.

SPJ invites you to hear Valeria Fernández, an Arizona journalist who this fall will receive the Society of Professional Journalists’ highest professional honor for extraordinary contributions to the profession. An award-winning multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker, Fernández will speak about her life and work during an August appearance in Phoenix.

Fernández will speak and engage in a discussion with independent journalist Carmen Marquez starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, in the art gallery at Joy on 4th , 700 N. Fourth St. in downtown Phoenix. Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6 followed by the presentation at 6:30.

Admission is free for the event, co-sponsored by the Valley of the Sun chapter of SPJ and the Arizona Latino Media Association. But space is limited. RSVPs are required here.

Fernández will be honored as a Fellow of the Society at MediaFest, SPJ’s national conference, Oct. 15-18 in Washington, D.C., where they will participate in a keynote Oct. 17. The summer issue of SPJ’s Quill magazine features Fernández and two other distinguished journalists to be honored as 2025 Fellows: Dean Baquet and Kat Tenbarge.

Photo courtesy Joy on 4th 

Fernández’s work amplifies the stories of immigrant and Latino communities in the United States. Based in Arizona, Fernández has reported for more than two decades on immigration, racial justice and human rights. Her reporting has appeared in outlets including CNN, PRI’s The World and The Guardian.

In addition to her reporting, Fernández is an educator and advocate for community-centered journalism. In 2022, she founded Altavoz Lab, a Phoenix-based mentorship program designed to produce collaborative projects to strengthen reporters at community outlets that serve Black, Indigenous, immigrant and other communities of color in the U.S.  She has also taught at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Space is limited at this event. RSVPs are required here. Metered parking is available along surface streets and paid parking is available at the Arizona Center parking garage one block south at Fifth and Fillmore streets.