Rafael Prieto, a journalist based in the Charlotte area, was selected to enter the “Hall of Fame” of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), for his journalistic and philanthropic work carried out over 44 years of experience in the United States.
Originally from Paipa, a small town in Colombia, this 70-year-old veteran journalist came to this country in 1979 and moved to Charlotte in December 2001, and since then he has told the stories of the Hispanic community in the Queen City, for more than two decades.
After working as editorial director at several local newspapers, he is currently a freelance journalist based in Cornelius, northern Mecklenburg County.
What this journalistic honor means
The NAHJ wrote about his selection, that upon entering the “Hall of Fame,” Prieto will be part of a select group of journalists and educators who have been honored in the past with this award, such as: Rubén Salazar, Los Angeles columnist Times, La Opinión, and news director of KMEX; as well as María Elena Salinas, special contributor to ABC News, presenter of Noticiero Univisión, and founder of the NAHJ; Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez, professor at the University of Texas, Austin and others.
Prieto has won several national awards, including first place at the NAHJ Ñ Awards in 2007, for an opinion column in which the jurors who rated him said that he “responded to those who sought to demonize undocumented immigrants with wit and facts.” indisputable."
For Prieto, this recognition means his greatest achievement in his journalistic career.
“I was speechless when I received the news, I did not expect it, no matter how much work was done or the support and support of the people, I did not consider that they would select me, but I accept it with great maturity, and with the wisdom of the years” Prieto commented to Enlace Latino NC.
This award, in the words of Rafael Prieto, “represents the highest recognition for a Hispanic journalist in the United States.”
Prieto is one of the founding members of NAHJ and is a past president of the NAHJ Charlotte Chapter. Additionally, he was vice president of the California Chicano News Media Association (CCNMA), where he organized the first Spanish-language media conference in the United States in 1982, just three years after emigrating from Colombia.
A long career in important national media
As part of his journalistic experience in this country, Prieto has worked in print media, television, Internet and news agencies, such as the EFE agency, Univisión, CBS Telenoticias, ECO-Televisa, Telemundo, NBC News Channel, Nuestro Tiempo (publication bilingual newspaper of the Los Angeles Times), Noticias del Mundo, and La Opinión, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the country.
From 2010 to 2013, he wrote an opinion column on immigration and other topics relevant to the Hispanic community, which was published in more than 40 publications around the country.
Prieto came to Charlotte to work as a journalist for the first time in 1993, at a time when there was no news generated in the city, and Hispanics were “something strange.”
But the strangest thing was that for the medium in which he worked, “Canal de Noticias NBC”, which transmitted news for Latin America from the Queen City, it could not be seen by the people of Charlotte.
In 2001 he began his second adventure in Charlotte, after working several years in Miami as a journalist for important media outlets, such as Telemundo, Univision.com, and Televisa.
In addition, he served as a correspondent for the Carolinas, for the EFE news agency, where he covered xenophobic incidents caused after the 911 attacks.
Between journalism and community activism
Prieto began to develop significant ties with leading Latino organizations in North Carolina, and through other connections highlighted in the print media the abuses and injustices that immigrant workers suffered.
In 2005 he took the role of editorial director of the weekly Mi Gente, a role that allowed him to communicate events such as advocating for the rights of the immigrant community through his comments.
The journalist strengthened the coverage of local news, especially in the areas of immigration and police reports, without neglecting the areas of health and public services.
But most importantly, Prieto made the general public see the other side of immigration in the United States.
His community service was initially recognized with the José Martí Award for Excellence in Publishing by the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), the first recognition for a newspaper in this state. Prieto has also been recognized as a leader among Hispanic journalists in the region.
In 2008, the local newspaper The Charlotte Observer selected him as one of the “Seven to Watch,” an annual selection of the city's most influential opinion makers.
In 2011 he was honored with the “Seeker of Justice Award” by the Charlotte Community Relations Committee, a division of the City of Charlotte, which serves as a civil and human rights watchdog.
As a cultural leader
Rafeel Prieto is the co-founder of the organization, Charlotte National Holidays and Traditions Committee, which since 2015 has celebrated the independence festivities of Latin American countries.
Prieto, in addition to being a nationally awarded journalist, is a cultural activist, which has led him to receive several local recognitions.
In 2017 he received the Latino Diamante Awards, an award that honors Latino leaders at the state level.
The Telemundo Charlotte channel highlighted him in its “Stories that Inspire” in a series during Hispanic Heritage Month in 2019.
In 2020 he received the ArtYes Community Achievement Award, with A for Art 2020, for his dedication and support to the Latino community in Charlotte.
On the other hand, the alternative newspaper, Queen City Nerve, announced in October 2021, the series Charloteanos that highlighted Prieto.
In 2022, the artist Rosalía Torres-Weiner presented him along with other local leaders in her documentary “Latinos during the pandemic.”
In 2023, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles selected him for the 2022 Richard Vinrrot International Achievement Award. The Mayor's International Community Award (MICA) recognizes individuals and institutions in the Charlotte region for their contributions and philanthropy.
In September 2023, the digital magazine Axios Charlotte selected him as One of Ten Hispanic People Making History in the City.
For the past two years, Rafael Prieto has been honored to receive the Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation, one of the City and County ceremonies held in the Government Center chamber.
The most recent recognition was awarded on May 24 at the Latin American Coalition Gala, with the Cultural Heritage Award.
His entry into the “Hall of Fame” will be on July 13 in Hollywood
Prieto will walk towards the precious “Hall of Fame”, along with other renowned national journalists such as: Ingrid Ciprián Matthews, the first Latina to be president of CBS News, Steve Padilla, editor of the prominent “Column One” in Los Angeles Times and John Quiñones, ABC News correspondent, who reports on the programs “20/20,” “Nightline,” and “Good Morning America.”
The award ceremony will be on Saturday, July 13, within the framework of the NAHJ 40th Anniversary Gala, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.
