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| For someone who just raised $80 million to start a media company, Jess Morales Rocketto has a surprisingly modest mentality. She describes herself as a “tiny speck that’s helping move things forward.” This, she explained, is “incredibly empowering.” | | I’m not responsible for fixing all the world’s problems. I’m responsible for doing my part. - Jess Morales Rocketto  | | “It means I’m not responsible for fixing all the world’s problems. I’m responsible for doing my part,” she said. Morales Rocketto is the political director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the chair of the Families Belong Together campaign, and now the co-founder of the Latino Media Network. She’s also the special guest on episode 5 of the Sheroics podcast. | | |
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| Thanks to her work at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Morales Rocketto has helped workers — including housekeepers, nannies and elder-care providers — in 10 states, two major cities and the District of Columbia gain basic protections like sick leave and overtime pay. She has done this by championing a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, and she continues to push for a national bill of rights that would protect all domestic laborers in the U.S. What’s more, in response to the 2018 family separation crisis, Morales Rocketto was on the front line of reuniting children with parents along the U.S.-Mexico border. Most recently, in collaboration with fellow entrepreneur Stephanie Valencia, Morales Rocketto has co-founded the Latino Media Network, with the goal of helping Latino listeners “make sense” of the vast amount of news and information out there. | | Just fight for what you believe in and a better world is “inevitable.” - Morales Rocketto | | To reach the largest possible audience, the Latino Media Network set out to acquire American Spanish-language radio stations. For Morales Rocketto, buying only one station wasn’t enough to create the impact she wanted; instead, her new media venture has acquired a whopping 18 Spanish-language stations serving ten cities with the largest Latino populations in the U.S. “That’s the kind of change that I’m trying to create,” she told OZY. She and Valencia were able to buy up those stations after raising tens of millions of dollars from a group of investors in less than five months. The Latino Media Network, she says, is a “service to the community,” as it delivers facts rather than misinformation, spotlights new voices and strives for objectivity in an increasingly polarized media landscape. While this sounds like an enormous task, Morales Rocketto remains grounded and focused. She sees her career as proof that meaningful change doesn’t need to address everything at once — just fight for what you believe in, she said, and a better world is “inevitable.” |
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| | | | | | | | | Sheroics Episode 1: The Women of Torres de Francia | | 
After Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico in 2017, a small group of women from a local housing project in San Juan rushed into action by organizing community soup kitchens and feeding hundreds of families. They saved lives, and their efforts became a model that was replicated across the island. Listen to this episode. | | |
| Sheroics Episode 2: The Mothers of Uvalde | | 
Uvalde, Texas sits at a literal crossroads: U.S. highways 83, from Canada to Mexico, and 90, from Florida to California, cross right through the middle of the town. But the city is at a different crossroads, too — an emotional one. It’s at the intersection of fear, cultural division and grief. Against this backdrop, meet the inspiring mothers who call themselves “Fierce Madres.” Listen to this episode. | | |
| Sheroics Episode 3: Nicaragua’s Voice for Freedom | | 
What does it take to be the voice for freedom? Berta Valle, a former television newscaster, has become a tireless advocate for the more than 200 political prisoners in Nicaragua — a group that includes her husband, Felix Maradiaga. His crime was nothing more than announcing his intention to run for president in 2021, which got him arrested and sentenced for treason. Valle is now raising her voice for freedom wherever she can — for her, her husband, and their young daughter. Listen to this episode. | | |
|  | Sheroics Episode 4: Mission to Save The Mission | | When COVID hit, longtime activist Valerie Tulier-Laiwa knew her neighborhood — San Francisco’s Mission District — would be deeply affected. So, with the help of several friends, she jumped into action to meet the needs of the Latino community and beyond. Listen to this episode. | | |
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| Tell us about a shero in your family or community. | | |
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A Modern Media Company 
