Alumni
Political Science
Portland Magazine
April 25, 2019
Walter Thompson-Hernández ’09 is a member of the “Surfacing” team at The New York Times, which features stories about underrepresented communities and subcultures around the world.
In the Winter 2019 issue of Portland magazine, Walter examines how his life experiences, his identity, and his academic interests have influenced his approach to journalism. “I am a listener first and a reporter second,” he writes. He also gives us a sneak peek into one of his early New York Times stories about ten African-American friends—known as the Compton Cowboys—who raise horses in Compton, California.
We caught up with Walter to ask him a few more questions about his fascinating work and his time at UP.
I’m really big on representation and ensuring that historically marginalized voices get the opportunity to be covered by a newspaper and media company like The New York Times. The communities that I spend time with have amazing stories that the world needs to know about.
I’d be doing this work even if it weren’t a job. The work that I do is deeply connected to who I am as a person. But I really love that I get paid to ask people interesting questions about the lives they lead. I’m very grateful for that.
I’ve always had deep questions about who I am. Particularly, how I live through the world as a multiracial person. So much of who we are, I think, is predicated on how society reads us. I’m read in so many different ways around the world, and it’s always been fascinating to understand the way that different societies around the world understand racial identity. It’s a journey that I think I’ll be on for as long as I live.
I would say start writing about something that is near and dear to your heart and then branch out from there. Use your immediate network of family and friends as resources and as subjects for stories. And don’t be afraid to send cold emails.
Every time I sit down to write I imagine that I’m playing the piano like a famous jazz great like Thelonius Monk or someone else. I really try to imagine that I’m playing a beautiful song. I also only ever write for about 20 minutes at a time because it can be hard for me to concentrate for much longer than that.
I think the size of the campus really fostered an intimate feeling of community. The most informative and important conversations I had took place in The Pilot House or in The Commons while sharing a meal with friends from different parts of the US and the world. These experiences I had while dining there helped me realize that the most important life lessons usually happen in the real world and not in a classroom.
I especially remember my history professor Christin Hancock and academic adviser, Dan McGinty. Dr. Hancock taught some of the most interesting classes, particularly about twentieth-century African-American history. I still refer back to the things I learned in her class. Dan always helped me select the best classes and had the best spirit. They were some of the most helpful people on campus. I’ve never forgotten how they made me feel. It was really beautiful.
Some of the people who worked at The Pilot House and The Commons also stood out to me. I felt really drawn to the staff because they reminded me of people who I missed back home. Twila and Gwen, in particular, were angels.
My mom has been very influential in my development. When I was growing up, she was in a PhD program in Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). I used to spend hours reading her books and in her classes. I especially remember reading authors like Sandra Cisneros, Cherríe Moraga, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Américo Paredes. These were the authors who I read before going to bed every night. I never really got the chance to read children’s books.
I’m currently reading Evicted by Matthew Desmond and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. They are both great.
I’m currently on leave from The New York Times and writing a book about the Compton Cowboys. I’m also writing a children’s book about the same group of friends. Both will be published by Harper Collins and available in Summer 2020.
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