Yesica Prado

Background

About Yesica Prado

People who are disenfranchised often have nowhere to turn and voice their concerns. My work focuses on issues that affect people’s access to land and belonging, such as homelessness, immigration, and Indigenous status. I am an independent investigative journalist, working with photo, video, audio, data, public records, and long-form writing. I am currently focused on reporting on homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area, working to hold policymakers accountable for the real-world impact of their actions. I sometimes spend up to a year reporting for a series of stories, until I collect enough information to tell the whole story fully and fairly. My reporting can involve interviewing a lot of people, reviewing hundreds of documents, or analyzing extensive datasets. In the field, I’ve worked as a photographer, videographer, reporter, fixer, and translator. I have received journalism awards, but what I strive for is finding justice for the communities I report on. As someone living in a vehicle since 2017, I report on homelessness with empathy. I point to policy changes that may affect unhoused people, shed light on harmful city practices, present positive outcomes when homeless services work, and highlight the challenges people face to survive off the map along with the solutions they devise to alleviate their life circumstances. I am a first-generation Mexican immigrant born in Nezahualcoyótl, Mexico –– a self-made city. It is affectionately known as “Neza York” due to the connections many families have with the United States, including my own. At 9 years old, I left México with my family and grew up undocumented in Chicago. With limited job opportunities, I ventured into photography to learn a skill –– a trade. I hoped to earn a living as an independent contractor and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning a BFA in Photography. Before I turned 21, I was granted a humanitarian visa. I took advantage of this opportunity and expanded my borders by seeking a master’s degree in journalism from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. I am a mix of many people and still discovering my roots. History influences who we are today. I report on Indigenous communities with respect for their historical accounts and culture, patiently working to understand the uniqueness of each tribe. My work includes investigating the federal acknowledgment process, which recognizes who is a tribe in the United States –– a government process that lacks oversight.