The San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists’ president, Silvia Foster-Frau, is joining The Washington Post. She will be the Post’s multiculturalism reporter, covering issues of race, culture and demographic change that are shaping U.S. society.
SAAHJ applauds The Washington Post for hiring Foster-Frau, a Latina of Puerto Rican descent. We are sure they saw what we’ve come to know about Foster-Frau: that she is a passionate writer and dedicated reporter with a commitment to elevating the voices of underserved communities.
“Although we are sad to see Silvia go, we celebrate this amazing achievement with her,” said SAAHJ Vice President Krista Torralva. “We are encouraged that the Post has promoted her to a national stage, and we know she will continue to proudly represent Latino journalists.”
Foster-Frau will remain a resident of San Antonio for the next few months before moving to Washington, D.C.
The SAAHJ board will soon call a meeting to discuss next steps.
Foster-Frau first came to San Antonio in 2016 as a Hearst Journalism Fellow assigned to the San Antonio Express-News. She has covered education, the Sutherland Springs massacre and immigration for the Express-News.
SAAHJ members know her well. Before being elected president in 2020, Foster-Frau served as vice president. In her four years with the organization, she has been an active fundraiser of student scholarships and a fierce advocate for Latinos in newsrooms.
Foster-Frau challenged her employer’s efforts to hire and retain diversity when she and a group of SAAHJ members penned an open letter to Hearst in 2019. The letter was in response to the American Society of News Editors’ survey results that showed the Express-News staff did not reflect the racial composition of the city at the time.
As president, Foster-Frau reached across the aisle to work with Hearst, and as a result, the company donated $50,000 to SAAHJ’s scholarship fund – a record gift for our organization.
She has called this unexpected move a dream job.
“I am filled with gratitude. I believe my best qualities were grown and shaped by the people of San Antonio and the SAAHJ community,” Foster-Frau said. “I promise to take all I’ve learned with me in this new chapter, and to continue representing and uplifting the Latino experience on a national stage.”
