Rumored as one of the biggest rivalries in high school sports, Roosevelt and Garfield high schools meet for the 77th East Los Classic football game tonight. The face-off between the Roughriders and Bulldogs goes back to the 1920s, and has since provided a moment for generations to reunite for a little friendly competition.
Who will be this year’s champion?
Kick off is set for 7:30pm at East Los Angeles College’s Weingart Stadium.
My background: I was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, where I got my start in journalism by launching a community blog. Most recently, I worked at the Los Angeles Times and have spent most of my career covering local news in LA, with a focus on community-centered stories, Latino communities and mentoring emerging writers.
What I do: I lead coverage of Boyle Heights and East LA across all platforms to inform, connect and uplift our community. I spend my days listening, planning, editing and coordinating to make sure our stories reflect the community fairly, while supporting and mentoring my team of reporters and freelancers so they can grow along the way.
Why LA?: It’s home. It’s the sounds of Spanglish and other languages, the smell of tacos and kimchi, the way street art tells stories and how, even though I hate traffic, I love how the freeways can take me to the beach or the mountains on a whim.
The best way to contact me: My email is jessica.perez@boyleheightsbeat.org.
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