Project: To democratize communication and societal participation through the multimedia and text capabilities of mobile technology.

Latoya Peterson says she became a journalist in spite of herself. Like many teenagers, she loved video games, anime and pop music. But she also read a lot of books about social justice, sociology and advertising. Landing in an online community devoted to anti-racism, and often critiquing media coverage, she thought of herself as an anti-establishment activist. She studied global business and public policy at the University of Maryland, worked in public relations and market research and in communications for a nonprofit promoting a more socially and ecologically balanced society. But her writing propelled her into journalism. She is a Poynter Institute Sensemaking Fellow commenting on the media. Her work has since been published in Slate, Spin, Vibe, The American Prospect, The Atlantic online, Jezebel.com and several feminist anthologies. She started writing for Racialicious.com in 2008, and is now its owner and editor.