María Martin, radio pioneer and founder of 'Latino USA,' dies at 72

Media pioneer María Martin, the brains behind the public radio program "Latino USA" which elevated coverage of Hispanic issues, has died. She was 72.

Media pioneer María Martin, creator of the groundbreaking, award-winning public radio program "Latino USA," died Saturday after complications from a medical procedure. She was 72.

Martin dedicated much of her professional life to bringing the voices and stories of U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans to English-language public radio. In doing so, she helped inspire and launch the careers of a cadre of Latino journalists in the U.S. and Central America.

Friends and family said in message that she died "in a room full of peace and love surrounded by her family" and her friends "at every corner of the world holding her up."

Martin's long ambition had been to bring diversity to media, public radio in particular, a goal that brought her both joy and heartache, but which she never abandoned.

"The values of inclusivity, diversity and the reflection of all society's voices have guided my four decades in journalism," she wrote in her 2020 book "Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: A Journalist's Heart in Latin America," which chronicled her work as a journalist in Latin America, but also the obstacles and challenges she faced and overcame as a Latina journalist.