Pedro Rosa Nales

Pedro Rosa Nales (born December 3, 1956, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican journalist, news anchor and a recognized martial artist. As a journalist he has received over 20 awards.

Journalism

He started working at radio station WMDD in Fajardo. As a television journalist, he was recruited by the WAPA-TV channel 4 of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1981, becoming the first black Puerto Rican to work as a TV reporter.^[1] During his 32 years as a TV journalist, he had won more than 100 awards from several organizations in Puerto Rico and the United States, including awards for the coverage of hurricanes and investigative reports like Red Alert 1 and 2, in which he uncovered the military use of the Vieques island and the effects of army maneuvers on the population.^[2]

In the past years, he has worked as a host (Anchor) on various editions of Noticentro 4 on WAPA TV^[3][4] and in 2014 on "Noticentro America" for viewers in the United States.^[5] In 2017, he anchored the 5 p.m. news hour for Noticentro.^[6] In 2018, Noticentro Al Amanecer (Noticentro In the Morning) celebrated eighteen years on air.^[7]

Rosa Nales sued WAPA-TV during December 2020 for the amount of $2.5 million dollars, alleging he was ignored in favor of White colleagues when the network decided to install Rafael Lenin Lopez as main afternoon news reporter instead of him due to Rosa Nales' being Black and also an older person than Lenin Lopez.^[8]

Martial arts

When memes of Rosa Nales, in martial arts poses, were discovered on the net, he gladly shared with the public that he has practiced martial arts all his life, for over 47 years.^[9]

Personal life

He served in the United States Army as a parachutist from the 82nd Airborne Division, in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He was later Press officer, Executive officer, Radio and Tv officer and Unit commander in the Puerto Rico National Guard with the rank of captain.

In 2023 he was inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.^[10]

Rosa Nales married young, and his wife had a daughter when he was just seventeen years old. They divorced while he was in the army. He has two children but in 2012, Rosa Nales 32-year-old daughter, who had fought addiction with the help of Hogares Crea, died of a possible overdose.^[11]

On June 29, 2021, Pedro Rosa Nales' sixteen year-old grandson was accused of murder, along with another teenager.^[12][13]

References

1. Machín, M.A.; Universidad del Este (Puerto Rico); Universidad del Este (2003). Negritud: ponencias del Simposio 28 y 29 octubre del 2003 (in Spanish). Universidad del Este. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
2. McGrath-Andino, L.; Fundación Puerto Rico Evangélico (2003). Quo vadis, Vieques?: ética social, política y ecumenismo (in Spanish). Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico. ISBN 978-1-931699-01-3. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
3. Sepúlveda, Aixa (April 2, 2019). "Pedro Rosa Nales regresa a Noticentro". NOTICEL (in Spanish).
4. "Luz Nereida Vélez un ejemplo de lealtad". Primera Hora (in Spanish). August 25, 2019.
5. ""Noticentro América" es el sueño de Enrique Cruz". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). October 22, 2014.
6. "Cambio de hombre ancla en Noticentro a las 5". Metro (in Spanish).
7. elvocero.com, Redacción. "Noticentro Al Amanecer está de fiesta". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish).
8. "Pedro Rosa Nales demanda a WAPA por discrimen de raza y de edad".
9. "Pedro Rosa Nales se vacila sus memes". Metro (in Spanish).
10. https://www.metro.pr/entretenimiento/2023/11/28/pedro-rosa-nales-es-exaltado-al-salon-de-la-fama-del-veterano-puertorriqueno/
11. "Pedro Rosa Nales afectado tras la muerte de su hija". Primera Hora (in Spanish). August 27, 2012.
12. "Acusan adolescente como adulto por asesinato en Bayamón". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
13. Rivera Puig, Miguel. "Acusan como adulto a un menor de 16 años por un asesinato en Bayamón". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-07-02.