NBC reporter, Latina journalism pioneer Cecilia Alvear dies

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Former NBC news reporter and Latina journalism pioneer Cecilia Alvear has died in California.

Alvear's longtime partner George Lewis confirmed for The Associated Press on Tuesday that she died at her home in Santa Monica on Friday after suffering from breast cancer. She was 77.

A native of Ecuador born in the Galapagos Islands, Alvear came to the U.S. in 1965 and started in journalism in the 1970s, when roles for women and Latinos were fewer.

She worked at local television stations around Los Angeles until 1982, when NBC tapped her to run its Mexico City bureau. From there she covered wars and revolutions in Nicaragua and El Salvador until her first bout with breast cancer in 1994.

She later served as president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

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