“Flexibility was key."

“This was supposed to be a single story, but our reporting showed that we needed to expand the scope, space, time, and resources we had initially thought for this,” said Ximena Natera.

Natera’s in-depth visual reporting looked at what would become of the working men and women, who lived and cared for the horses on the backstretch, after Golden Gate Fields racing track closed for business. For the workers, the closure of the track meant not only the end of their livelihood, but also the loss of housing and the dismantling of their community.

CatchLight’s Local program is a collaborative model for visual journalism that advances trust and representation in local media.

Ximena Natera, a CatchLight Local Fellow and Report for America corps member at Berkeleyside, was born and raised in Mexico City. She is a founding member of Pie de Página, an award-winning news site in Mexico City, and a graduate of the Documentary Program at the International Center of Photography in New York.