Fred de Sam Lazaro is a well-known journalist, documentarian, and correspondent who has covered a wide range of topics for PBS NewsHour and other media outlets. He is also the director of the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where he combines teaching with international reporting. But what is his ethnic background and how did he end up in America?
Early Life and Education in India
Fred de Sam Lazaro was born in 1956 in Bangalore, India, a city in the southern state of Karnataka. He grew up in a conservative Christian environment, attending an evangelical school and a Catholic church. He was exposed to English literature and poetry from an early age, as his mother was an avid reader of Shakespeare and T.S. Elliot.
He also developed an interest in journalism, inspired by his uncle who was a reporter for the Times of India. He wrote for his school magazine and dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent. However, his plans changed when his father died when he was 14, leaving him and his mother in a difficult financial situation.
Immigration and Adaptation to America
In 1975, Fred de Sam Lazaro and his mother immigrated to the United States, following his older sister who had arrived years earlier. They landed in San Francisco, where they were greeted by his sister and a culture shock. Fred had to learn the nuances of American English and slang, as well as the social norms and customs of his new country. He also faced some discrimination and prejudice because of his skin color and accent.
He soon met his future wife, a young woman from northern Minnesota who was working as an au pair in the Bay Area. She invited him to visit her hometown of Cloquet, a small paper mill community near Duluth. Fred fell in love with her and with Minnesota, and decided to stay there with her. He enrolled in the College of St. Scholastica, a Catholic liberal arts institution, where he majored in history and political science. He also became friends with a fellow student who later became a federal judge.
Career and Achievements in Journalism
After graduating from college, Fred de Sam Lazaro pursued his passion for journalism, starting as a local reporter for a Duluth TV station. He then moved to the Twin Cities, where he worked for various media outlets, including Minnesota Public Radio, the Star Tribune, and KARE-TV. He joined PBS NewsHour in 1985 as a correspondent and occasional anchor. He has since reported from more than 60 countries, covering issues such as AIDS, global development, public health, and social entrepreneurship.
He has also directed several documentaries for the PBS series Wide Angle, focusing on stories from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including two Emmy nominations, the George Foster Peabody Award, the Sigma Delta Chi Award, and the Overseas Press Club Award. He is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership and a board member of MinnPost, a nonprofit online news site
Ethnic Identity and Cultural Heritage
Fred de Sam Lazaro identifies as an American citizen, but he also maintains a strong connection to his Indian roots. He visits India regularly, both for personal and professional reasons. He has also taken his wife and three children to India, where they have met his extended family and learned about his culture. He speaks fluent Kannada, the language of his native state, as well as Hindi, the national language of India.
He also appreciates the diversity and richness of the Indian culture, which he describes as “a mosaic of many cultures, languages, religions, and cuisines”. He says that he has learned a lot from his Indian heritage, such as the value of tolerance, resilience, and humor. He also credits his Indian upbringing for his curiosity and empathy, which he considers essential for his journalism career.
Fred de Sam Lazaro is a proud example of a successful and influential immigrant who has contributed to the American society and the global community. His ethnicity is a blend of his Indian origin and his American experience, which he celebrates and shares through his work and his life.