Lucy Baptiste Portfolio
Photojournalist, Reporter, Storyteller
I move between camera and notebook to document the human experience, from street protests and stadiums to community festivals and everyday moments. My reporting and photography focus on migration, resilience and the communities that are often left out of the frame.
About
I’m a bilingual visual journalist and reporter covering immigration, public systems, identity, and community resilience through reporting, photography, and documentary storytelling. My work focuses on how policy and systemic inequities shape everyday life, particularly within immigrant and underrepresented communities.

Born in Puerto Rico to a Garifuna immigrant family and raised in New York City, I approach journalism through a community-centered lens rooted in trust-building and visual narrative. My reporting and photography have taken me from Minneapolis to Chicago, where I reported on immigrant communities during my internship with Borderless Magazine and continue investigative reporting on transit inequities across the city’s South Side.
I earned my M.A. in Engagement Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. My work has appeared in collaboration with Reuters, and I am a recipient of a Fund for Investigative Journalism seed grant and an Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources reporting fellowship.

I’m also the creator of Portraits of Healing, an ongoing multimedia storytelling project exploring care, resilience, and mental well-being within Black communities.

Ongoing Coverage: George Floyd Remembrance & Protest
Selections from my ongoing coverage of George Floyd Square and related protests in Minneapolis, including my work for Reuters on the third- and fifth-anniversary commemorations. From 2022 marches and youth-led actions to vigils, speeches, and memorial gatherings, these images follow how communities continue to mourn, organize, and demand accountability years after his killing.
Latest reporting & photo work
Recent stories, visual assignments, and community-centered journalism.
A raid at Don Pedro Carnitas shook the Pilsen community. Now, local organizers are bolstering rapid response teams, legal aid and Know Your Rights training to keep families safe.
How Chicago Communities Are Resisting ICE Raids
Reported feature with photos on how Chicago organizers, neighbors and legal advocates are responding to ICE raids — from rapid response hotlines to court support and community defense in Pilsen and across the city.
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Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid are forcing Chicago food pantries to brace for more families who can’t afford groceries.
Chicago Food Pantries on Edge Over Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
Solo-reported feature on how Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” slashes SNAP and Medicaid and how Chicago pantry workers, SEIU members and families are preparing for the fallout
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On World Refugee Day, refugees and city leaders filled Daley Plaza with stories, music and a call to challenge Trump’s immigration policies.
Immigrant Rights Leaders, Chicago Refugees Call for Action on World Refugee Day
Photo-driven report centered on Samar Mesleh and other refugees sharing their journeys, alongside groups like RefugeeOne urging action as new executive orders restrict refugee admissions and humanitarian protections.
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Showdown in Chinatown: Hip-Hop Across Generations
In July 2024, the first annual Chinatown Hip-Hop Festival brought together old-school and new-school breakers, DJs and street dancers for “Showdown in Chinatown” in New York City. I documented the battles, music and crowd, focusing on how hip-hop culture continues to connect generations and create space for joy, competition and community.
Community Solidarity for Gaza, Seattle 2024
In September 2024, community members gathered at the “Palestine Will Live Forever” festival at Seward Park Amphitheater in Seattle to raise funds and awareness for people in Gaza. Through music, speeches and collective mourning, the event became a space for solidarity and resistance. I documented the crowd, the performances and the quiet moments in between.
WNBA Playoffs: New York Liberty vs. Washington Mystics
Coverage of the New York Liberty’s 2023 WNBA playoff run at Barclays Center, including Game 2 of the first-round series against the Washington Mystics. From warmups to huddles and celebrations, these images follow the intensity and emotion of a team pushing toward the semifinals.
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Vancouver FC
Selected images from a Major League Soccer match between the New York Red Bulls and Vancouver FC, documenting pre-game moments, in-game action and the energy on the field.
I aim to keep honing my storytelling skills.
Rituals of Care: The Quiet Power of Tending to Ourselves
Mileesha and Lexi getting ready for the Rise and Remembrance Gala—an annual gathering where the community at George Floyd Square comes together to reflect, honor, and remember. In the wake of tragedy, they found a sense of home here, turning grief into connection. This moment was captured during the 2023 four-day commemoration.
Client & Commercial Work — Outfront Media
Photographed large-format out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaigns across New York City, including highway bulletins, subway liveboards and street-level digital panels. Captured real-time public interaction, urban movement and brand visibility for clients such as TD Bank, MoMA, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Ralph Lauren, E-Copier Solutions and CIDNY.
Made on
Tilda