A Voice That Commands, a Story That Inspires

To have access to the truth is to hold the world in your hands

Who are you?

Three words. Simple, yet disarmingly profound. It’s the question anchoring Her Voyage’s August-September issue, and one that felt fitting to pose to Mayra De Lassalette a journalist whose voice carries not just news but the weight of stories that matter. Our first encounter was a fleeting moment in the bustling corridors of the Voice of America studios. I was rushing in to begin my show, and she was stepping out, her presence commanding attention even in motion. She greeted me with a casual “Morning.” I barely managed a reply before hurrying past, but her elegance lingered in my mind. Who is she? Months later, I made sure we became friends. Some connections are unexpected, others, intentional. With Mayra, it was both. Years passed, and though I admired her brilliance and grace, I had never asked the question that had sparked my curiosity the first time we crossed paths. Now, as her voice traveled through the phone line, connecting my Washington State to her Washington, D.C., I finally asked:

MayraWho are you?

She laughed softly, the warmth in her voice unmistakable. “Mmm... who am I?” she repeated, pausing as if to gather the many pieces of herself. “Not an easy question. I’m not just one thing. I’m a combination of many things.” Born in Angola and raised in Portugal, Mayra is a daughter, a mother, and a journalist a woman of layered identities, each shaped by her love for storytelling and a relentless pursuit of truth.

In the chaos of breaking news, I find my purpose: to inform, to connect, to empower.”

The Making of a Journalist Mayra’s journey into journalism wasn’t just a career choice; it was a calling forged in the fires of necessity. As a child, her family fled Angola’s civil war, leaving her father behind. In Portugal, the news became their lifeline, a thread of connection to the homeland they’d left behind.

“I still remember watching a journalist report from the City where I grew up, now destroyed by the war,” she recalls, her voice tinged with emotion. “I realized she had access to this story because she was a journalist. I wanted to be that person to have that access and to share it with the world.”

Her passion was born from a desire for information a thirst she describes simply: “Information is power.”

When asked if journalism is dying, her response is immediate:

“No. Real journalism is needed now more than ever.”

She acknowledges the shift toward digital platforms, a trend was not predicted during her university days when only two of her twenty classmates chose to focus on online media. “I was one of those two students” she added Now, every major media outlet has embraced the digital space, and while social media has democratized access to information, Mayra laments its tendency to monetize without expertise.

“It’s not about being first; it’s about being right,” she says firmly.