Paola Ramos, whom we know as the correspondent for ‘Vice,’ is engaged. She exchanged rings with her partner De’Ara Balenger, making her her soon-to-be wife.
Here is what we know about Paola’s partner De’Ara and their relationship.
De’Ara Comes From a Black and Mexican Family
De’Ara comes from a Black and Mexican American family. Her father hails from African-Latino descent, while her mother hails from Mexican descent.
Balenger was born in 1981 which makes her 43 years in 2024. Although she was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she spent most of her childhood in Washington, DC.
For education, she went to Texas Southern University & gained a Doctor of Law-JD, and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Macalester College.
De’Ara Balenger Is An Activist
Paola’s partner De’Ara is an activist who co-founded ‘Maestra,’ an agency for social impact and cultural strategy.
Before that, she had worked for a decade in the justice system. At first, she was a Senior Advisor at the US Department of State, and then a Justice Advisor.
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Her LinkedIn profile says she was Executive Director of Vetting & Research at The Harry Walker Agency and Director of Engagement for the Hillary for America campaign. She co-founded Maestra in January 2019 and is still working on the same foundation.
De’Ara Hosts Podcast
Paola’s fiance is an activist who hosts Podcast. It’s called Pod Save the People. She started podcasting on October 25, 2022; her last podcast was ‘Regulate the Wealthy,’ released on June 24, 2024.
Balenger Loves Avaloz Tacos
De’Ara loves Avaloz Tacos, the recipe of her great-grandmother Esther Avaloz.
Benjamin Liong Setiawan from the Cooking and Coping series interviewed her about the recipe. When she was asked why she loves this recipe so much, she said:
“My mom’s side of the family is from a small but mighty Mexican community on the West Side of St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s recipes like this one, tamales, and sopa that indicate community, resilience, and joy. I think about how this recipe has brought our family—and it’s a DIVERSE family full of characters—together for generations. Mexican, black, white—this recipe binds us with love and tenderness. That is the magic of this recipe.”
De’Ara Balenger and Paola Ramos’ Relationship
The journalist Paola and De’Ara met for the first time during the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. At that time, Ramos was working as Deputy Director for Hispanic Press. And this is their interview.
As Paola is open about her sexuality, she has nothing to hide. Yes, there was no information about her relationship till 2020. But, Paola and De’Ara’s love life came out after The Cut interviewed her. Also, it was then revealed that she and Paola are currently residing in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
The Pitch reports, that Paolo also revealed her relationship with De’Ara in her book, ‘Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redifining Latino Identity,’ on October 20, 2020.
In the book, Paolo describes De’Ara as a supportive partner and calls her Blacxican (short name for Black and Mexican).
In November 2021, Paola and De’Ara attended The Humans Who Feed Us at Selina Chelsea. The power couple haven’t mentioned when they exchanged their rings, but De’Ara is now Paola’s soon-to-be wife.
