Individual | Inducted 2025
Alex Perez, Chicago-based national correspondent for ABC News, is a nationally respected openly gay Latino journalist who has contributed to elevating issues of racial justice, public safety, and marginalized voices through his impactful reporting for major news platforms. Born in 1980 and raised in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, he graduated from St. Laurence High School and went on to study Broadcast Journalism at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. While in college he first cut his teeth in the broadcast news profession as an intern at CBS/Channel 2 in Chicago. His early career included reporting stints in Alpena, Michigan, and at KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas, before he returned home to serve as a reporter for NBC’s WMAQ-TV/Channel 5. While working there, he was honored by the Association of Latinos Motivating Action (ALMA) and was named a “30 Under 30” honoree by Windy City Times.
Since 2012, Perez has been a national correspondent for ABC News. His reporting appears across “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “Nightline,” “20/20,” and ABC News’ digital platforms. Perez has covered some of the most consequential stories of our time, including the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and George Floyd. He has reported extensively on gun violence in Chicago and across the country, including the Oak Creek Sikh temple shooting. His work has consistently elevated issues of racial justice, public safety, and the voices of marginalized communities.
Perez has also used his platform to highlight the LGBTQ+ community. He has shared his own coming-out story and produced national segments profiling pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson and Bayard Rustin for Pride Month, as well as the World AIDS Day special “Viral: A World Without AIDS.” His visibility as an openly gay journalist of color in a national newsroom has inspired countless young people to see possibility in their own futures.
Perez was awarded the prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship, traveling across Europe to meet with government leaders and study international politics. In 2022, he was named as one of Out Magazine’s OUT100. He is a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. His heritage as the son of a Cuban immigrant mother and Puerto Rican father underscores his lifelong commitment to amplifying diverse voices. He and his husband, Kevin, make their home in Chicago with their French bulldog, Javí.