Ten eyes greet visitors at the home of local news entrepreneur Marcela Rabens. Those eyes belong to five Shih Tzus named Chewbacca, Chiquita, Luke Skywalker, Leia and Bella.
She and her husband, Christian Rabens, live in a relatively new, comfortable North Charleston neighborhood in a brick tract home with a two-car garage and a lone palmetto tree in the front yard.
Rabens is soft spoken and cheerful. And besides an obvious love of Star Wars, she fosters a passion for bringing news to Charleston area communities.
Since 2005, she’s produced the Spanish-language publication Universal Latin News, which covers social issues, education, politics and economics. And for the past several years, she’s published a Spanish-language resource directory entitled Guia Latina Charleston, which lists local businesses offering a range of products and services.
Although she’s lived in her current home since 2019, she initially thought it would be a temporary residence. So it’s more of a functional space than it is decorative.
“I am good at doing newspapers and interviewing people and writing and all that — but decorating … not so good,” Rabens said, laughing.
Standing for democracy
Rabens is originally from a town called Black River located in the central region of Perú. Her family farmed coffee in Satipo near Perú’s capital city, Lima.
She came to Charleston in 2002 by way of Anaheim, Calif., where she traveled to attend a conference for the Specialty Coffee Association of America. A friend who lived in Charleston convinced her to visit while she was stateside, and she never left.
“I stayed because there was a political crisis in Perú,” Rabens said.
At that time, Rabens had been working as a reporter for the Peruvian television network, Panamericana Televición, and she said she witnessed firsthand terrorism, suppression of information and interrogation of journalists.
“I’m very in favor of democracy,” she said. “I’ve always been in favor of democracy since I started working in the news. I encourage people to be bold.”
When Rabens decided to stay in Charleston, she was intimidated by the language barrier because she didn’t know English, but she persevered.
“I really fell in love with the city,” she said. “It was so beautiful, and the people were nice and kind.
After two years of running her house-cleaning business, she said she grew frustrated because she wasn’t doing what she loved, which was bringing news to the public. And so she founded Universal Latin News in 2005 to serve the Latina community of the Lowcountry. As she continued to become connected with people of different backgrounds and cultures, she realized how rich the Latina community was in Charleston.
“It opened my eyes … if you don’t know the culture, you don’t know anything … I always [tell] people you cannot judge anybody by their appearance — it’s part of the culture and you should respect it.”
Blast from the past
Another way she honors the diversity of the Spanish-speaking community in Charleston is by hosting a segment on Ohm Radio 96.3 entitled Ritmo Latino every Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Rabens invites Latina musicians in the Charleston area to appear on the show and tell their stories or perform songs live. It has been a wonderful way to get more involved with the Latina community, she said, because the more people hear her show, the more musicians she’s been able to connect with.
She said being the host of her own radio show is a blast from the past, because her very first job was at a radio station in the city of Huancayo when she was 15 years old.
“When I was very young, I loved rock ‘n’ roll from the ’60s and ’70s like Pink Floyd,” she said, smiling. She hosted a radio segment every week at 6 p.m. entitled Reviviendo Momentos del Ayer (“Reliving Moments of Yesterday”), and she learned how to bring on sponsors and procure advertising.
When she wasn’t working at the radio station or attending classes in high school, she would spend time at her mom’s coffee plantation in Satipo.
“That’s the reason why I love the nature here so much, because the coffee plantation was tropical like Charleston — with plenty of mosquitos.”
The Lowdown
Birthplace: Perú.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications.
Current profession: News entrepreneur.
Past professions of interest: Movie production.
Family: Husband; four brothers and eight sisters.
Favorite thing to do outside of work: Walk, movies, dance, concerts, boating.
Your passion: Music.
Books on bedside table: Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour; The Midnight Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina by Maxine Smith; and Las Imperfectas by Cristy Marrero.
Favorite novel: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez.
Favorite food to cook: Peruvian dishes such as lomo saltado (salted meat) and tallarin verde (green spaghetti).
Favorite cocktail or beverage: Chicha morada (Peruvian drink).
What meal would you want served to you for your last supper: Shrimp and all the foods that I am allergic to.
Hobbies: Exercise when I have time.
Secret vice: Music.
Childhood hero: My mom.
Philosophy: Preserve the human values, respect and love each other.
Your advice for better living: Just live one day at a time.
Your advice for someone new to Charleston: Enjoy the food, the culture, the wonderful places and also learn about the historical places.
Anything else we should know: I consider myself lucky to live in Charleston. I would like to thank each person and family that helped me to grow in my business and my personal life.
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