Cecilia Alvear, a longtime NBC News journalist, 1989 Nieman Fellow and former Nieman Advisory Board member, has died at her California home after battling breast cancer.

A champion for newsroom diversity, Alvear was a passionate advocate for Latinos and women in journalism. She helped found the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and served as its president from 2000-2002. She also served on the board of UNITY: Journalists of Color.

At NBC, Alvear ran the Mexico City bureau and reported on El Salvador and Nicaragua, and produced  interviews with Cuban President Fidel Castro.

A native of the Galápagos Islands, she was an immigrant who broke barriers in the United States.

She is survived by her longtime partner, George Lewis, a retired NBC News correspondent, her four sisters, Alexandra, Magdalena, Montserrat and Rocío, and half-brothers Eduardo and Alfredo.