Theresa Vargas

Washington, D.C.

Local columnist who previously wrote for the local enterprise team about poverty, race and people with disabilities.

Education: bachelor's from Stanford University; master's from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Theresa Vargas is a columnist for The Washington Post. Before that, she worked on the local enterprise team, writing stories that took her, among other places, into a home for transgender teens, a support group for survivors of gun violence and a courtroom where a woman with Down syndrome fought for the right to decide how she lives. During the peak of the recession, she and a photographer traveled across the country to chronicle how Americans were coping. Before coming to The Post, she worked at Newsday in New York.
Latest from Theresa Vargas

She quit her job to ask strangers about pay. The payoff has been huge.

In a viral video, Virginia resident Hannah Williams shared how much Salary Transparent Street, the online pay transparency effort she started, earned last year

January 20, 2024

Broken ribs, bloody faces and a push to make D.C. sidewalks safer

A survey asked people in a D.C. neighborhood how many had fallen on sidewalks in the last few years. Their responses, and other data, have people talking.

January 13, 2024

We can’t talk about crime in D.C. without talking about hunger

One D.C. woman, who has been trying to keep her neighbors fed, receives calls when moms get caught shoplifting

January 10, 2024

A bike courier met another with a broken foot. A video brought help.

The food delivery workers were both picking up orders at a D.C. business. One had an injury and unpaid bills. The other had a large online following.

January 6, 2024

They lost a son to suicide months ago. Now, another son is missing.

The Maryland teenager’s family recently searched a wooded area in Virginia, hoping to find signs of life and bracing to find a body.

December 30, 2023

Boxes kept coming from a mystery donor. An obituary revealed her name.

She sent gifts and food for families in Virginia. But the notes that came with those packages identified her only as E. A. Raven.

December 23, 2023

He tried to get his disabled veteran son help. Now, he’s burying him.

Timothy Robinson, an army veteran who spent decades homeless in the Washington region, died waiting for benefits.

December 20, 2023

Meet the first noncitizen to hold public office in the District

Abel Amene, an Ethiopian immigrant, fought for noncitizens in D.C. to get to vote in local elections. Now, he is an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.

December 16, 2023

An effort to get secondhand toys to migrant children needs help, again

Food Justice DMV gave gently used toys to thousands of Washington-area children last year. This year, they’re struggling to collect enough.

December 13, 2023

The enduring legacy of a D.C. mother who fought for Black deaf children

Gallaudet University has launched a fundraising campaign aimed at honoring Louise B. Miller, a D.C. mom who fought for the rights of Black deaf children.

December 9, 2023