It’s a surreal experience to pick up el Sol del Valle on a Friday. Here is a full newspaper, all in Spanish, now hovering at 20 pages packed with local and regional news as well as original art and cultural anecdotes. I am delighted, turning each page and lingering on a photo or headline, making mental notes to flip back to a story later or finding myself already immersed in reading and unable to stop.
It’s surreal because nearly four years ago, in early 2021, el Sol del Valle began as a rather simple idea. “Let’s add four pages of Spanish, right in the center of The Sopris Sun, that can be lifted out and redistributed,” I thought, early into my editorship. The board was onboard and our executive director, Todd Chamberlin, offered nothing but support. It wasn’t long before Aspen Daily News sought to expand this brand into a standalone newspaper.
Bianca Godina and Margarita Alvarez, el Sol’s dynamic leaders, deserve so much credit for bringing the paper along — and they are not alone. These two young Latinas, born and raised in the Valley, have amassed a team including regular contributors Daniel Torres and Jackie Ramirez. Michael Perez, now a Sopris Sun board member, delivers the paper every week with meticulous care. Diane Amsden, carried through from our partnership with Aspen Daily News, brings the creative vision to life with her seasoned layout design skills. Then there’s the advisory council, a group of volunteers meeting monthly, and previous editoras Vanessa Porras and Crystal Mariscal, plus every columnist and our reliable translators, Dolores Duarte and Jacqueline Castro.
When Colorado Media Project, a statewide initiative to empower local news, received grant applications from several Roaring Fork Valley outlets to better serve our Spanish-speaking communities in 2021, we were instead grouped into a cohort. It was somewhat like reality tv, watching leaders from all the Valley’s media hash out ways to collaborate from the confines of our Zoom boxes.
After conducting a regional survey to better understand the news needs of our Spanish-speaking neighbors, a historically underserved demographic, el Sol del Valle was declared the vehicle to continue this work. Nearly four years later, this unlikely alliance continues meeting regularly. Now dubbed the Colorado West Spanish News Collaborative, we look forward to expanding our efforts beyond el Sol del Valle to tackle shared reporting projects and eventually, we hope, produce a radio show.
All this to say, I’ve witnessed firsthand that we are all made better in working together. The Sopris Sun benefits tremendously from the creative influence of our talented Sol del Valle team. Our humble nonprofit newsroom is elevated by sitting at the proverbial table with Aspen Daily News, Aspen Journalism, Aspen Public Radio, KDNK Community Access Radio, Radio La Tricolor, The Aspen Times and the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. And our community as a whole benefits from an informed and inspired population, properly represented.
We are beyond grateful to Aspen Daily News for partnering with us to bring Sol del Valle to where it is today. Their investment in this vision and continued commitment to news equity signal a business rooted in ideals. The decision to absorb production and distribution of that brand back under The Sopris Sun umbrella was catalyzed by a study commissioned by Colorado Media Project earlier this year.
As our executive director will tell you, it isn’t a light lift. Embracing the responsibility of carrying forth the Sol del Valle torch will add hundreds of thousands of dollars to our annual expenses. While it also expands ad sales and grant opportunities, we will continue to depend on donations to bridge the gap.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, The Sopris Sun is more than a newspaper. We are a mission-driven institution, informing, inspiring and building community by fostering diverse and independent journalism. Sol del Valle has become a big part of meeting that mission and is complemented by our weekly training program for high schoolers interested in becoming journalists.
And we couldn’t do what we do without you. Help prove the merit of hyper local news informed by community voices by donating today at www.soprissun.com/donate or send a check to PO Box 399, Carbondale CO 81623