I remember when el Sol del Valle was just an idea. Before we were co-workers, Raleigh Burleigh was already a great friend. We had arranged to meet at Spring Gulch for Nordic skiing in early 2021.
After a tough and isolated pandemic, I longed to be able to connect with friends in the great outdoors. As we slid down the snowy trails, Raleigh told me about a project he was planning to start; a Spanish-language newspaper. He described it to me as an artistic magazine, or something of that nature. Something that would not only inform, but also carry the essence of the Latino culture.
Months later, I was invited to be a board member and began writing my column, Al No Artista, about creativity and art. I enjoyed being able to philosophize about what I believed in and to develop those theories. Art and words have always been two of my greatest loves, and it gave me great joy to be able to combine the two.
After a while, Crystal Mariscal, as the great communicator and organizer that she is, took over as the first editor of el Sol del Valle. Slowly over the months, I got to know the other columnists and recognized that each of them had an incredible story, and so much to contribute to their community.
I remember one of those first columns was by Judith Alvarez-Quiroz, Desde la Clínica. Judith is one of the most altruistic people I know, always sharing information on how to improve one’s health and, on top of that, the work she does with SANA. Through that first column, I learned that Judith was a medical assistant in Mexico and that she also had a column published in The New York Times, sharing the loss of her husband during the pandemic.
And like Judith, many other columnists came to share their personal stories and expand their work to communicate with the Spanish-speaking community through el Sol del Valle.
After several months, in the middle of 2022, Crystal resigned from her position, and like Bambi on ice, a little unsure of what I was doing, I accepted the position as editor. During this year and a half, I have seen the expansion and need for what Raleigh once dreamed.
A partnership was formed with seven media partners spanning from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, including Aspen Daily News, Aspen Public Radio, Aspen Journalism, Aspen Times, KDNK, Post Independent and La TriColor. We have also collaborated with other media outlets outside of our partnership, including Chalkbeat, The Colorado Sun and KGNU.
El Sol del Valle received a grant from the Colorado Media Project that helped not only to create a full-time editor position, but also provided us with the funds necessary to hire Latino freelancers. We have a team of approximately 10 columnists, two translators, an illustrator, a photographer and an intern.
Our columnists are a team of professionals who provide information to their community on topics ranging from culture and the arts to immigration and the immigrant experience, law enforcement and civic rights, environmental sustainability and preservation, physical and mental health, as well as food insecurity services.
Our columnists are people who have lived in the community, who are critical thinkers and have a lot to say. I have seen them grow from people who were unsure of their contribution as columnists to people who are inspired and willing to dive into a story to report about their own community.
One of our translators, Jacquelinne Castro, is now also our illustrator, after she very timidly submitted a drawing for our New Year’s issue in 2023. I have seen her improve as a translator after her talent as an artist was also recognized and encouraged.
Triny Rochin, columnist for Volver a lo Esencial (Back to Basics), went through several topics until she decided she wanted to focus on the evolution of the “American Dream” and highlight family values. After writing her first column on this topic, she has been approached by Latino family businesses who want to be featured in her column. A few months ago, she sent me a message and told me she was meeting members of the community she had never spoken to despite living in the valley for more than 20 years.
Jackie Ramirez is our COLab intern. She wrote her first story in Spanish and proudly shared it on social media because her story was featured on the cover. Now, she is managing our social media and also shares the Chisme del Pueblo feature as a video.
There are many more examples like these. I could talk about each one of the members of this team and “throw flowers” at them, as they say in Spanish. I speak about our contributors because they are also the community that reads and shares the newspaper. El Sol del Valle is a place where the community can be uplifted and highlighted, as well as informed. It is an example of collaboration between various news outlets for the benefit and health of a community that has been largely left uninformed via print media in our region.
People who didn’t think their stories were worth telling are seeing their names and photos in the paper. Writers and creators whose thoughts and work had gone unexpressed are now making a difference.
I am the number one fan of the contributors who not only accepted me as their editor, but also trusted me. It has been my great pleasure to work with all of them, and I thank them. Earlier this month, I handed in my letter of resignation to the Sopris Sun board of directors. I will continue to collaborate with el Sol del Valle as I did at its inception, as an arts and creativity columnist. I hope that el Sol del Valle continues to grow under the guidance of someone who sees the magic of what this newspaper and this community is all about. Happy New Year!