Editorial:
This past year has been one with its trials and tribulations, a difficult year to say the least. With that said, there is still much to be thankful for and we would like to share with you those things that we are thankful for here at La Prensa San Diego.
With the challenges that we have had to face during the year we have had to make tough decisions and choices. We have had to scale back the business which meant laying off some people, which is always a difficult thing to do. This means we have had to do more with less. We have had to cut back on services that we once used to offer at no charge. We have made personal sacrifices to continue publishing, to bringing those news stories that we felt are relevant. We are not alone in this struggle. Many, many other small businesses and individuals are in the same situation taking similar actions to continue on as a business and as families.
What this year’s struggle has done, is that it has helped us to focus on what is important. It has helped us to re-dedicate ourselves to the goals and principals of the newspaper. It is now, as it was 35 years ago, important to us that we continue to provide a voice for the Chicano/Hispanic community. It is important that we continue to provide a beacon.
In 1976 and the proceeding years it was financially difficult to publish weekly, every year, without missing an issue. Then the difficult times were for different reasons. We were the only bilingual newspaper in San Diego County, we were only one of about 45 Hispanic newspapers in all of the United States, there was no marketing focused on Hispanics. We were, back then, breaking new ground and finding ways to survive, the ultimate in on the job learning. Survive we did but it took hard work and great sacrifice. We believed then, as we do now that the newspaper was too important to let it fail. It was not about making money. It was about the community and empowering the community in the best way we knew how, by providing a voice and sharing the stories of our community.
La Prensa San Diego had an impact on the community and we did survive, we survived because of the community, of the support from the community, and because we were growing as the community grew.
Today the dynamics are different but the goals are still the same, the focus is still the same, to continue to serve the Hispanic community and, like during the early years, we now make the sacrifices needed to continue publishing every week. We continue to do this for the same reason – the Hispanic community. This community continues to read, react, and support La Prensa as they always have. For this we are extremely thankful.
We are also thankful for family who are and have always been the support that we need which re-enforces us in the knowledge that we are doing the right thing and who join with us in making the necessary sacrifices to continue on. We are also thankful for our friends who offer encouragement and support without which we would not be able to continue on publishing.
So it is in these challenging times that we re-discover those things that are truly important and those things that we are grateful for and for this we have much to be thankful for.