La Prensa was founded in 1986, but for me, the true essence of its origin started in the 5th grade It was the late 1990s, and the fight for women’s rights was in full swing. I was in the 5th grade at Saint Mary’s, and Mrs. Parra’s Religion class had just started. I already knew a lot about the Catholic Church and women’s rights, thanks to my mom. Who has always talked about how women were treated unfairly and how we needed to fight for our rights. So, when Mrs. Parra said that women could not be priests, I raised my hand and argued with her. I was sent out of the class and told to go to the office. The principal, called my mom to come to pick me up.
My mother picked me up from school since I was suspended from attending classes for the rest of the day. And explained to me that the world was not fair and that women have to work extra hard to get ahead, especially Latina women. My mother picking me up from school and explaining the world to me showed me the importance of hard work and resilience.
She told me a story that, at the time, was shocking to me. She told me that after she and my father split when I was only two years old, a Latino businessman had seen her distributing newspapers with me in one arm and a stack of newspapers in the other. She explained that the man asked her how she could even think about owning a newspaper because she was a woman alone with a baby. But, of course, My mother is an extraordinary woman. She has faced many obstacles and discrimination all the way around, but she has always persevered. I want to think that times have changed, but now with women’s freedoms being compromised because of the overturn of Roe Vs. Wade, we are taking steps backward regarding equality for women. My mother always taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and that is what I am going to do. We need to keep moving forward, not backward.
My mother is an incredible example of strength, resilience, and hard work. She has faced many challenges in her life as a woman business owner and has persevered through it all. She is truly marvelous. I am so grateful to have her as my mother. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for my mother to be a woman business owner and single parent. She is an amazing woman and an incredible role model. I am so lucky to have her as my mother.
During this time in the 5th grade, my mother started sharing La Prensa’s mission statement and why the paper was so important to her. She told me that she first got a spark for civil rights and activism when her first love, an Italian boy named Tony, broke up with her because she is Mexican. Despite my mother being like super Raza, she was constantly exposed to the white kids in school because she was always in the honor classes.
Tony’s rejection made my mother think about all the other ways that Mexican Americans were treated differently and unfairly. She realized that there wasn’t a lot of representation of her community in the mainstream media, and she wanted to do something about it. La Prensa was a way for her to use her voice and help give Mexican Americans a platform to be heard. My mother is an incredible person. She has always been ahead of the curve, excelling in everything she does. Her IQ of 157 is well above average, and she has always been able to answer any question the teacher asks the class. Her friends from East Austin were always amazed by her intelligence, and they would say little sly remarks like Ira La Girl, Ira La Girl. she always remains humble and kind.
My mother grew up in East Austin and lived beside her grandfather’s tortilla factory. As a child, she would often help him make the tortillas, Her grandfather was a master of his trade and passed down his knowledge of work ethic to my mother, My mother comes from a long line of business people in Austin dating back more than a hundred years. Her parents had a restaurant, and so did all of her siblings. At one point, my mother’s family had almost five restaurants in the 1980 and 1990s. I like to call that era the reign of the Vasquez family. They were well known in the community for their hard work and delicious food. My mother is the oldest daughter of five children, so she learned a lot about the restaurant business from a young age. After high school, my mother decided to go to college to become a teacher.
Opening a restaurant was never my mother’s dream, but she decided to open a Newspaper that served the Austin community in a different way – by nourishing their minds with knowledge. At the same time, my grandmother was doing affordable home-style Mexican food that was Tex-Mex, and found it very rewarding to know that she was feeding people. My grandmother loved taking care of people. She was a very nurturing, loving, and caring person. So, my mother wanted to make it her mission to feed the minds of the Austin community, specifically the Latino community, which has been an underserved voiceless community in Austin for decades. My mother’s newspaper, La Prensa is a Newspaper that seeks to empower the Latino community through literature and knowledge. It is a safe place for people to come and learn about their culture, history, and identity. My mother wants people to know that they have a voice and that they matter. She wants to provide a space for people to celebrate their culture, and feel proud of who they are. So far, La Prensa has been a success. It has received support from the community and has even won awards. My mother is proud of her newspaper, and of what it represents. She knows that she is making a difference in the lives of the people she serves, and that is all that matters to her. La Prensa quickly turned into something much more important – a mission to empower her community.
The history of La Prensa is very important to me, and I want to share a few of the newspaper’s plans. I never imagined running the paper someday, but my mother’s legacy has come to me. It takes a lot of things to run a community newspaper – one of the most important is a love for the community. I found this seven years ago when I started the La Prensa YouTube channel.
The reason I started the YouTube channel was for selfish reasons at first. I wanted to use the footage to create a portfolio of some kind, but then I fell in love with La Prensa and what it represents. For me, La Prensa meant sacrifice and hardship because, on my sixteenth birthday, I couldn’t get a car. After all, we had to pay for the paper to be printed. So, the newspaper has always been a priority over our wants and needs. I used to fight with my mother and tell her she should have opened a restaurant like my aunts and uncles Now, I see things differently. I see the importance of community journalism and how it can be used as a tool for positive change. La Prensa is more than just a paper to me, it’s a way of life. It’s a way of giving back to the community that has given so much to me.
I fell in love with La Prensa during the first video I recorded, Justice for JumpBolin. Coincidently, the most high-profile issue I covered for the youtube video thus far Sergio and Monica Lejarazu, co-owners of Jumpbolin, arrived at work one day to find their beloved shop had been demolished – without warning or notice. Thousands of dollars worth of inventory and property was lost in the rubble. What’s more, the Lejarazus had two more years left on their lease. In the face of this injustice, the community rallied around the Lejarazus to help them fight for what was rightfully theirs. The Jumpbolin story is one of many that La Prensa has covered over the years. From stories of hope and resilience to stories of heartbreak and loss, La Prensa has always been there to document and give a voice to the Latino community in Austin, Texas. I am proud to be a part of La Prensa and to help continue its tradition of telling the stories of the Latino community. together, we can make sure that the voices of our community are heard loud and clear.
Latino small business owners have been facing disrespect and disregard for many years. This was brought to light when community leaders revealed that the property owners had referred to them as cockroaches. The statement was heartbreaking, and it made me realize just how important La Prensa is to our community. The paper provides a voice for us, and it helps to keep our culture and history alive. It is a vital part of who we are, and I will do everything I can to protect it.
At La Prensa, we are dedicated to exposing the truth, no matter how ugly it may be. We know that it’s easy to live in denial and ignore the realities of inequality and racism that exist all around us, but we believe that it’s crucial for us to be aware of these issues in order to make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of our community members. La Prensa is a voice for the voiceless, and we will continue to fight for justice and equality until everyone in our community has the opportunity to thrive.
Somewhere between fighting with my religion teacher, hearing about my mother’s struggles as a Latina business owner, and covering the events for the newspaper. I realized La Prensa’s worth.
I always thought that money should be the number one reason to have a business like my grandmother’s business. Every day the cash register would ring, and at the end of the day, we would go to the Dairy queen and have an ice cream cone. It made sense. There is so much more that goes into a business. You have to love it. I remember my grandmother would open her restaurant, which was like a big party, and she was the belle of the ball. All her customers loved her. They would come to her for advice or even just a friendly conversation. My mother is the same way people in the community call my mother and ask for advice on specific issues and political direction. I feel that continuing La Prensa will make me more like my mother and grandmother who were always there for their community. I want to be able to help others the way they have. Always so giving and always tried to make a difference. I want to be able to look back and say that I made a difference in this world.
Although I am not one to give political advice, I feel it is important to share the truth with our community and give them a voice. We have been in this country for generations, and yet there are few media outlets that cater to us – the Mexican Americans who have always been here. For example, I watched an interview online with Robert Rodriguez, and he said that before he started El Rey, he realized that there was a television station that featured dog shows and dog races. In other words, there was a television station for dogs before one for Latinos. This is just one example of how we are often overlooked and underrepresented in the mainstream media. But with outlets like El Rey, much like La Prensa we finally have a place where we can see ourselves reflected on screen. And that is so important. It’s a way for us to connect with our culture and our community, and to feel seen and heard.
The future of our community is in danger. Our voices are not being heard, and no one is trying to reach us. We are the fastest-growing population in the country, and yet we are invisible. This must change. We need to make our voices heard and advocate for our needs.
My mother started La Prensa alone in 1986, 36 years ago. I am her legacy, and I am determined to make La Prensa into what it should have been all along: a powerful force for change in our community. I want to expand our reach to encompass more cities in Texas.
I am asking the community not to forget about La Prensa. We are still here. My mother is teaching me how to make the paper, and I will soon release my very first paper done by me. I have a lot of great articles in there, and I hope you can find us at local businesses throughout town.
together we can make a difference. Join La Prensa in advocating for our community!
By Diane Revilla
