Slowing Down, Always Forward

BOSTON — It’s the 98th week of The Latino Newsletter, and I thought I was going to write about the transformational 1st Annual Latino Leaders Summit the Unidos in Power team hosted in the Back Bay on Friday.

But by Saturday night, I heard the news that the Red Sox had fired manager Alex Cora, a proud Puerto Rican who has given so much to this region. As expected, the overwhelming majority of the city’s sports media world wasn’t talking about how the Cora story played in Boricua communities. That’s what I was going to explore some more until reports emerged of a shooter targeting President Trump and administration officials in a ballroom with journalists at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. I knew Latino and Latina journalists there and can only imagine how they must have felt.

My journalist world is a bit different from the frantic pace the political algorithm would like us to follow. There is much that happens around us that we can’t control. I have discovered that slowing down helps me during these moments. As much as I fought it, it is what I seek.

I thought a good Sunday morning soccer league game would at least put me in a better headspace, but I got injured and have been resting since then. So I have had to slow down, no matter.

And while I couldn't publish a reported story or opinion piece for tonight’s edition, week 98 feels like a good moment to check in on the journey.

For close to two years — May 2024 was when The Latino Newsletter went from idea to launch — I keep reminding myself that this outlet’s mission is to open up funding spaces and create new lanes for a small group of talented independent journalists to practice their craft at the high bar it must always meet. I have said in the past that The Latino Newsletter’s proof of concept is completed. Now it’s just a question of how big (or small) we can become.

The next few months with American Colony will be ambitious, but it will be yet another example of what we can produce, because no matter where The Latino Newsletter goes next, it will never deviate from that foundational mission. Always forward.

Diversifying our sustainability strategy while maintaining what we have built is critical and intentional. We have begun drafting our audience development plan through the Latino Media Consortium’s ACB Program via Press Forward, alongside other conversations we will share more about soon.

I am also grateful for the readers and supporters who have made these 98 weeks possible. You are the reason this continues. Gracias mil.

JRV

(If you missed my last startup update from April 7, you can read it here. All startup journey posts are here.)

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Rising Political Violence: Via The Conversation, “Alfonso Serrano, The Conversation’s politics and society editor, spoke with James Piazza, a political violence scholar at Penn State, about what is driving the rise of political violence in the U.S. and what can be done about it.”

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. He edited and published this edition of The Latino Newsletter.

Consider donating to The Latino Newsletter. Any contribution, no matter how small, helps keep this newsletter free and accessible to all. ¡Gracias mil!