For Immediate Release

October 15, 2008

New Orleans and Louisiana Officials Honor 200th Anniversary of El Misisipí:

First Spanish-language Newspaper in the United States

NEW ORLEANS -- With proclamations in hand, New Orleans and Louisiana officials commemorated the 200th anniversary of El Misisipí, the first Latino newspaper in the United States, in a ceremony at the New Orleans Museum of Art on Oct. 15.

                 Human Relations Commission Director Larry Bagneris, representing the mayor’s office; Arnie Phielkow, City Council president; and Juan LaFonta, Louisiana State Representive, District 96 presented the proclamations to Dr. Félix Gutiérrez, professor of journalism at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication, who in 1977 identified El Misisipí as the first Latino newspaper in the U.S.

                 “El Misisipí used U.S. free press rights to advocate for those it called the ‘patriots of Spain’ fighting Napoleon’s takeover of Spain its claim on Spanish colonies in the Caribbean and American continent,” said Gutiérrez.  “New Orleans was an international crossroads of commerce and culture and a safe haven for exiles who sided with ‘the friends of freedom’ opposing Napoleon.”

                 “As Spanish-language print, broadcast and digital media continue to grow in the U.S., it is important to recognize 200 years of U.S. journalism with a Latino perspective,” said Gutiérrez.   

                 The bicentennial year began September 7, 2008, the birthdate of El Misisipí, founded in New Orleans in 1808. The bilingual publication served the area until 1810 and was printed on the press of the Louisiana Gazette.

As part of the bicentennial year, Acción Latina, a non-profit, educational and cultural organization in San Francisco, California, is spearheading a project called Voices for Justice: The Enduring Legacy of the Latino Press in the U.S. The project includes a documentary film,  companion book and interactive website that chronicles the 200-year history of Latino news media in the U.S. and the issues they covered.

In addition, Acción Latina launched a national call for Voices for Justice Project, to universities, Latino community organizations, news media and journalism associations to host events through September 2009 commemorating the bicentennial year of U.S. Latino journalism.

Bicentennial commemorative events during the week were held at Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication and at Tulane University’s Department of Communication. An evening reception at the museum with Spanish-language media representatives and the public capped the week’s festivities.

More information about the Voices for Justice Project: www.accionlatina.org.

Media Contacts:

Eva Martínez                                                   Juan Gonzales                                    

Executive Director                                         Voices for Justice Project Coordinator

Acción Latina                                                 Acción Latina

(415) 648-1045 • emartinez@accionlatina.org            (415) 586-9182 • accionjg@aol.com