Series Triggers New Hispanic Weekly

In 1919, Eamon de Valera, the first president of the Irish Republic, visited Lawrence to raise money and thank the city council for being the first U.S. government body to recognize the republic.

Today, Lawrence is a must stop for candidates running for president of the Dominican Republic. And the former Hibernian Hall is a Latino nightclub called Galaxia. The 2000 census shows Lawrence is New England’s most Hispanic city and one of the 10 most Hispanic cities outside the Sunbelt. Sixty percent of its 72,000 residents have roots in Latin America – a greater percentage than residents of San Antonio.

In some ways, Lawrence has changed dramatically. In other ways, the “Immigrant City” is what it has always been – a first stop on the job and housing ladder for new U.S. arrivals; many do not speak English.

In the early 1900s, newspapers in the languages of their homelands provided a familiar voice and helped newcomers make the transition to America. At least six foreign language papers – in Italian, French, German and Syrian – were published in Lawrence. Many more circulated here.

Today, you’ll find Spanish-language newspapers on the newsstands. One is El Puente, published by the English-language Eagle-Tribune, a 101-year-old, family-owned daily, circulation of 60,000. El Puente (The Bridge) is a 16- to 20-page tabloid insert that goes with The Eagle-Tribune on Wednesday to about 9,300 households in Lawrence. On Friday, hundreds more sell on newsstands in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen. It features local news, Latin American news from the AP, sports, commentary and community and social news, including quinceaneras – the coming-of-age celebrations for Hispanic girls turning 15.

El Puente is produced by five bilingual Latino staffers, led by news editor Katheleen Conti, a native of Puerto Rico, and community news editor Yadira Betances, who came from the Dominican Republic and started working for The Eagle-Tribune while in high school.

The idea for El Puente came out of last year’s 10-part series, “Unrealized Assets,” which attempted to look at our core city in a different way. Lawrence is the state’s poorest city with high rates of crime and other ills. Over the years, The Eagle-Tribune has done stories on the city’s problems. What we hadn’t done in a comprehensive way was to look at the opportunities. The series examined 10 of them, including the growing Latino population.

Some descendants of earlier immigrants see the Latino majority as a threat. In fact, Latinos are revitalizing the city. More than 300 Hispanic-owned small businesses fill downtown storefronts and offices left empty by firms that closed or moved to the suburbs. Latinos were the major factor in the region’s 2000 census growth – up 54 percent, compared to 4.4 percent for the rest of the population. Their median age is 10 years younger than that of Anglo suburbanites. They are our region’s future homeowners, workers, shoppers and readers.

The series was intended to open people’s eyes to the potential in Lawrence. It opened our eyes. Here was this vibrant community that we were not reaching. Up to half the Latino population speaks little or no English.

We began talking about a Spanish-language weekly with our Community Advisory Board, which includes Latinos, then with local Latino business and community leaders in focus groups.

The first meeting was not comfortable. Latinos told us our coverage of them and of what they now see as their city has contributed to their isolation. There were many crime stories and soft features on bodegas and not enough about the real life of the community. They would welcome their own newspaper – but not if it increased their isolation. At the same time, they were eager for us to help them bridge the gap with their Anglo neighbors.

Hence El Puente’s name. The goal of building bridges is why we translate major stories and editorials from El Puente for The Eagle-Tribune. And it was a factor in deciding to distribute El Puente to subscribers throughout Lawrence, not just Hispanic households.

We’ve had some flak from Anglo readers since El Puente’s March launch. “You are giving everything to the Spanish people and we resent this,” was one typical comment. But it has been less than anticipated. It may have helped that we ran an Eagle-Tribune story about Lawrence’s earlier foreign-language newspapers, several columns, an editorial and a Q&A about El Puente.

El Puente is evolving as we look for new ways to reach Latino readers. We’ve added Spanish-language entertainment and TV columns. And with four Latino candidates for mayor, we’ll step up political coverage.

But El Puente has already accomplished one goal: To help The Eagle-Tribune make new connections to the growing Latino community.