Macon Magazine

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 | maconmagazine.com 75 hese days, it's easy to get your daily news with the click of a button or swipe of a screen. Especially in Central Georgia, our local news is on top of stories you need to know to get through your day. About 35 years ago, it wasn't as easy for our Spanish-speaking community to know what was happening in our city. The Spanish-speaking community is no small demographic. In 1985, about 17 million Americans were Hispanic. As of the 2020 census, Latinos accounted for 18.9% of the U.S. population, making them the second-largest racial group in the country, 62 million strong – and the fastest growing. More than 20,000 Hispanic Central Georgians live in the 11-county region, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates. That's one in every 25 people in our community. The absence of Hispanic news coverage changed in the late 1980s when Moises Velez, who had recently moved to Macon, noticed a need he could fill. By founding Que Pasa, Velez became a go- to resource for Spanish news and a trusted advocate for Hispanic Central Georgians, bringing their voices to important conversations. He expanded his reach with a radio show and later a newscast on Mercer's WMUB television station. In 2014, Monica Pirela came on the scene with Medientiorno Magazine, expanding bilingual journalism in the region and covering additional ground from her location in Warner Robins. Noticing a paradigm shi to digital media, she transformed her business model by founding NotiVisión and becoming director and coordinator of Spanish radio news for Estrella Digital in Atlanta, Oasis 97.3 FM in Augusta, and El Gallo 94.3 FM in Middle Georgia, seeking to fulfill what she sees as her "ethical and moral responsibility" to "listen ... carefully to silenced voices, ignored concerns, and dismissed dreams, and then translat[e] those voices into stories that can touch the heart of society." In Que Pasa's 25th year, Senator Jon Ossoff commended Velez to President Biden for his life's work. Both Velez and Pirela have been named among Georgia's 50 Most Influential Latinos by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition to their daily media work, they are active in their communities, organizing events, fundraisers, and networking opportunities for their constituents. As powerhouse journalists who fight tirelessly for Central Georgians, they break barriers for Hispanic representation and crucial news to those whose needs were not being met by English-language outlets, creating a better-informed and more equitable Georgia. Read on to learn more. M O I S E S VE L E Z From the island of Puerto Rico to the heart of Georgia Velez is from Santurce, Puerto Rico, where he gained experience in videography and television. While living there, a group from the United Methodist Church in Macon traveled to Puerto Rico to learn about ministry on the island. Velez couldn't help but suggest a camera angle to a man with the church who was recording the visit. That man later offered Velez a job with the church to work in video production. That decision brought Velez and his family to Macon, Georgia, in 1985. "I'll never forget my first time in Macon," said Velez. "It was during the Cherry Blossom Festival, and we were downtown as the hot air balloons were all around us. I just fell in love with Macon right T there and knew I would call this place home." Velez made it home. He devoted seven years to the United Methodist Church as the production manager until he started his own company, GNM Media Productions. He kept this company while working different jobs at companies such as Wendy's, YKK, and Geico. En Casa and The Telegraph In 1987, he helped create an organization called En Casa, which translates to at home. This nonprofit provided entertainment and networking. For two years, they helped bridge the Hispanic community and Macon at large, offering English and Spanish classes, food banks, cooking classes, and more. Velez first created a newsletter in Spanish to inform the Hispanic community about the opportunities and events happening throughout Macon. This evolved into creating a Spanish section of articles in The Telegraph. While this wasn't a paid opportunity, a friend encouraged him, saying, "What you're going to learn through this is more important than any money you're going to collect right now." Que Pasa with diversity Shortly a er the Telegraph decided to no longer run the Spanish section, the opportunity paid off. Equipped with more experience, in 1988 he created his first newspaper publication, ¿Qué Pasa En Casa?, now known throughout our community as Que Pasa. "It wasn't easy, especially because I'm from Puerto Rico. At that time, most of the Hispanic community was composed of Mexicans. Our cultures are a little different, and I don't think they were as open with me," said Velez. But he kept trying, spending his nights and weekends making it out to as many events in the Hispanic community as possible, such as Quinceañeras, dances, and parties. "I learned how to drink atole [a Mexican hot corn and masa drink] and eat spicy foods, which I didn't really like at the time," said Velez. "I also went to every event and took pictures to get them to look out for the next paper. It worked." It wasn't long before Velez gained the trust of many in the Hispanic community, and his newspaper gained loyal supporters. He wrote articles catered to his audience, such as how to open a checking account, what to know when setting up a doctor's appointment, and everyday tasks that may seem easy to some but difficult to people who didn't speak English and were arriving from a different country. He said one of his biggest initial challenges with connecting with others in Macon was his accent. He grew up bilingual, like many from his island. Still, his English had a Puerto Rican flavor. "When I came to Georgia many years ago," he said, "I had trouble understanding the English here." Southern English and African American English do not "always sound the same as my English or the English you hear on the news," he said. "You have to get used to my accent as I get used to your accent." As a Puerto Rican, Velez was an American citizen from birth, and he and his family were especially welcomed by their church family at United Methodist Church, supporting their transition to life in The States. He didn't face all the same challenges other new arrivals to Central Georgia faced, but what he found through his work with En Casa and Que Pasa was that immigration information was a

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