The Latino Voice of Corpus Christi, Texas

The NAHJ Parity Project has been a godsend to Corpus Christi. It is through NAHJ’s mentorship, support and dialogue building that our community has made significant strides in advancing the well-being of all our citizens. NAHJ has helped the Caller construct a positive awareness of the Hispanics in Corpus Christi by providing training sessions promoting the history and culture of our Latino roots and helping newspaper personnel understand the needs in our community.

The Parity Project has also provided support in the area of Latino personnel hired at the Caller. One of those outstanding people is lead photographer Jim Sanchez. He has brought quality leadership, quality work and quality representation of the Hispanic community on the newspaper staff. NAHJ came into our lives at a time when everything seemed to be falling apart. The presence of this great organization has facilitated communication between the newspaper and the Hispanic community in a matter of a couple of years that would have otherwise taken decades to establish.

I walked out of the first meeting of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Community Advisory Committee bewitched, bothered and bewildered. At this meeting, we did not want to waste time on the niceties of introductions and ice breakers. In hook, line and sinker style, we immediately took the publisher and editor to task by voicing frustration, anger and concern regarding the decades of oppression of Mexican-Americans in our community perpetuated by the Caller-Times.

The first meeting was not a pretty sight and although both the editor and publisher were cordial, it is safe to say that the intensity of the conversation left everyone feeling a bit shaken. Accusations, blame and condemnation dominated the sphere and none of us really knew where all of this would lead. So, what did we do? What could we do?

A couple of participants decided to resign from the group deciding that the Caller would never change its modus operandi. Those of us who survived the initial meetings were determined to make our relationship work for the sake of the community. In order for us to build trust, we first listened to each other and respected each others’ points of view. This is what NAHJ taught us and that is the springboard from whence our success sprung.

Two and a half years later, although some of the faces have changed and the meetings are somewhat subdued, the Caller-Times is more attuned to the needs of the Hispanic community. We have learned that Libby Averyt, vice president and editor, and Patrick Birmingham, president and publisher, have a genuine and sincere interest in learning about our culture and want to ensure that the Caller is fair and concise. But most importantly, the compassion, care and consideration with which they conduct business are evident by the articles the Caller-Times now publishes. Stories about our local Hispanic community are given prominence and more coverage of Hispanic events is featured. My fellow board member Vicente Carranza says that there is still much work to be done before we can declare complete success, and he is right. Yes, the Caller -Times still makes mistakes and so do we, but we have forged an understanding and relationship that will survive even the most torrid discussions. We care for each other and hone up to our mistakes. We are a familia. The NAHJ Parity Project has given us renewed hope and provided the vehicle for positive change among all stakeholders in our community. I walk away from the meetings now with a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that we have not given up on each other, that we are forging a sense of hope for all and that the process of healing our community has begun.