The Latinx Advocate

Whatever else has happened to you over the past few months,
you’ve more than likely been keeping up with everything that’s
going on, by checking the news.


Along with NPR, some of Louisiana’s most reliable news sources
are the local New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Acadiana editions of
the daily newspaper, The Advocate. Both in print and online.


The Publisher of all of the editions of The Advocate is Judi
Terzotis.


The last time Judi was on Out to Lunch, back in February - which
now seems like a lifetime ago - she was talking about how The
Advocate was bucking national newspaper trends. In the face of
shrinking circulations and streamlined newsrooms in most other
places, The Advocate was hiring reporters, it was growing
newsrooms, it had recently acquired the New Orleans Times
Picayune,  it was seeing new revenue streams from
merchandising and live events… Everything seemed to be humming
along.


Then Covid 19 hit. Now, when you go to the Advocate’s website
there’s an advertisement that says “Our Covid 19 news team needs
your help,” and there’s a “Donate” button. It’s been
reported that journalists at The Advocate have taken pay cuts,
and that 10% of the New Orleans newsroom has been temporarily
furloughed. What was it about the pandemic that turned The
Advocate from an outlier media success story into a newspaper
that’s having a tough time?


Latinx Entrepreneurs


There’s no two ways about it - this is a tough time to be in
business. There is help available to get through this rough
patch – in the form of business loans, and even grants. Some are
through Federal agencies, some are from State agencies, and
there’s money available from city governments in New Orleans,
Baton Rouge, and Lafayette.


Getting a hold of this money is not easy. Typically, businesses
benefit by being a member of a business alliance to help them
navigate the maze of regulation and bureaucracy.  But
some businesses are too small to join alliances like the Chamber
of Commerce. For those small owner-operator businesses, getting
access to financial expertise of any kind is challenging.


You might be a great hairdresser, house painter, or plumber, but
that doesn’t mean you have great – or even any - business skills.
Now, imagine having the added problem of not being able to speak
English. That’s the position many Latinx self-employed
people find themselves in, in Louisiana. And that’s why
there’s an organization called El Centro. El Centro provides
business assistance for Latinx entrepreneurs.


Lindsey Navarro is Executive Director of El Centro. There’s a
local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, but that’s not El Centro. If
there was ever an organization that truly exists to help the
little guy, it’s El Centro.


Photos from this show by Jill Lafleur are on our website.


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