Uwishunu.com

Maybe you know it or maybe you don’t but some of the leading journalists here in Philadelphia are Colombian. Although most of the Latino population in Philadelphia is Puerto Rican, the Latino media is a growing industry in Philadelphia and los Colombianos are doing it big!

To name a few we have Napoleon Garcia, publisher of Impacto Latino Newspaper, Hernan Guaracao, publisher of Al Día, Ricardo Hurtado, Director of El Sol Latino Newspaper, and Fernando Mendez, Editor-at-Large for El Sol Latino Newspaper & host of Telemundo’s “En Portada.”

Señor Garcia has been known to speak at several events including Taller Puertorriqueño’s Annual Schomburg Symposium and at the African-American Museum in Philadelphia. Mr. Garcia had great vision of making Impacto a vehicle for helping non-profits and community development. Today, Impacto has a wide readership, many innovative elements and circulates throughout Philadelphia, the Philadelphia region and Southern New Jersey. www.impactolatinnews.com

Señor Guaracao obtained a BA degree in Communications from the University of Bogotá in Colombia. After completing graduate work at the University of Iowa in 1991, Guaracao came to the City of Brotherly Love and then in 1992, started the back then 8-page newsletter, published once a month. Today, the full-paged weekly newspaper serves the entire city and the suburbs, including South Jersey and Northern Delaware. www.aldiainc.com

Señor Hurtado who came with his parents to the United States at age 13, serves on the board of The Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter. He started El Sol in 1993 with money he made from another business. But after five short months, the publication hit the rocks and he closed it. In 1998, Hurtado started the Philadelphia Hispanic Business Journal to reach a growing population of Latino professionals in the city and communities like Doylestown, Chalfont and Norristown. www.elsoln1.com

Señor Mendez holds a Masters degree in Spanish and Portuguese from Villanova University and has also taught at several universities in Philadelphia. Previously the editor of El Sol Latin Newspaper, he now serves as Editor-at-Large. Host of “En Portada” on WWSI-TV 62, the show is dedicated to informing the community about current events and interviewing politicians, community leaders and other individuals in the news. Mr. Mendez also serves on the board of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a nationally recognized community based non-profit organization that primarily serves the neighborhoods of Eastern North Philadelphia where the majority of the city’s Latino population resides. www.wwsi-tv.com

So keep your eye out on these people. Not only are they serving their business but also their community. As Latinos we know it’s very important to give back to the community, especially from the hard lives we have lived.