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Syracuse University News21 is a digital journalism team made up of current and former students of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the University of Texas at Austin. We are photojournalists, reporters and videographers documenting changes to the U.S. population, according to the 2010 Census. As part of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education, our team brings data to life by telling stories about the rising Hispanic communities in Allentown, Bethlehem and Reading, Pa.
By Kuan Luo
How Hispanics are changing the country … or not.
Basilio Bonilla is an unlikely poster child for education reform. His mother is Caucasian. His father, though Puerto Rican, was born in the United States and has never been to his native island. Yet Bonilla identifies as Latino and he's turning heads in his race for a seat on the Bethlehem Area School Board. Bonilla, 20, represents the cultural and political assimilation common among third-generation Hispanics. Watch the video to follow his campaign.
Juan Zabala moved to Reading from the Dominican Republic when he was 2. In the twenty years since, his family opened a restaurant and thrived as Reading declined around them. To try and save the city he loves, Zabala decided to run for mayor. Watch this documentary about his political – and personal – journey.
On the South Side of Bethlehem, the sounds of cars, music, and skateboards fill the air. Nestled between Daly and Steel Avenues, the skatepark serves as a place for local youth to skate and BMX. But you won’t find stereotypical blonde, shaggy-haired slackers here. Instead, the skaters are Hispanic kids from the neighborhood. Watch the video to meet Andy Vasquez, 23, a fixture in the skatepark.
Pennsylvania is far from traditional Hispanic strongholds like Texas and California, but a number of factors pull newcomers here.
In Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, Hispanic
entrepreneurs open small businesses so the
next generation won't have to work in them.
At its peak, Bethlehem Steel drew waves of Hispanics to labor jobs
in its boiling coke works. Decades later, these retirees remember
what brought them to the Lehigh Valley, and why they stay.
As the Hispanic population grows in the Lehigh Valley,
the African-American community finds itself in the minority, again.
Assimilation is twice as complicated for Lehigh Valley Hispanics who identify as LGBT.
The unlikeliest members of Bethlehem’s Hispanic community are the three older, white people you’re about to meet. Their paths wound through Colombia, a housing project, and a town in New Jersey burdened with racism. They shared their gifts of money, political clout, connections, and opportunity with a community of people who looked different and spoke a foreign language. But what they gave their Hispanic neighbors was no match for the friendships, new extended families, and sense of purpose they received in return.
Jeniffer Aguilar wants to be a typical American teenager. So why does she frighten so many lawmakers?
America’s public schools are on the verge of a major cultural shift. By mid-century, or even sooner, more than 50 percent of America’s youth will be minorities. But at one high school in eastern Pennsylvania, the future is already here.
With its new FM signal, Hola Radio broadcasts Hispanic culture to the mainstream
List View
Post
Excerpt
Officer William Rodriguez, one of four Hispanic officers in the Bethlehem Police Department, finishes up an incident report after returning a lost wallet found in the middle of the street. Officers of the Bethlehem Police Department respond to an armed … 
Most Friday afternoons, Manny Cepeda speeds east on the highway toward New York City in a white passenger van. Inside, he and seven other travelers chatter in rapid-fire Spanish while listening to upbeat Latin American dance tunes, including bachata music …
Eric “Ekko” Vega, 23, poses for a picture outside of Sullivan Hall in New York City. “Ekko” Vega shakes hands in front of Sullivan Hall before his performance. Ekko, a Latino rapper from Reading, Pennsylvania, and his brother Hector “Hec” …
As the national housing market founders, Hispanic homeownership in eastern Pennsylvania is on the rise. In fact, Hispanic homeownership in Allentown, and neighboring Reading, is the highest in the state.
In May, gymnast Jazmyn Estrella, 13, competed in the 2011 Junior Olympics National Championships in Long Beach, Calif. She was the only athlete representing Parkettes, a gymnastics training center in Allentown, Pa. One of four Latino gymnasts at Parkettes, Jazmyn stood on her head at 2, first competed at 5, and now participates at the highest level of her sport. Jazmyn wants to earn a gymnastics scholarship to attend college. Her sights are set on the University of Florida. Click through the gallery to see her routine.
The Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church on 2nd Street is one of more than a hundred Pentecostal and evangelical “storefront churches” in Allentown, Pa. There are a dozen churches on the street within five blocks of each other, all boasting …
Thirteen years ago, a parade organized by the black Elks of Reading as part of Edgar Steel Day brought people to the streets. The event, now known as the Afro-Latino parade, runs the same route. On June 11, community members along the parade route waved Dominican and American flags. Chicken was served alongside rice and beans, and cheers alternated between English and Spanish. “You should just include everyone in the community,” says Earl Lucas, owner of Afro-Latino magazine, the parade’s sponsor.
As Roosevelt “747” Overton steps up to lane 32 in the Playdrome Rose Bowl in Allentown, Pa., he lifts the ball to his chin and stares down the lane. He takes the last few steps, pulls the ball back behind him, and hurls it onto the glossy wood. It drifts towards the right edge and flirts with the gutter before spinning back to center and scattering all ten pins. Roosevelt — Rosie to his friends — lifts his leg up and stretches his arms out to the side. “See?” laughs his friend Pedro Quinones, mimicking Rosie’s plane-like celebratory posture. “That’s why we call him the 747.”
The red, white, and blue flags stretched across car hoods and billowed from the backs of trucks and the hands of waving float riders. On the procession’s sidelines, they adorned baby strollers and dogs’ neckties. But instead of the 13 …
On the bus, Tijir and Richard discuss what they are most excited to see when they arrive in New York. “The Empire State Building!” says Tijir. Richard disagrees, “I want to see the iPods on the street. They say they’re mad cheap.” Tijir nods his head in agreement and the boys return to their portable video game players. This is Tijir’s first visit to New York and he is excited, chattering and smiling throughout the ride. Richard has been to New York once. “But that was years ago,” the 10-year-old explains.
In the hallways of William Allen High School, among faces that mirrored her own, Allie Mulvihill began to feel like she fit in.
The Mulvihill family adopted Allie from an orphanage in Jutiapa, Guatemala, in 1994, five days after her second birthday. The family fought a 15-year battle for Allie to be granted citizenship in the only nation she’s ever known.
Hundreds of eager shoppers burst through the bright yellow caution tape, power walking, arms swinging, into two massive, white tents set up for the Great South Side Sale on Saturday morning. Six hundred and six people crossed the entrance in …
Noe Cabello, 17, is the first Hispanic valedictorian to graduate from Reading High School. On June 9, 858 students graduated at the Sovereign Center in downtown Reading, Pa. A city of more than 80,000, Reading is now 58 percent Hispanic, …
The bilingual have an advantage in today’s harsh job market, but people of all backgrounds continue to look for work.
Cody Coronado will travel more than 2,200 miles next month to box on behalf of Guatemala, his father’s homeland. The 17-year-old from Easton, Pa., is set to compete with the young members of Guatemala’s Olympic team at the Central American Championship in Panama City, Panama.
1Jillian Anthony
Writer
2Alicia Atterberry
Video Journalist
3Caitlin Dewey
Writer
4Katie Friel
Writer
5Andrew Hida
Multimedia Journalist
6Kuan Luo
Graphic Designer
7Christine Mehta
Multimedia Journalist
8Shayna Meliker
Writer
9Bob Miller
Multimedia Journalist
10Raymond Thompson
Multimedia Journalist
11Marina Zarya
Social Media Strategist
12Aileen Gallagher
Assistant Professor
13Seth Gitner
Assistant Professor
14Tom Kennedy
Associate Professor
15Jeff Passetti
Adjunct Professor
Jillian Anthony is a journalist originally from San Dimas, California. She worked as assistant executive producer of the award-winning, student-run website The NewsHouse while earning her master’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She was a minority fellowship finalist and was awarded a full scholarship for the magazine, newspaper, and online journalism program. She previously served as managing editor of University of San Diego’s newspaper, The Vista, and as an editorial intern for San Diego Magazine. Jillian is passionate about travel and hopes to share her experiences with many people and cultures, beginning with the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania.
Alicia Atterberry recently graduated with a B.A. in television-radio-film and economics. During her time at Syracuse University, she served as director and editor of CitrusTV Noticias, a student-run, Spanish-language news program and edited video content for the State University of New York-College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Last summer, Alicia interned at Creablast Picture, a production company in Strasbourg, France, where she edited music videos and concert footage. Alicia enjoys good food, art, and anything shot at 24 fps.
Caitlin is a digital journalist and occasional music critic. Her work has appeared in print in The New York Times and Kiplinger's Personal Finance, as well as on the websites of The Washington Post and The Village Voice. Recently, she created an iPad-based magazine called Salt and a crowd-sourced, 48-hour zine called TK, which earned nods from the journalism innovation blog 10,000 Words. She looks forward to working in the Lehigh Valley – while eating as much Dominican food as possible, of course.
Katie is currently a master’s candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to being a contributor for Austinist, her work has appeared in the Daily Texan and on the website for Texas Monthly- where she also interned. Before moving to Texas, Katie worked for a branding firm in New York. In 2006, she graduated from the Catholic University of America, with a BA in Media Studies and a minor in Video Production. Considering last summer she worked in a snow cone trailer, Katie is thrilled to be living and working in the Lehigh Valley.
Andrew was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is currently a master's candidate in multimedia, photography, and design at Syracuse University. Andrew has worked as a freelance documentary photographer and multimedia storyteller in Seattle, Washington. His work has been funded through numerous awards, including the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, and the Photo Center Northwest, and exhibited throughout Washington, most recently at the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle. He graduated in 2005 from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in conservation ecology and Spanish.
Kuan is a full-time graphic designer and part-time journalist. She recently graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in graphic design and writing and rhetoric. She received the Society of News Design’s Designer of the Year award, and Department of Multimedia, Photography and Design senior award from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Originally from Shanghai, China, Kuan enjoys her time abroad and is always inspired by different cultures and their people. So far, Lehigh Valley has inspired her most recently favorite color palette.
Christine Mehta is a Syracuse University graduate with a B.A. in international relations and journalism. At SU, she covered humanitarian, political and international issues in Syracuse, NY, Ecuador, Chile, and South Africa. She was the recipient of the Henry J. Wolff Prize, the AEJMC Prize for best student international multimedia news story, and recognized as the graduating senior "deemed most proficient in journalism." She has written for The Post-Standard, The Stand, Jerk Magazine, The NewsHouse, and English-language news publications such as The Santiago Times in Chile. Christine plans to pursue communications development for non-profits in the developing world.
Shayna is a 2011 alumna of Syracuse University, with degrees in newspaper and online journalism and Spanish language, literature and culture. She has held internships with The Virginian-Pilot, The Baltimore Sun, The Baltimore Examiner and the Newseum, a news museum in Washington, D.C. Shayna served as the news editor of The Daily Orange from October 2008 to May 2009, and received the Newhouse School’s Henry J. Leader Prize for the best senior in newspaper editing. She's pretty sure she's the only Baltimore journalist who hasn't seen "The Wire."
Bob Miller is a photographer and multimedia journalist with roots in the deep South. Before returning to graduate school at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Bob covered humanitarian, conflict and human interest stories in Kenya, Sudan, Bolivia, Mexico and the United Kingdom. His work has been recognized by the College Photographer of the Year competition, the International Photography Awards and the Alexia Foundation for World Peace. Specializing in multimedia storytelling for editorial, non-profit and corporate clients, Bob implements a variety of media to give stories their most appropriate voice.
Raymond is a graduate student from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently pursing his Masters degree in journalism with concentration in photojournalism. He graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BA is American Studies. He has work as a photojournalist for the Door County Advocate, the Times of Northwest Indiana, the Kane County Chronicle, and Times Community Newspapers.
Marina Zarya Born in Russia and raised in Brooklyn, Marina Zarya is a recent Syracuse graduate with a B.S. in Advertising and minors in Spanish and Psychology. She managed the University’s internet radio station, WERW, and helped produce radio shows for NPR stations WRVO & WAER, NPR. While in school, she was a Bayliss scholar and Remembrance scholar. She held internships at Saatchi & Saatchi, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Marina is a passionate photographer, designer, writer, and social media strategist. She is also a recent recipient of a Fulbright award.
Aileen is an assistant professor in the magazine department at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Prior to working at Syracuse University, she was a senior editor at New York Magazine’s award-winning website, NYMag.com. Her writing has appeared in various print and online publications, including New York, the New York Post, Bust, The New York Law Journal, The Hairpin, and Deadspin. She was a founding editor of the independent online magazine The Black Table. A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, Aileen is happy to be back in the land of Wawa.
Seth Gitner has been interested in multimedia journalism since 1998 when he first learned about pairing recorded audio with still photographs. Presently he is an assistant professor in the Newspaper and Online Journalism department at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University teaching multimedia storytelling. Prior to this he was the Multimedia Editor at The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com after being a staff photojournalist there. His multimedia work has been recognized by the National Press Photographer's Association's Best of Photojournalism Contest and Pictures of the Year International. He writes a monthly column on multimedia storytelling for the NPPA monthly magazine, News Photographer.
Tom is the Alexia chair for documentary photography in the multimedia, photography and design department at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Prior to working at Syracuse University, he was the first managing editor for multimedia at washingtonpost.com where his team earned numerous awards include EMMYs, a Peabody, and four consecutive Edward R. Murrow awards. Prior to venturing into digital media, he was director of photography at the National Geographic and assistant graphics editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Tom loves using visual media to tell meaningful stories other mainstream media outlets are overlooking.
Jeff is a professional illustrator, designer, programmer, and professor, specializing in website design. He teaches both at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and iSchool at Syracuse University. He has recently designed and programmed two award-winning journalism websites: Handshake Magazine and World Journalism Project.
