La Voz magazine is a monthly Spanish publication that seeks to give a voice to the untold stories of the Hispanic community. Mariel Fiori, the magazine’s managing editor, founded the magazine with a classmate while she was a student at Bard College.

"We started this very tiny thing, that we wanted a newsletter in Spanish for the Spanish speaking community, and there wasn’t much around – actually, there was nothing in Spanish at that point," Fiori said.

After a few years, interest in La Voz grew at other universities and in the greater community. The magazine is now distributed in eight counties throughout the Hudson Valley, offering vital information and inspiring stories about the Hispanic community of the region.

"It's all about if you are new to a place what things you need to know, very basic, but also you are here; we love you," said Fiori.

Laura Perez, a Bard student writer for La Voz who's originally from Venezuela, says the magazine gave her a sense of belonging.

"When I arrived to Bard, I didn’t know anyone," said Perez. "The first thing I saw that reminded me of my country was the magazine La Voz in the campus center.”

The magazine can be found at Spanish restaurants, churches, and community centers around the region. Fiori says her team seeks to give power to the community through information.

"There is a word, a phrase that we say [meaning] knowledge is power, "conocimiento es poder,” and I think this is important. If you are new in a place or old in a place, you need to know how things work," said Fiori.

With many members of the community being first or second generation immigrants, having a publication in Spanish is valuable.

"Being able to see something physical, something that you don’t have to search for in your language, and it reflects your culture, I think that’s very important for people," said La Voz reporter and editor Nohan Meza.

Mariel decided to bring Spanish-language news and information to local radio, too, creating the La Voz show three years ago with cohost Antonio Flores-Lobos, and later, her own daily one-hour show, “La Voz con Mariel Fiori,” in June 2019.

"The English-language media doesn’t know we exist, and if they know, they don’t care. We are totally under-represented and mis-represented, so by having this space, it's like a sacred space," said Fiori.

The “La Voz con Mariel Fiori” show is conducted entirely in Spanish, and consists of interviews with influential members of the community, discussing everything from the census to Black Lives Matter to local job opportunities.

Although every day on the show is a celebration of Hispanic heritage, they welcome the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

"I think Hispanic Heritage Month, like any heritage month, is an opportunity to show the rest of the nation that here we are, and we are an object of celebration; here we are, here's what we’re bringing, here's what we’re doing," said producer Angelica Medaglia.

You can the find La Voz magazine online or in the community and listen to the “La Voz con Mariel Fiori” radio show at this link or on Radio Kingston at 1490 AM or 107.9 FM from Monday through Friday at 10 a.m.