At 100, La Opinión Hands the Pen to the Community That Shaped Its Story

Somos L.A. Columna, now live, celebrates La Opinión's 100-year anniversary by inviting people to tell the story of Los Angeles in their own words.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- La Opinión, the nation's leading Spanish-language daily newspaper owned by multicultural media and marketing company My Code, turns 100 today, September 16. The paper is marking the centennial with Somos L.A. Columna, an editorial platform, now live, that turns its opinion pages over to the readers it has served for a century.

Somos L.A. Columna reinforces La Opinión's role as a civic institution, not only documenting Los Angeles, but reflecting it. Rather than relying solely on journalists, experts, and public figures, the platform hands the pen to everyday Angelenos. Community leaders, athletes, artists, and activists will share the experiences and perspectives that have shaped the city. The initiative features community members from across Los Angeles, each sharing their perspective through a 100-word column published in print, across La Opinión's digital properties, and on its owned and operated social channels.

This celebration arrives at a particularly meaningful moment for the broader Hispanic community. When Ignacio E. Lozano Sr. published the first issue of La Opinión in 1926, he chose September 16 deliberately to coincide with Mexican Independence Day. The paper's birthday was a declaration of identity before it was ever an anniversary. Hispanic Heritage Month, established decades later, now begins on September 15. One hundred years on, the two calendars meet.

"La Opinión has been part of the fabric of this city for a century, and as a native Angeleno, I know what this paper means to Los Angeles and the communities it serves," said Amani Duncan, Chief Executive Officer of My Code. "Ignacio Lozano, Sr. launched this paper on Mexican Independence Day because he understood the importance of creating a trusted source of news and information for his community. That trust has been earned over generations, creating a place where Angelenos can see their lives and experiences reflected with depth and dignity. Somos L.A. Columna honors that legacy by inviting the voices shaping Los Angeles today to help tell its story."

The centennial launch includes:

• A dedicated digital hub. Now live at laopinion.com/la-opinion-100-aniversario, the hub houses Somos L.A. Columna and sets the paper's archive alongside the new voices, placing a century of Los Angeles reporting next to the Angelenos writing its next chapter.
• An anthem video. A manifesto film running across La Opinión's digital and social platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. It opens on the line "We've always been here," moves through a century of documented history, and lands on the platform's premise: "We don't just witness history. We write it together." It closes in Spanish: "Porque aquí seguimos. Y aquí seguiremos."
• City of Los Angeles recognition. La Opinión's original home at 302 N. Los Angeles Street has been selected as a featured site in HistoricPlacesLA Revealed: Latino Los Angeles, a City of Los Angeles initiative recognizing places significant to the city's Latino heritage. A physical marker will be installed near the site as part of the program, connecting visitors to multimedia content about La Opinión's place in Los Angeles history.

The approach reflects the paper's own record. For 100 years, La Opinión has covered the deportations and repatriations of the 1930s, the Zoot Suit Riots, and every wave of change in Los Angeles since. The centennial platform extends that record by making the community itself the author.

"For Somos L.A. Columna, we wanted to hear from people who have a real connection to Los Angeles–people with something meaningful to say about the city they know and the communities they call home," said Ricardo López Juárez, Managing Editor. "These columns bring together the perspectives, experiences and stories that make Los Angeles what it is. After 100 years of telling the city's story, it felt right to open the page to the people who live it every day and let them tell that story in their own words."

Somos L.A. Columna is live now at laopinion.com/la-opinion-100-aniversario .

About My Code
My Code is a culture-first media company and marketing agency that connects brands with growth audiences, the multicultural and multigenerational consumers who represent the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. market. My Code acquired a majority ownership interest in impreMedia in 2022, bringing the country's leading Spanish-language news brands into its portfolio.

Founded in Los Angeles on September 16, 1926, by Ignacio E. Lozano Sr., La Opinión is the leading Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States and the country's oldest Mexican-American daily. La Opinión is published by impreMedia, whose portfolio also includes El Diario in New York, La Raza in Chicago, and La Opinión de la Bahía in San Francisco.

SOURCE My Code