Focus Journalism

01/17/2024

Cada 12 de Diciembre, el sol atardece sobre Wilkes-Barre, Pensilvania, mientras los gritos de "arriba, arriba, arriba" llenan el aire y el resplandor final del día de invierno cubre una procesión repleta de celebradores disfrazados que bailan por las calles hasta la iglesia de San Nicolás; dejando a su paso una paleta de pétalos de rosa y plumas. Todo es para conmemorar la fiesta católica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe cuando la Virgen María, una figura central en la fe católica, se apareció a un niño llamado Juan Diego en Tepeyac, México. En 2023 se cumplieron 20 años en que la comunidad Mexicana de Wilkes-Barre se reunió para honrar el día. "La Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe es una fiesta para toda la Iglesia Católica, no solo para los Mexicanos, pero lo celebran de una manera especial... se trata de su gratitud a Dios, primero, por estar en este país”, relata el padre Fidel Ticona de la iglesia de San Nicolás. El ha estado trabajando con la comunidad Hispana del Noreste de Pensilvania desde mediados de la década de 1990, cuando solo un pequeño grupo de personas se reunía para procesar por las calles llenas de tiendas vacíos. En los 20 años transcurridos desde entonces, la procesión ha crecido a cientos y la comunidad hispana a miles, dejando su huella en edificios, una vez abandonados, al abrir pequeños negocios como restaurantes, panaderías y barberías; revitalizando la economía de Wilkes-Barre y abriendo camino para sus hijos. "Arriesgaron toda su vida para tener una vida mejor", dice Ticona, “y su fe fue importante en este proceso, en esta jornada.” Conoce más sobre lo que atrajo a la comunidad Hispana en la película en focusjournalism.com (http://focusjournalism.com/). Traducciones por Angel Flores y Jenny Gonzalez Monge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_DW31WJPZ8

01/17/2024

Every December 12 the sun sets over Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania as cries of “arriba, arriba, arriba” fill the air and the final glow of the winter day blankets a procession brimming with costumed revelers dancing through the streets to St. Nicholas Church; leaving in their wake a palette of rose petals and feathers.

It’s all to mark the Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe when the Virgin Mary - a central figure in the Catholic faith - appeared to a boy named Juan Diego in Tepeyac, Mexico. 2023 marked the 20th year Wilkes-Barre’s Mexican community has gathered to honor the day. “The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a feast day for the whole Catholic church, not just for Mexicans, but they celebrate it in a special way… it’s all about their gratitude to God, first, for being in this country,” recounts Father Fidel Ticona of St. Nicholas Church. He’s been working with Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Hispanic community since the mid aughts when only a small handful of people gathered to process through streets lined with empty storefronts. In the 20 years since, the procession has grown to the hundreds and the Hispanic community to the thousands, leaving their mark on once abandoned buildings by opening small businesses like restaurants, bakeries and barber shops; reinvigorating Wilkes-Barre’s economy while paving the way for their kids. “They risked their whole lives to have a better life,” says Ticona, “ and their faith was important in this process, in this journey.”

Find out more about what brought the Hispanic community to Wilkes-Barre on focusjournalism.com where you will find versions of the film in English and Spanish. Still photography by and video by KKelly Dessoye
https://www.focusjournalism.com/stories/guadalupe2023

20 Years of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wilkes-BarrePhotos by Aimee Dilger | Video by Kelly Dessoye Every December 12 the sun sets over Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania as cries of “arriba, arriba, arriba” fill the air and the final glow of the winter day blankets a procession brimming with costumed reve...

10/02/2022

The Institutions Preserving Black History in Northeast Pa. Won an Emmy @ the 40th annual MidAtlantic region Emmy Awards!!!

09/07/2022

We have been working on the story of how drag has driven acceptance and inclusion for NEPA's LGBTQ community. We have spoken with and followed some of the areas favorite drag personalities check out our story and learn about the upcoming annual Gayla which will be held at Genetti's in Wilkes-Barre on September 24. The Gayla is hosted be NEPA Pride Project and is a chance to learn and network with the LGBTQ community. Check out the full report focusjournalism.com
Video and Story by
Photos by

09/07/2022

We have been working on the story of how drag has driven acceptance and inclusion for NEPA's LGBTQ community. We have spoken with and followed some of the areas favorite drag personalities so check out our story and learn about the upcoming annual Gayla which will be held at Genetti's in Wilkes-Barre on September 24. The Gayla is hosted be NEPA Pride Project and is a chance to learn and network with the LGBTQ community.
Video and Story by Kelly Dessoye
Photos by Aimee Dilger

How Drag Has Driven Acceptance and Inclusion for NEPA’s LGBTQ Community Photos by Aimee Dilger | Video and Article by Kelly Dessoye Trixy Valentine scampers onto the stage amid the thunderous beat pulsing from loudspeakers at Damien’s on the Lake in Harvey’s Lake, PA. She stomps down a catwalk...

08/16/2022

We are working on a great piece involving kids, cows and kindness! Check back soon!

08/11/2022

Tuesday night we found out that we’re up for five Emmys. Five. Wow. We’re shocked and grateful for the support we feel from our peers in the news media. As Aimee puts it “we’re just two women who love the news and love our community.” Our passion for this work burns so hot that we do it while holding down full time jobs and freelance work; squeezing in interviews, video shoots, and sourcing meetings where we can. So far we’ve done it all for absolutely no money. When we launched in November it was out of responsibility - we had information that could help the community and we reported it - hard. The community has remained our north star, and although these nominations put us among giants whom we’ve long admired, they also put a spotlight on Northeastern Pennsylvania - the place we call home.
Although we’ve been quiet on social media for several months, we’ve been reporting deep in the community and we’re almost ready to launch our next batch of reports.
As for the nominated videos, we’ll share more about them in the coming days, but for now we’re going to sit with this feeling of absolute gratitude for our supporters and the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania. - Dessoye and Aimee Dilger

06/27/2022

NEPA Pride Fest Royale competition was held Saturday evening in Scranton. Kelly and I spent the day with some contestants for Focus Journalism. We will have a story soon.

05/16/2022

Over the weekend Northeastern Pennsylvania joined the wave of reproductive rights protests cresting the nation as the fate of Roe. v. Wade hangs in the balance. Reproductive rights advocates roused a small crowd at Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square on behalf of Action Together NEPA. Afterward many of the attendees continued to the Luzerne County Courthouse to brandish flags and signs demonstrating support of reproductive rights - filling the air with call and response chants and eliciting honks of both solidarity and scorn from passing drivers.

The next day Nadia Colon - a Scranton high school student - mobilized with the members of Creating Change FTP at Scranton’s Courthouse Square. Bellowing into a megaphone she lead a crowd of reproductive rights supporters in continuous laps around the historic downtown Scranton area.

Tomorrow - May 17 2022 - Pennsylvania voters will take to the polls to cast ballots in a primary election where abortion rights are a central issue.

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Photos 1-5 taken at reproductive rights protests in Wilkes-Barre, PA on May 14, 2022 by Aimee Dilger
Photos 6-9 taken at a reproductive rights protest in Scranton, PA on May 15, 2022 by Kelly Dessoye

04/30/2022

Our final Diversity month highlight is Aimee Dilger, Photojournalist, and Kelly Dessoye, Documentary Filmmaker, for their work at Focus Journalism!

A word from their nominator: Aimee and Kelly are two journalist who kept running into each other at while covering events in NEPA and recognized a gap in nuanced and in depth storytelling in the area and decided to join forces to bring that level of journalism to the area. The stories they've covered have shed light on food dignity and shortages during COVID 19, veterans affairs issues, local ethic festivals, artist, the opioid crises and more. All with a focus on how these issues effect our local community.

The stories, communities, and individuals covered by Focus Journalism are often overlooked by regular outlets as they don't have the time or capacity to do deep meaning full dives while on tight deadlines. Kelly and Aimee, in their "spare" time, get to know these stories on more than a surface level and allow for their followers to feel a connection to those in our community. Through their website, they not only highlight the stories they've told, but also resources that can help those who may be in similar situations. All of this work is done based on their passion for storytelling and connecting people to the issues that exist in our own backyard.

Throughout the month of April for Diversity Month, along with our regional chamber partners, we have been highlighting some amazing individuals in our community that are spearheading diversity, equity, and inclusion causes and initiatives, as well as business leaders and owners with diverse backgrounds.

03/01/2022

Glynis Johns rifles through cardboard boxes, heaving binders weighted with ghosts of Scranton’s past onto a solid wood desk. “Oooh I was looking for them! I was like ‘where are my portraits’,” she squeals in delight, protective plastic sleeves crackling as she turns the binders’ pages housing the likenesses of early 20th century Black Scrantonians.
“I started The Black Scranton Project because I felt there was a need to retell, share, and archive the local Black history here in the city - reminding people that it deserves dignity. This deserves space.”
On February 15, 2022, twenty-six miles down 81 South, sets of eyes squinted toward computer screens and the click click click of fingers dancing over keyboards punctuated the air in room 105 of Wilkes University’s Breiseth Hall.
“Today we are helping to make history,” Amy Sopcak-Joseph states from her perch at the front of the classroom. The assistant professor of history is talking about Wilkes’ Douglass Day Transcribe-A-Thon, where university volunteers pour over texts from The Colored Conventions - a series of meetings initiated by Black activists in the 19th Century.
Get the full report at the link in bio. Photos by Aimee Dilger video and article by Kelly Dessoye.

https://youtu.be/7G2JzjwzlFY

02/26/2022

Our next report for Focus Journalism looks at the importance of archiving and retelling local Black History.

02/23/2022

The truckers convoy organized by local businessman Bob Bolus drove down Biden Ave in Scranton, Pa before taking to I-81s to Harrisburg and Washington to protest truckers freedom, Covid-19 restrictions and the insurrectionist in prison. The plan was to meet up with other convoys and create a traffic problem on the Beltway. Many cars and pickup trucks joined the convoy but few tractor trailers. Supporters stood on overpass bridges waving flags in support.

02/15/2022

The True Love Movement hit the streets in Luzerne County showering love on first responders, nursing home residents and others in need of a lift me up. Sharee Clark started the movement 10 years ago and usually passes out Valentine’s on the street but due to Covid had to have a more planned delivery.

02/10/2022

Amber Viola is a single mom, voice in the community and the first female, Black Commander of the Gouldsboro American Legion. Check out her story .com

02/04/2022

This Monday you’ll meet Amber Viola, the first female Black commander of the Gouldsboro American Legion. Amber served our country in the Navy and her passion is to work with Veterans and advocate for them.