Jay Dunn: Journalism for Social Justice

At the end of my second full year as a multimedia reporter for the Salinas Californian, I know a little bit more about the plainspoken, hard-working people that live here. Incorporated in 1874 and best known as the home of literary great John Steinbeck, the town today is predominantly Latino - proud, conscientious, family-oriented and often conservative. Daily life in Salinas follows some regular patterns, most dictated by natural cycles. Others, of course, are those made by man - fundraisers and fairs, soccer tournaments and school events fill the social calendar. The city continues to be solidly anchored by the valley's multimillion dollar agricultural industry. Although the sharp divide between rich and poor is as clear as ever, the economy is looking up. Main Street is undergoing a renaissance, of sorts, and the city as a whole is humming with energy. As I noted my first year here, civic participation here is strong. Just as Salinas loves a parade, with equal energy, it will support a protest as well. In that, it is as American a place as any.