The reds, pinks, and purples of traditional Maya Mam huipiles flooded rows of chairs spread out on the lawn of Oakland’s Clinton Park on Saturday, May 23 for the first-ever Maya Mam Honor Roll ceremony. A crowd of local Maya Mam families and community members gathered to honor Oakland Unified students in 6th through 12th […]
Category: English
Posted inCulture & Community
A Maya Mam third space in Oakland gives youth a chance to reconnect with their roots
On a sunny afternoon in mid-May, a group of teens gathered after school on the tennis courts in San Antonio Park in Oakland to begin painting backdrops for an upcoming Maya Mam focused event. As they split into groups to tackle different parts of the project, they greeted each other with a quick hello and […]
Posted inMi Historia
My daughter needed a liver transplant to save her life. BART is key to her ongoing care.
Almost a decade ago, my friends went on a trip to Italy to visit the Vatican and they brought me back a rosary of Our Lady of Lourdes. As Catholics, we know her as the patroness of the sick and healing. So when I found out they were going, I asked them to think of […]
Posted inCulture & Community
This Children’s Day, Bay Area immigrant families reflect on what it means to be young
Children’s Day is a celebration of the wellbeing, joy, and rights of children—observed around the world in many different ways. In Mexico, Día del Niño y la Niña is celebrated on April 30th. It is not only a day to advocate for the rights of children, but also a time to honor the innocence, play, […]
Posted inCulture & Community
At a Spanish language book club in Newark, residents read to remember themselves
Every Thursday morning, approximately 30 women gather on the second floor of the Newark Library to participate in “Mentes en Acción” (Minds in Action), a Spanish-language book club for adults. For many participants, however, the club has stretched beyond the typical and become more like a weekly gathering with chosen family. Lea esta historia en […]
Posted inNewsletter
Latino Californians awash in medical debt amid sweeping cuts to health care
The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor, and economics reporter. Much has been written about California’s affordability challenges. Sky-high housing costs, record-breaking food inflation, soaring gas prices, and spiking energy bills are routinely invoked as the primary sources of the […]
Posted inHealth
Immigrant seniors lose Medicare coverage despite paying for it
OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosa María Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old’s back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland. Lea esta historia en español. Dressed in hiking gear and beaded necklaces, Carranza, 67, maneuvered between trees and children on a sunny morning in December. “Hold onto that branch,” […]
Posted inHousing
San Pablo passes tenant protection ordinance that some say lacks teeth
Earlier this month, the San Pablo City Council passed a local ordinance that will add protections for tenants in the city—ending months of deliberations between council members, residents, and stakeholders. The ordinance will take effect April 1. But one city official, as well as community members and housing advocates, said they had hoped the ordinance […]
Posted inNewsletter
Latino, Bay Area lawmakers want to restore health care for immigrants. Can they do it?
New legislation introduced by Latino and Bay Area lawmakers would restore Medi-Cal access for immigrants and reject stricter work requirements for those who want to remain in the program.
Posted inNewsletter
Thousands of East Bay immigrants will lose food stamps beginning April 1
The change comes from a provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed into law by President Trump last July.