Mi historia
‘Rent is getting more expensive’: A family’s quest for affordable housing
Mirna Arana was forced to vacate the apartment she was renting in Oakland, even though she paid on time. With the high cost of housing in the East Bay, the solution she found is not ideal.
An Oakland father finds hope in a new California immigration law
Pedro Ramírez worked hard to afford college for his son Esteban, who dreamed of serving in the military or as a policeman but was denied because of his immigration status.
‘Everything piled up’: surviving COVID-19 and violence in East Oakland
Francisca Sánchez emigrated to California so that her daughter could fulfill the dream of going to university. But the pandemic and the escalating violence got in their way.
In a year of job loss and debt, one Oaklander found silver linings
Emilia Zarate shares the struggles and the upsides of her year out of work and home with her two young children.
Oakland Latinos excited about the possibility of immigration reform
With Trump gone, a path to citizenship is back on the table. Latino immigrants say it’s a chance “to feel like a normal human.”
We’re going out. Not because we want to, but because we need to
Latinos represent over half of known coronavirus cases in Alameda County. Oakland resident Orlando Ruiz shares his family’s story.
We were happy. But when the illness appeared, things got complicated
One member of East Oakland’s immigrant Mam community shares his story about surviving during the pandemic.

El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan immigrants.
Through innovative approaches to local journalism and civic engagement, El Tímpano surfaces community members’ stories and questions on local and national issues, provides news and information relevant to their needs, and investigates the concerns they bring to our attention.
En español
‘La renta es cada vez más cara’: la dura búsqueda de una casa asequible en East Bay
Mirna Arana tuvo que desalojar el apartamento que rentaba en Oakland, aunque pagaba a tiempo. Con los altos costos de la vivienda en East Bay, la solución que encontró no es ideal.
Un padre de Oakland halla esperanzas en una nueva ley de inmigración de California
Pedro Ramírez trabajó duro para pagar la universidad de su hijo, quien soñaba con trabajar como policía y no podía por su estatus migratorio, pero un cambio en la ley de California podría darle una segunda oportunidad.
‘Todo se acumuló’: sobreviviendo al COVID-19 y la violencia en East Oakland
Francisca Sánchez emigró a California para que su hija Rosa cumpliera el sueño de ir a la universidad. Pero la pandemia y la violencia se interpusieron.