El Tímpano

In January of 2023, Pedro Romero Perez survived the worst mass shooting in San Mateo County's history. Now, the 25-year-old is taking his former employer to court. It’s a pioneering lawsuit – he’s the only farmworker or survivor to sue either of the farms where the shootings occurred. Pedro’s lawsuit has exposed the brutal conditions of the workers who fuel California’s multibillion-dollar agricultural economy: wage theft, substandard housing and extreme economic insecurity. Advocates say these are long-standing issues that farmworkers are now starting to become more comfortable speaking out about. And they want to see lasting change. “These are not new issues,” said Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, the executive director of Ayudando Latinos A So?ar, which supports Half Moon Bay’s Latino farmworker community. From housing exploitation and labor abuses to exposure to toxic pesticides, “we have been talking about this since Cesar Chavez and before,” Hernandez-Arriaga said. “This has been going on.” Read the full story about Pedro – and the deeper issues the Half Moon Bay tragedy exposed – by Erica Hellerstein, featuring photography by Hiram Alejandro Durán. https://lnkd.in/gnqe4gBy

Congratulations Damian Radcliffe & the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication’s Agora Journalism Center on this new resource for the journalism industry! We regularly hear from reporters and media entrepreneurs from across the country and around the world who strive to produce journalism that centers communities. Fortunately, there’s a growing number of resources that share strategies and learnings from innovators in community-centered journalism. We are proud for El Tímpano to be featured in this new “practical guide for a more equitable and service oriented form of journalism” alongside many peers we look up to. Thank you for this work, and please take a look!

For decades, Indigenous people from Latin America have been classified as Latino despite distinct culture, language and health outcomes. Now, a landmark California law will require the state to distinguish these Indigenous communities in health data about Latinos. #SB1016, or the Latino and Indigenous Disparities Reduction Act, will require California Department of Public Health to begin distinguishing Mesoamerican indigenous groups in health data about Latinos. The World Bank estimates there are 780 indigenous peoples and 560 indigenous languages spoken in Latin America. “This decision is a major milestone in recognizing the thriving Indigenous Mesoamerican communities in California,” said Arcenio Lopez, Executive Director of Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP). “Our voices have been heard, and we are thrilled to see this crucial step toward data equity and justice, ensuring that the Indigenous community is fully represented and supported.” Read the full story by Jasmine Aguilera and Cassandra Garibay, featuring photography by Hiram Alejandro Durán. ?? https://lnkd.in/g7iNggNG

What's the state of local journalism? Join us for an insightful forum hosted by Oakland Public Library in partnership with @American Association of University Women , Oakland-Piedmont Branch. Discover the evolution of local news and meet the voices behind your community’s stories. Learn how to evaluate the trustworthiness of your news and find out how to access unbiased local information. Explore who’s supporting and funding the news you see and understand the new dynamics shaping local journalism. El Tímpano’s Founding Director Madeleine Bair will join a panel discussion with representatives from CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA, Bay City News, The Oaklandside, and the San Francisco Chronicle. ??Oakland Public Library Rockridge Branch | Sept. 28 | 1-3 p.m. SAVE YOUR SPOT: https://lnkd.in/gQ_mVWN8

In January of 2024, Medi-Cal expanded to include all qualifying adults regardless of immigration status. But East Bay health promoters, or “promotoras,” say people are wary of signing up for the newly expanded health benefits due to fear of now defunct Trump-era public charge rules. Under those rules, using certain government benefits could have prevented undocumented immigrants from ever qualifying for legal status. Though the Trump administration’s changes were challenged in court and ultimately were reversed in 2021, researchers at UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) have found evidence that the “chilling effect” lingers years later. “Immigration status continues to be a barrier for folks to enroll in Medi-Cal,” said Lucía Félix Beltrán, senior research fellow at LPPI. “That's where partnering with community organizations comes in. But even then it's like, these decisions are made within households … and that’s where it gets kind of tricky.” Read the full story by El Tímpano Senior Health Equity Reporter / Editor Jasmine Aguilera, featuring photos from Hiram Alejandro Durán. https://lnkd.in/gNiJPKfG

On Saturday September 14th, Latino and Mam families gathered at Oakland’s Dimond Park to participate in a bioblitz of Sausal Creek – a biodiversity hotspot that traverses more than 2,500 acres from the Oakland hills to the Oakland Estuary. A bioblitz is an event where participants record as many species as possible within a designated location and time period. Individuals, friends and families took photos with their phones of the surrounding fauna, turned over rocks to find hidden critters and looked through binoculars to catch glimpses of birds soaring above. The event was hosted in collaboration with?Bay Nature Institute, a nonprofit publication that organizes bioblitzes around the Bay Area. Directly involving Latino and Mayan immigrants in scientific discoveries through collaboration with organizations like Bay Nature is a key aspect of El Timpano’s work. Together, our bioblitz documented 213 different species through 454 participant photos. ?? ?? https://lnkd.in/gxNuABBs

??Join us in welcoming Malena Data Ernani as El Tímpano’s Strategic Partnerships Manager!?? As a first-generation Venezuelan-Argentinian immigrant, Malena's career is dedicated to community empowerment and advancing equity for marginalized groups. She earned a B.A. in Politics, a B.A. in French Studies, and a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies from Occidental College. Her academic background is complemented by practical experience in business development, strategic partnerships, and educational equity. A multilingual advocate, Malena is committed to amplifying Latine and Mayan immigrant voices, a passion rooted in her upbringing within diverse Latine immigrant households. At El Tímpano, she is excited to apply her strategic expertise and passion for inclusivity to build partnerships that support and advance the success of Latine and Mayan immigrant communities. ?Bienvenida Malena!

What a night in Atlanta celebrating the best in nonprofit journalism at the Institute for Nonprofit News Awards. We are absolutely honored to take home two awards! The Breaking Barriers Award was given in recognition of El Tímpano’s trilingual coverage of California’s Medi-Cal expansion to undocumented immigrants, informing those most impacted by the statewide policy change while examining how that change is making an impact on the ground. We also brought home the Insight Award for Visual Journalism, for our team’s immersive multimedia storytelling of the people who make up the Oakland Coliseum flea market community, driven by the instant film portraits by El Tímpano & CatchLight Local photojournalist Hiram Alejandro Durán. Thank you INN, and congratulations to all our fellow winners and finalists! https://lnkd.in/gPuqR_rQ

If you’re at the Online News Association conference in Atlanta this week, check out the Thursday panel, Trusted Messengers: Journalism in the Age of Chat Apps. The session features El Tímpano’s Sr. Labor & Economics Reporter Erica Hellerstein, along with many friends and innovators in media, technology, and community engagement: Ellery Roberts Biddle and Ed Bice of Meedan, Nicolás Ríos of Documented, S. Mitra Kalita of Epicenter NYC, and Maggie Farley of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).?? #ONA24 https://lnkd.in/eJai6p8V

We're seeking a 6-month, part-time, contract event producer to increase the reach and impact of our work through a series of events. Please take a look, spread the word, and if this is the job for you, apply! https://lnkd.in/gywKbeTk