El Tímpano
@eltimpano.bsky.social
🗣Periodismo participatorio. El Tímpano informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of the Bay Area's Latino & Mayan immigrants.👂🏽
www.eltimpano.org
Textea OÍR al 510-800-8305
www.eltimpano.org
Textea OÍR al 510-800-8305
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El Tímpano
@eltimpano.bsky.social
· Nov 15
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El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of Latino and Mayan immigrants of Oakland and the wider Bay Area.
www.eltimpano.org
👋🏼Hi, we're El Tímpano—a civic media organization designed with and for the Bay Area's Latino & Mayan immigrants.
We produce news in Spanish, Mam, and English, via SMS, videos, on the streets, and online at www.eltimpano.org
We're glad to join you here.
We produce news in Spanish, Mam, and English, via SMS, videos, on the streets, and online at www.eltimpano.org
We're glad to join you here.
As we look back on this year in images, we are proud of the work and deeply grateful to the community members whose courage made it possible.
See a selection of photos—and read the corresponding stories—at the link below. 👇
www.eltimpano.org/english/phot...
See a selection of photos—and read the corresponding stories—at the link below. 👇
www.eltimpano.org/english/phot...
Bravery in the face of uncertainty: Our year in photos
El Tímpano photojournalist Hiram Alejandro Durán shares his favorite photos of 2025, images that illustrate the courage of Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrants.
www.eltimpano.org
December 28, 2025 at 12:17 AM
As we look back on this year in images, we are proud of the work and deeply grateful to the community members whose courage made it possible.
See a selection of photos—and read the corresponding stories—at the link below. 👇
www.eltimpano.org/english/phot...
See a selection of photos—and read the corresponding stories—at the link below. 👇
www.eltimpano.org/english/phot...
Reposted by El Tímpano
Our latest investigation, months in the making & reported from Oakland to Guatemala.
In Feb, Fabiana A. and her family were deported from Oakland to their hometown in rural Guatemala, where they are now struggling to rebuild. Their story, as told to @ehellerstein.bsky.social, reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 24, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Our latest investigation, months in the making & reported from Oakland to Guatemala.
Reposted by El Tímpano
Indigenous people flee discrimination and danger in Guatemala only to face more of it when they seek asylum in the U.S.
In Feb, Fabiana A. and her family were deported from Oakland to their hometown in rural Guatemala, where they are now struggling to rebuild. Their story, as told to @ehellerstein.bsky.social, reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 24, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Indigenous people flee discrimination and danger in Guatemala only to face more of it when they seek asylum in the U.S.
In Feb, Fabiana A. and her family were deported from Oakland to their hometown in rural Guatemala, where they are now struggling to rebuild. Their story, as told to @ehellerstein.bsky.social, reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 23, 2025 at 8:20 PM
In Feb, Fabiana A. and her family were deported from Oakland to their hometown in rural Guatemala, where they are now struggling to rebuild. Their story, as told to @ehellerstein.bsky.social, reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Reposted by El Tímpano
🧵1/ A few months ago, I began speaking with Fabiana, a Maya Mam woman who, along with her husband and daughter, was deported from Oakland to Guatemala in February 2025 while their attorneys were preparing to file a U-Visa case.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM
🧵1/ A few months ago, I began speaking with Fabiana, a Maya Mam woman who, along with her husband and daughter, was deported from Oakland to Guatemala in February 2025 while their attorneys were preparing to file a U-Visa case.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Reposted by El Tímpano
For the past few months, I've been talking to an Indigenous Maya woman who was recently deported to Guatemala from Oakland with her family. The story is as much about the present as it is about the past. My deep dive:
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:18 PM
For the past few months, I've been talking to an Indigenous Maya woman who was recently deported to Guatemala from Oakland with her family. The story is as much about the present as it is about the past. My deep dive:
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Reposted by El Tímpano
If you are looking for a weekend read, I'd love to share my #longread for @eltimpano.bsky.social on the complex realities facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants affected by the administration's immigration crackdown, and the erasure they confront in the US and abroad.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 21, 2025 at 9:13 PM
If you are looking for a weekend read, I'd love to share my #longread for @eltimpano.bsky.social on the complex realities facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants affected by the administration's immigration crackdown, and the erasure they confront in the US and abroad.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
This fall, My Eden Voice, a nonprofit serving unincorporated segments of Alameda County, started hosting “fogatas comunitarias,” or community bonfires. The gatherings aim to fill a growing need for “third spaces” and mental health support during Trump’s second term.
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
Mental health “bonfires” for Spanish-speaking immigrants emerge in unincorporated Alameda County
A local non-profit seeks to fill a need for third spaces and mental health services during Trump's second term.
www.eltimpano.org
December 20, 2025 at 12:50 AM
This fall, My Eden Voice, a nonprofit serving unincorporated segments of Alameda County, started hosting “fogatas comunitarias,” or community bonfires. The gatherings aim to fill a growing need for “third spaces” and mental health support during Trump’s second term.
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
Reposted by El Tímpano
FREE #JAWS WEBINAR: Protecting Sensitive Sources - Join us Wednesday, Jan. 14 at noon ET for ways journalists can work with sources while minimizing harm from panelists with @eltimpano.bsky.social, @transjournalists.org and @thesignalsnetwork.bsky.social. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
December 17, 2025 at 12:10 AM
FREE #JAWS WEBINAR: Protecting Sensitive Sources - Join us Wednesday, Jan. 14 at noon ET for ways journalists can work with sources while minimizing harm from panelists with @eltimpano.bsky.social, @transjournalists.org and @thesignalsnetwork.bsky.social. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Reposted by El Tímpano
I'm really happy to share a piece I've been working on @eltimpano.bsky.social that has been many months in the making. It's about the multifaceted challenges facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants swept up in the second Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I'm really happy to share a piece I've been working on @eltimpano.bsky.social that has been many months in the making. It's about the multifaceted challenges facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants swept up in the second Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
In this week's Weekly Dispatch, reporter Vanessa Sánchez shares how air pollution from industrial activity in deep East Oakland is affecting residents’ health—especially in Latino immigrant communities.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
The air deep East Oakland breathes
El Tímpano needs your support. Community media is only possible with the support of YOU—our readers! We are halfway toward our end-of-year goal to raise $25,000, and your donation today can help us ge...
www.eltimpano.org
December 12, 2025 at 9:17 PM
In this week's Weekly Dispatch, reporter Vanessa Sánchez shares how air pollution from industrial activity in deep East Oakland is affecting residents’ health—especially in Latino immigrant communities.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
In this week's Weekly Dispatch, we spotlight our team's efforts to combat the spread of disinformation around potential ICE raids, alleged ICE sightings and legal scams in the Bay Area.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/i...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/i...
Inside El Tímpano’s efforts to help combat disinformation
Local media built by, for, and with our community. Your support of El Tímpano ensures the Bay Area is informed and engaged on immigrant issues. And when you give today, your donation will be matched d...
www.eltimpano.org
December 5, 2025 at 10:54 PM
In this week's Weekly Dispatch, we spotlight our team's efforts to combat the spread of disinformation around potential ICE raids, alleged ICE sightings and legal scams in the Bay Area.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/i...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/i...
In our latest #mihistoria💬, community health ambassador Maria L. reflects on the parallels between the COVID-19 lockdown and the immigration crackdown, and how speaking up about her mental health led her to support others.
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
‘It’s like another pandemic’
Community health ambassador, Maria L., on the parallels between the COVID lockdown and the immigration crackdown, and how speaking up about her mental health led her to support others.
www.eltimpano.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
In our latest #mihistoria💬, community health ambassador Maria L. reflects on the parallels between the COVID-19 lockdown and the immigration crackdown, and how speaking up about her mental health led her to support others.
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
This week's Weekly Dispatch dives into the renewed threat to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for nearly 60,000 people from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal—many of whom have lived and worked in the Bay Area for decades.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
The new undocumented? TPS in the crosshairs again
Local media built by, for, and with our community. Your support of El Tímpano ensures the Bay Area is informed and engaged on immigrant issues. And when you give today, your donation will be matched d...
www.eltimpano.org
November 22, 2025 at 12:25 AM
This week's Weekly Dispatch dives into the renewed threat to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for nearly 60,000 people from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal—many of whom have lived and worked in the Bay Area for decades.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/t...
Twenty years ago, Yanira Gomez made the difficult decision to leave El Salvador to seek life-saving medical treatment for her son in the U.S. She reflects on the challenges she’s faced in the process and the ongoing challenges of navigating their immigration status.
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
‘I am afraid of the immigration situation’: A mother navigates the complexities of the immigration system and her son’s lifelong medical needs
Lea esta historia en español. Alejandro was born on December 29, 1998. A year and a half later, a sudden blow changed everything. Alejandro was just starting to walk and he hit a table. His head swell...
www.eltimpano.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Twenty years ago, Yanira Gomez made the difficult decision to leave El Salvador to seek life-saving medical treatment for her son in the U.S. She reflects on the challenges she’s faced in the process and the ongoing challenges of navigating their immigration status.
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
www.eltimpano.org/mi-historia/...
In today's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social reflects on how the Fruitvale Día de los Muertos festival brought together thousands to honor their loved ones and celebrate heritage and culture—even amid fears of immigration enforcement.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
What Oakland’s Día de los Muertos taught us this year
Local journalism needs your support This week kicks off our end-of-year fund drive and we need YOU to help us start strong. Join our community of donors to power the journalism you and thousands of Ba...
www.eltimpano.org
November 8, 2025 at 12:51 AM
In today's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social reflects on how the Fruitvale Día de los Muertos festival brought together thousands to honor their loved ones and celebrate heritage and culture—even amid fears of immigration enforcement.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
Despite recent threats of an immigration enforcement “surge” in the Bay Area, thousands gathered at Sunday's festival in Oakland’s Fruitvale district. Festivalgoers participated in El Tímpano’s “altar comunitario,” sharing memories of their loved ones.
www.eltimpano.org/english/crea...
www.eltimpano.org/english/crea...
Creating remembrance at Día de los Muertos in Oakland
Festivalgoers participated in El Tímpano’s “altar comunitario,” sharing memories of their loved ones.
www.eltimpano.org
November 6, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Despite recent threats of an immigration enforcement “surge” in the Bay Area, thousands gathered at Sunday's festival in Oakland’s Fruitvale district. Festivalgoers participated in El Tímpano’s “altar comunitario,” sharing memories of their loved ones.
www.eltimpano.org/english/crea...
www.eltimpano.org/english/crea...
In this week's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social shares a postmortem on last week’s events—not only on what unfolded, but on what local orgs learned during what became, in effect, a dress rehearsal for the immigration crackdown that may still come.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/s...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/s...
Stress testing the Bay Area’s immigration support networks
Not yet subscribed? Click here to sign up for our weekly emails. The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerste...
www.eltimpano.org
October 31, 2025 at 8:51 PM
In this week's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social shares a postmortem on last week’s events—not only on what unfolded, but on what local orgs learned during what became, in effect, a dress rehearsal for the immigration crackdown that may still come.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/s...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/s...
Felicitas lost Medi-Cal health coverage after earning just above the eligibility limit and had to decide: earn less to regain coverage, or keep her pay & live uninsured. Now, as CA freezes Medi-Cal enrollments for undocumented immigrants, that choice may disappear.
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
As health care contracts in Trump era, undocumented immigrants run out of options
As California freezes Medi-Cal, who will step in to help the growing number of uninsured immigrants?
www.eltimpano.org
October 30, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Felicitas lost Medi-Cal health coverage after earning just above the eligibility limit and had to decide: earn less to regain coverage, or keep her pay & live uninsured. Now, as CA freezes Medi-Cal enrollments for undocumented immigrants, that choice may disappear.
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...
In our latest Weekly Dispatch: Amid an intensified immigration crackdown, Bay Area clinics are racing to keep immigrants enrolled in Medi‑Cal as fears and policy shifts threaten their access to care.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/a...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/a...
As immigration crackdown lingers, clinics race to keep immigrants enrolled in Medi-Cal
Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area.
www.eltimpano.org
October 26, 2025 at 9:45 PM
In our latest Weekly Dispatch: Amid an intensified immigration crackdown, Bay Area clinics are racing to keep immigrants enrolled in Medi‑Cal as fears and policy shifts threaten their access to care.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/a...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/a...
In today's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social reports on the rise in scams targeting immigrants seeking legal help—where fraudsters pose as legitimate attorneys, make false promises and charge for services that may never be delivered.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/h...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/h...
How fraudsters are preying on immigrants seeking legal support
Not yet subscribed? Click here to sign up for our weekly emails. The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerste...
www.eltimpano.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
In today's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social reports on the rise in scams targeting immigrants seeking legal help—where fraudsters pose as legitimate attorneys, make false promises and charge for services that may never be delivered.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/h...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/h...
Reposted by El Tímpano
ICYMI: This week's newsletter is all about @eltimpano.bsky.social's collab with Latino USA. It's the story of Pedro, a farmworker who survived Half Moon Bay's mass shooting. He lost his brother in the attack and was shot 5 times. Then he discovered the accordion.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
When culture cures: the healing power of music for trauma
Not yet subscribed? Click here to sign up for our weekly emails. The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerste...
www.eltimpano.org
October 10, 2025 at 5:33 PM
ICYMI: This week's newsletter is all about @eltimpano.bsky.social's collab with Latino USA. It's the story of Pedro, a farmworker who survived Half Moon Bay's mass shooting. He lost his brother in the attack and was shot 5 times. Then he discovered the accordion.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/w...
Reposted by El Tímpano
A shooting at two farms. Seven immigrant workers killed. One survivor.
How an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers heal from trauma through the keys and wails of the accordion.
Listen to Latino USA's latest collaboration with @eltimpano.bsky.social
How an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers heal from trauma through the keys and wails of the accordion.
Listen to Latino USA's latest collaboration with @eltimpano.bsky.social
Music Cures: The Healing Power of the Accordion After a Shooting - Latino USA
We travel to Half Moon Bay, where an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers victims of a shooting heal from their deepest wounds through the keys and wails of the accordion.
www.latinousa.org
October 8, 2025 at 3:36 PM
A shooting at two farms. Seven immigrant workers killed. One survivor.
How an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers heal from trauma through the keys and wails of the accordion.
Listen to Latino USA's latest collaboration with @eltimpano.bsky.social
How an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers heal from trauma through the keys and wails of the accordion.
Listen to Latino USA's latest collaboration with @eltimpano.bsky.social
✨ Welcome Gabriela Calvillo Alvarez to El Tímpano! ✨Our new South Alameda County reporter is a proud Latine journalist, born and raised in the East Bay. As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, Gabriela hopes her work amplifies the voices within the communities she covers and cares about.
October 8, 2025 at 7:55 PM
✨ Welcome Gabriela Calvillo Alvarez to El Tímpano! ✨Our new South Alameda County reporter is a proud Latine journalist, born and raised in the East Bay. As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, Gabriela hopes her work amplifies the voices within the communities she covers and cares about.
Reposted by El Tímpano
Thrilled to share the long-awaited collab btw @eltimpano.bsky.social + Latino USA! I spent months reporting on an accordion class helping the farmworker survivors of the Half Moon Bay shooting heal from their trauma. It's a piece abt grief, love, healing & culture.
www.latinousa.org/2025/10/03/m...
www.latinousa.org/2025/10/03/m...
Music Cures: The Healing Power of the Accordion After a Shooting - Latino USA
We travel to Half Moon Bay, where an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers victims of a shooting heal from their deepest wounds through the keys and wails of the accordion.
www.latinousa.org
October 5, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Thrilled to share the long-awaited collab btw @eltimpano.bsky.social + Latino USA! I spent months reporting on an accordion class helping the farmworker survivors of the Half Moon Bay shooting heal from their trauma. It's a piece abt grief, love, healing & culture.
www.latinousa.org/2025/10/03/m...
www.latinousa.org/2025/10/03/m...