A Q&A with Wen Calm

We are thrilled to welcome Wen Calm to El Tímpano’s team this summer. Wen is an Oakland-based journalist and storyteller, and El Tímpano’s Mayan Community Engagement Assistant, focused on researching ways El Tímpano can better serve the Mayan indigenous community.

In this Q&A, El Tímpano’s Director Madeleine Bair spoke with Wen about her background as a journalist, her introduction to El Tímpano, and the relationship between the Bay Area’s Mayan communities and local media.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and what led you in the direction of a career in journalism?

I am from a small village of Todo Santos, Guatemala. My family came to the United States when I was a young infant, and was able to get asylum as they were trying to escape poverty and discrimination as Maya Mam indigenous people. They were searching for the “American Dream” and it turned out it was more difficult than they imagined, as they were learning not only a whole new culture but also a whole political system that was almost completely inaccessible in their native language.

My interest in journalism started at a very young age with the story of us living in public housing in Oakland where our apartment was deteriorating with black mold and pest infestation. Many of our neighbors were poor brown and Black families who were unable to afford the expensive Bay Area housing of the early 2000s. We also had few resources to help ensure that landlords maintain the buildings.

One day our neighbors decided to protest and the local media interviewed us. Due to all the public pressure, they renovated our apartments. As a child raised in this community with such few resources and feeling like our voices were constantly silenced, it changed me. I saw the power of the media and the importance of storytelling to give this community a voice to make important changes in our everyday lives.

Head to El Tímpano’s Medium publication for more from Wen on how Oakland’s Mayan community has been marginalized by local media, barriers Maya community members face in accessing news and information, and Wen’s goals and inspiration as a journalist.