Like many of you, the El Tecolote newsroom didn’t sleep on election night. Our bilingual, community-driven team worked tirelessly to document Latinx residents in San Francisco’s Mission District heading to the polls. By 1:00 a.m., it was clear that voters in District 9 elected Jackie Fielder, a progressive Latina and Indigenous woman, as their next Supervisor. It was also clear that Donald Trump would be reelected as president — with support from a record number of Latinx voters, particularly Latino men.
We were stunned, but not entirely surprised.
While the nation may be beginning to understand that “Latinos” are not a monolithic group, our newsroom navigates the nuances and complexities within our communities every day. We know firsthand the stark differences among long-established and newly arrived immigrants, low-wage workers and small business owners, first-generation students and their parents, English and Spanish speakers (bilingual or monolingual) and more.
While most Latinx residents in the Bay Area voted blue, economic issues were central in this election, and they have long driven our communities to the edge of both displacement and political division.
We don’t have to go far to see these differences at play. Just walk to the corner of 24th and Mission Street, the heart of Latinx life and commerce in San Francisco. Inside La Placita, several longtime licensed street vendors are wary of newly arrived migrants, blaming them for the recent ban on all street vending along Mission Street, which has devastated their economic outlook. Speak with the newcomers, and they’ll tell you that street vending is their only means of survival after being displaced by political violence and economic hardship in their home countries. Surrounding them are small business owners, some of whom are pushing to clear the streets completely, advocating for public safety measures that impact our community’s most vulnerable.
In each of these conversations, we listen with respect and empathy, striving to uncover the differences within our communities while prioritizing voices often left out of mainstream narratives. At the heart of this work is our commitment to fairness, nuance, and fact-based storytelling.
Because of this diversity, we use the term “Latinx communities” instead of the more traditional “Latinos.” (In Spanish, we use “comunidades Latine.”) While these terms may spark some debate, they’re essential to our newsroom’s mission of inclusivity — especially for women, nonbinary, queer, and other marginalized voices in a city that serves as a sanctuary for both immigrant and trans people.
As we enter this new political era, our work becomes even more critical. The coming years will bring difficult challenges to our most vulnerable Latinx communities, who will need resources, news, and information that is useful, culturally relevant, and, ultimately, uplifting.
As we prepare for 2025, we want to hear from you:
How can El Tecolote be of best service during these uncertain times? Which Latinx communities should we prioritize, and how can we best reach and engage you?
Share your thoughts by sending an email to Editor-in-Chief Erika Carlos at erika@eltecolote.org. Here at El Tecolote, we’re thinking deeply about how to best serve our communities in the coming year. Your insights are invaluable in helping us focus our efforts.
Help us keep our communities informed, uplifted, and united.
Please consider supporting El Tecolote’s newsroom. From now until December 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times, or double your one-time gift up to $1,000. This opportunity is vital to us, and we hope we can count on your support to strengthen our nonprofit newsroom.
In solidarity,
The El Tecolote Team