Radio Bilingüe Airs New Series with a Focus on the Gentrification Hitting Neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area
Radio Bilingue is launching a new radio series to shed light on the forces that are driving thousands of Latino and Black working and middle class families to leave their homes and neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Funded in part by the San Francisco Foundation, and with help from a youth reporter, the special Spanish-language series will provide news reporting and on-air conversations on issues related to community displacement, gentrification and homelessness impacting old neighborhoods such as San Francisco’s Mission District and the Fruitvale District in Oakland. Coverage will include stories about the impact of the housing crisis on arts and culture, and youth-led efforts to organize and push for solutions to regional displacement.
The first programs of the series are scheduled to air and audio-stream next week on Radio Bilingüe’s nationally-distributed talk show Línea Abierta.
Monday, April 8
The Uprooted. In San Francisco, a historically Latino neighborhood known as “the heart of the city” is rapidly becoming a “hotbed of displacement.” In the Mission District, long-time families and businesses are being displaced from their home and community. In this program, displaced residents tell the story about their exodus to more affordable areas while others talk about how they are struggling to stay. What happens when a neighbor leaves the area?
Thursday, April 11
Murals of the Displaced. The San Francisco Mission District, widely known for the colorful murals that adorn hundreds of walls, is rapidly losing its artistic community to gentrification. And the iconic community murals, which for decades have paid tribute to the rich history and culture of this vibrant and diverse neighborhood, are now telling stories about the new reality: artists who are being evicted and disappearing from the area.
The programs will be hosted from San Francisco’s Mission District by Chelis López, a contributing host for Radio Bilingüe’s talk show Línea Abierta. College student Stephanie Hernandez, participant of Radio Bilingüe-San Francisco Foundation Youth Anti-Displacement Internship program, will provide field reporting.
Airing on weekdays, Línea Abierta is the first and only talk show in Spanish distributed in the national public radio system, including stations in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Radio Bilingüe is a Latino-owned network of non-commercial stations with more than 100 affiliates nationwide. Based in Fresno, the network is the leading producer of news and information for Latinos in US public broadcasting.
