The Bay Area's Ethnic Communities

First-year students in Rob Gunnison's Introductory Reporting class at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism spent the semester reporting on the Bay Area's ethnic communities. The reporters went into schools, grocery stores, restaurants, homes and hospitals to learn about the challenges faced by the diverse groups that add to the vitality of the region. Here are some of the stories they uncovered.


Asian Shoppers Head to Ranch 99 Market By Catherine Price When a recipe calls for boneless chicken feet, sea cucumber or cooked pork blood, there's only one place to go: 99 Ranch Market.
Hints of SF's Jewish Past Found in Minimalist Loft By Jonathan Mooallem A synagogue-turned-apartment helps tell the story of San Francisco's evolving Jewish community.
Eritrean Disputes Alive in Oakland By Scott Den Herder Settlers from one African country continue to debate their duty to their homeland in new East Bay homes and restaurants.

Tibetans at Berkeley High Search for an Identity By Ling Liu The Tibetan American community, only 12 years old, is still establishing its identity in America. Now some Tibetan American youth are finding themselves on the fringes of the violent world of gangs.
Liberian Refugees Look for New Lives in Oakland By Nicole Hill Liberian refugee families being resettled in East Oakland are optimistic about starting their new lives, despite some serious challenges.
Groups Work to Register Laotian Voters By Jeff Kearns Language and cultural barriers make Laotians one of the least-registered voter groups. But a small nonprofit in Richmond is trying to change that by registering Laotians in that city and showing them how to involve themselves in the political process.

Working to End Use of Children as Translators By Jonathan Kaminsky The use of children as interpreters has quietly persisted in Bay Area public health services despite policies forbidding it. A new technology is helping to reduce the practice.
Ohlone Burial Site Stokes Controversy By Heather Gehlert Tension creeps through a Native community over an Emeryville development built on the site of a former burial ground.
One Berkeley Woman's Struggle for Literacy By Arwen Curry One woman stuggles to overcome a problem seen heavily in Berkeley's black and Latino communities - illiteracy.

Immigrants Face Deportation for Crimes By Joe Mullin Every three months, Andrew Thi prays he will not to be exiled to a country he’s never known.

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