Podcasts about Latinx

Make Morality Mainstream Again The adultification of teen fiction has intentionally Frankensteined books for teens into cesspools of ideological normalization. A while ago, I met a mother and her daughter, the latter of whom I hadn't seen in several years. On the cusp of turning twelve, she'd obviously grown in the time since, and, her mother proudly informed me, had become quite the reader. Indeed, the girl held quite a thick book in her hand. Which was it? The girl showed me the cover. I turned to the mother. “Do you know what your daughter is reading?” She'd figured telling her eleven-year-old she could read whatever was marked 14+ was a safe enough guardrail for appropriate content. As reading is an experience between book and reader, the mother wouldn't have seen what her daughter was taking in. She couldn't either know that her daughter's book was familiar not because it was something I'd read but because it was something I wouldn't. Worse, she thought she could trust the institution. THE READING DILEMMA Parents want kids to read, but as most can't keep up with their reading habits, they don't fully realize what's being allowed, even promoted, in books for young readers. As with other once vaunted institutions, the publishing world has morphed in ways many aren't fully aware of. Over a decade ago, I signed my first contract for Young Adult (YA) fiction. Before and since, I've watched the genre boom through the stages of audience demographic to viable business. Throughout, YA has expanded from books for teens to a genre unto itself, attracting talented writers, lucrative contracts, and the golden goose of Hollywood adaptations. YA is officially for readers 14-18 years (and up). However, as it's after Middle Grade (8-12 years), tweens are frequent readers, plus many eleven-year-olds reading up. There is “lower” and “upper” YA, but they're unofficial categories for libraries or writers specific about their target audience. Most retailers and publishers categorize all teen books under the general YA umbrella. NA, New Adult, mainly written for college-aged readers into their early twenties, is often sheltered under the YA umbrella too. Alongside the wider publishing industry, YA has changed significantly over the years, reflecting broader shifts in society. What follows isn't an analysis on talent or quality but content, as something about words in a book makes what's written more real, valid, romantic, admirable, aspirational. Thus, the intent is to shed light on some of the many topic and imagery that are included in books for young readers. At risk that this won't earn me any friends in publishing (at best), here's some of what I've seen: DEVOLUTION OF YA FICTION Growth of the YA audience/genre is an objective benefit, logical as it is to increase methods for targeting potential customers. As YA has increased in business and position, its morphing into genre unto itself has attracted many adults readers. As a YA author, I read mainly within my market and see the appeal for adult readers considering how well the genre's developed. The migration of older readers to YA is certainly one of the many reasons it's been so adultified. Other factors include the poisonous stranglehold ideological tentacles have on many aspects of culture, entertainment, and education. The shifts adults have finally caught onto in adult fiction and film have infected literature for younger audiences, picture books through YA. A quick example, originally, romantic comedies centered on a man and woman who clashed at the outset, then eventually found their way to each other at the end. The story would build to some romantic declaration, then a kiss. Anyone who's been watching knows that there's now a whole lot of touching that happens before any romantic declaration occurs. Longer, more frequent kisses are only second to scenes of the pair sleeping together before deciding how they really feel about each other. All this is becoming commonplace in YA. What was once cutesy stories about a high school girl chasing a crush has now become stories featuring a whole lot of other firsts, even seconds, and then some. The devolution of YA is a result of purposeful normalization and reshaping of societal norms through manipulatively emotional appeals by writers, agents, and editors. On average, books from larger publishing houses take roughly eighteen months to two years to evolve from contract to product on the shelf. To say, story trends are set in motion well before their rise in popularity. Whatever the view on agents as gatekeepers to the larger houses, publishers only publish so many books in a year, an amount significantly less than all the people who want to be published. Hence, agents act as preliminary filters for editors, whittling down potential authors to relatively more manageable numbers. An agent must really believe in a writer and project to nab one of those few spots. Like most creative fields, writing is highly subjective, so in addition to general quality, each agent and editor has preferences for stories they want to work with. They're also usually pretty clear about what they're looking for, so part of the progression of change can be traced back to what's being requested. CHARACTER INCLUSION CHECKLISTS When I first entered the “querying trenches,” wish lists from agents mainly specified genres and their various offshoots. Although ideologies make a home in all genres, most were subtler, more akin to a light sprinkling than the deluge of today. Within a few short years, wish lists changed. Unofficial “checklists” appeared in the now familiar cancerous categories of equity, representation, marginalization, and other socialist pseudonyms. Nonfiction for teens is dominated by activism, coming out, and adaptations of left-wing figures' biographies. Rather than prioritize quality, potential, uniqueness, the new gatekeeping is often focused on the inclusion of certain ideologies. For the first while, emphasis was on strong female characters, an odd request considering the YA market is dominated by female writers and readers. Previous character portrayal thus had little to do with some imagined patriarchal oppression. Now, female characters are “fierce”, projections of feminist fantasies celebrating girl bosses who are objectively pushy, uncooperative, obnoxious, self-righteous, and/or highly unrealistic. Somehow, they capture the most desirable love interest, a magical combination of masculinity and emotional vulnerability, who is inexplicably un-neutered by support of her domineering principles. Frequently, the girl makes the first move. Worse than overbearing feminism is unrealistic portrayals of a girl's physical abilities accompanied by most unsavory rage and wrath and anger. Supposedly, these traits aren't anathema to the gorgeous guys (when it is a guy) these girls miraculously attract. Unless there's a moth to flame metaphor here, it's a lie to pretend wrath is a healthy attraction. This well reflects the move away from what's become so-last-century stories featuring underdogs who searched deep for courage and heart to overcome challenges, raising up others alongside themselves. A time when character development focused on, well, character. More wholesome stories have been replaced with a self-proclaimed oppressed burning with self-righteous rage and violence. Such characters have seeped into fantasy for adults as well, most notably in armies featuring female combat soldiers and warriors without special powers, who somehow go toe-to-toe if not best male counterparts. Often this sort of matchup is shown as some cunning of smallness, agility, and destruction of arrogant male condescension. Never mind that such fighting is highly unrealistic, and any male is rightly confident if paired against a woman in physical combat. No amount of small body darting or ingenuity will save a girl from the full force of one landed male punch. The unquestioned portrayal of women able to best men in physical combat is worrying considering the real possibility of a reader confusing fact with fiction. Besides, a country which sends its women to war will no longer exist, as it's a country with males but not men. The current not-so-secret of major houses is that a book doesn't have a high chance of getting published if it doesn't check certain markers, especially for midlist and debut authors, though A-listers are not immune. A Caucasian is hardly allowed to write a story featuring a so-called BIPOC, but a straight author must somehow include the ever-expanding gay-bcs, and it must be in a positive light. Some authors were always writing these characters, which at least reflects acting of their own volition. For the rest, many didn't start until required. Because of the careful wording around these ideologies, many don't speak out against these practices so as not to appear hateful and bigoted. The mandated appearance of so-called marginalized and under-represented in stories lest the author risk erasing…someone, somehow also operates along these lines. Although, apparently, only very specific groups are at risk of disappearing. These standards are ridiculous in their least damaging iterations. How many so-anointed BIPOC were consulted over their standard portrayals? How can every individual of every minority be consulted for approval, and who chooses which faction decides? How many Latinos, speakers of gendered language, agreed to Latinx and Latine? Christian characters in mainstream publishing are rarely portrayed as steadfast believers or even rebels rediscovering faith. Jewish stories usually feature a character who's “lived experience” is assimilation, so the character is of a religion but doesn't represent it. A real portrayal of the true beliefs these characters come from would not align with the world mainstream publishing wants to shape. Even more ludicrous is that “disabled” and “neurodivergent” are considered identities, as if a physical or medical condition is cause for new labeling. The approach used to be that you are still you, worthy of respect and consideration, despite these conditions. In the glorified world of the self-hyphenate, the world of we-are-our-self-declared-identity, it's the foremost feature mentioned, with accompanying expectation of praise and exaltation, regardless of an individual's character or behavior. Don't confuse the argument against the labeling with the individuals, because they are separable. Worse than the tokenism is the reduction of individuals to secondary characteristics. Is this really the first thing you have to say about yourself, the most essential thing to know? When did it become norm to turn skin color or medical condition or physical ability into a character trait, the very notion of which says that anyone in this group must be viewed primarily through this lens, as if each is exactly the same? How myopic. How belittling. Following the cue set by movies, books for teens also morphed from cutesy rom-coms to ideological showcases. Unsurprisingly, there's been the introduction of the stereotypical gay best friend. Then storylines focusing on coming out or discovering someone close was gay, with accompanying template for writing them. The one coming out is always the strong one, the resilient one, though much language must be banned lest they be offended or erased, so their strength is dependent upon a carefully constructed bubble. Not only is inclusion necessary but happiness is the only possible, deliberately portrayed reaction. Never mind if some or all of it runs counter to a writer's religious beliefs. Moreover, “I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'll still treat you with respect” was never an acceptable response. And it is an acceptable response in all manner of situations, unless you exorcise it in efforts to forcibly shape a particular worldview. Additionally, the attitude is that since you can't tell me who to love, and loving this person makes me happy, you must not only ally but champion me. Why is it offensive to present different acceptable, respectful reactions to teens? Who exactly is erased if this character isn't presented at all? As before, don't confuse the argument against mandate with the individuals. The contention isn't about love, but about religion protecting the sanctity of romantic relationships and marriage, a religious practice since the dawn of time, as seen across centuries and civilizations. Marriage is described as sanctified and holy, because it's Divine in nature, and thereby under the domain of the religious. If it's just a contract, then of course any government can regulate it. It’s disingenuous to deny that such enforcement clashes with the very nature of what writing is about. It shuts down discussion, then subverts it entirely by pretending there's nothing to debate. That shouldn't be a source of pride for publishing, but deepest shame. In their efforts to supposedly widen the window of story matter, they've narrowed the frames and tinted the panes to exclude suddenly unacceptable voices entirely. PORNOGRAPHY AND CONSENT Compounded upon all this, most books are no longer relatively clean romances building to a single kiss, as every stage of the relationship has become more explicit. Some scenes are akin to manuals, containing the sort of imagery once the sole province of steamy romances. When efforts are rightly made to remove these books from shelves, screeches of censorship! erasure! representation! resound. We wouldn't, and shouldn't, tolerate any adult approaching a kid on the street and telling stories with such description, nor should we allow it from close friends or family. Authors do not hold special status in this, no matter what the screechers screech. Taking such books off shelves isn't an indication of bigotry, intolerance, hatred, or erasure, but moral obligation. The counterargument from writers, agents, and editors is that explicit detail is necessary because of something to do with “lived experiences” and consent. First, if kids are doing it anyway, then adults definitely needn't assist. Second, consent is not quite the magical word society would have us believe. Third, “everyone has different experiences” is not a reason for writing graphic content, and the replacement of “intimacy” with “experience” is largely responsible for why relationships are in the gutter and leaving people unfulfilled. Intimacy is something private between two individuals; experience is a vague euphemism to pass off what should matter as transitory, despite irrevocable effects. It's difficult to imagine in an age when phones, cameras, and microphones track a person everywhere, but there was once an ideal called privacy, and the intimate was part of it. Pushback also leads to defenses of “sexuality,” another way of saying adults want to teach kids all kinds of ways to pursue these “experiences”. Changing the wording doesn't alter the nature but does allow immoral actors to force celebration of their fantasies and fetishes. The wrongness is incontestable, though not surprising from those who promote polyamory for teens and romantic relationships between humans and demons or other ungodly creatures. The feeble argument for writing scenes of teens sleeping together is they must see what consent looks like. Again, authors do not hold special status or exemption. There is no strong enough argument for writing scenes for teens in which one character undresses another and verbally asks permission every step of the way. Especially because the new trend seems to be the girl not only “consenting”, but also a burning I want this. If she wants, this wording implies, then she must have, abandoning all reason and morality. Consent has become an excuse for all sorts of undesirable, immoral, even illegal behavior, but mutual agreement is supposed to make it okay. This isn't the behavior we should be promoting for teens; we should be giving them better things, bigger ideas to think about. Worst of all, why is any adult writing about two sixteen-year-olds sleeping together? A teenager, no matter how mature, is still developing and while smart and clever not really old enough to fully understand what she's “consenting” to, and is probably being taken advantage of. We treat eighteen with the same magical power as consent, as if any age should be sleeping around, even if legalese only extends so far. Teen pregnancy, abortion overall, would hardly be an issue if everyone stopped sleeping with people they shouldn't. Any adherent to morality knows this, though morality is just another thing scuttled from teen fiction. G-dless ideology is the new morality; immoral, manmade gods have replaced G-d; lust is the new love; sexuality excuse for pornography; perceived racism and misogyny validation for violence and rage. Many are we who did not consent to this. These scenes are in teen films as well, though how many parents know this in an age of individual devices? Adults pretending to be teens take each other's clothes off before a camera for real tweens, teens, and/or adults to watch. Please explain in clear and simple language why this is not a form of pornography. What absolutely vital role does this scene have in advancing the story? Consent is not enough. Wanting is not enough. We're encouraging teens to turn their bodies into used cars, dented, scraped, scarred, and baggage laden, for what? Why is this hollowing out of self and morality good? This serves no benefit for teens and the overall state of relationships. Consent has become an excuse for all sorts of undesirable, immoral, even illegal behavior, but we're supposed to think that everyone agreeing makes whatever they agree to okay. It's incredibly obvious that feminism and the sexual revolution didn't free women, but chain them in a prison of animalistic, unsatisfying desire, dooming them to jadedness, frustration, and loneliness. But they're so responsible! So mature! By such logic, a responsible sixteen-year-old should be able to buy guns, alcohol, and drugs. But identity! No, identity doesn't mandate a book with graphic imagery, nor is it “sexuality” or “feeling seen” or any other term you hide behind. Witness the tattered remains of social morality that writers do not balk at writing this for teens. They should balk at writing this for anyone. Once we recognized that betterment came through battling temptations. It is not difficult to see how the enforced normalization of all this was also an effective ridding of undesirable shame. Not only have we banished feeling bad, we've enforced celebration of what shame once kept in line. But they'll never be prepared! How did any of us get here if none of this existed for millennia? But look at the sales! Many people also bought rock pets. Deviants and defenders will attempt to claim that (a) this sort of stuff always existed, which isn't really a reason for its continuance, and (b) previous generations were undoubtedly stifled in their inability to express their true selves. Perhaps. And yet, previous generations built civilization, with significantly less medical prescriptions too. Previous generations were better at family and community, meaning and purpose. We have “experiences.” But this is what married people do! Some writers introduce a faux or rushed marriage into the plot, perhaps because their weakening moral compass prevents writing an explicit scene between unmarried characters. Marrying the characters and making them eighteen doesn't magically okay writing this for teens. Everyone does it—indeed there are many common bodily functions which shouldn't be demonstrated in public—isn't either reason enough. Pressures to include these scenes is evidenced by authors long regarded as “clean” storytellers, authors who won't swear or indulge in graphic or gratuitous content, authors who clearly express Christian beliefs in their acknowledgements, writing them too. Would they give this book to their priest? To a young church member? Would they read the scene aloud for family or friends or the very teens they write for? If even the professed religious authors do not have the fortitude to oppose this, if even they can be convinced of the supposed validity, then gone is the bulwark protecting children from the psychological and moral damage resulting from these scenes. But inclusivity! We must reflect the world around them! Considering what's in these books, all should pray teens aren't seeing this around them. Either way, that doesn't excuse writing about it. Moreover, cries for inclusivity from those shutting down differing opinions are inherently without substance. True inclusivity is achieved when stories focus on universal truths and laudatory values shared by all. The fundamental argument is that “could” is not “should”, and the only reliable arbiter between the two is Divinely-based morality. Current permissiveness is only possible in a society which worked for decades to expunge religion from its vital foundational position and influence. The demonization piled atop its degradation was simple insurance that the moral truths of religion wouldn't interfere with the newly established secular order. We can still be good people, they claimed. Witness the tattered remains. Allowing, championing, this sort of writing has not made us better, and instead of listening to concerns, activists and proponents double down. Need you any proof of the separation between ethics and morality and elitism and academia, scroll through an article or two in defense of these scenes. The more “educated” the individual, the twisted the pretzel of rationalization. Rational lies, all of them. These lies are prominently center of the new crusade against so-called “book banning,” although the books are still available at retailers and publishers. Fueled by self-righteous hysteria, activists take great pride in influencing state legislatures to enact decrees against book bans in protection of “lived experiences,” representation, and the like. If a teen doesn't see two boys or girls or more sleeping together, so the thinking goes, then they face imminent, unspecified harm, never mind that their sacred voice has been quashed. They claim BIPOC and queer authors are specifically targeted, failing to mention it's the content not the author rejected. Somehow the bigots are the ones who don't want kids reduced to “sexuality”, while the tolerant are the ones who do. Need anyone ask if these protections extend to writers who don't align or even disagree with their worldview? I'd say these books are better suited for adults, but adults are despairing of the unreadability of books in their categories too. And that aside from the targeted “decolonization” of books and authors that adults, especially men, enjoyed reading. From the myriad of books extant, no plot was ever turned, no story ever dependent upon an explicit scene, in the bedroom or elsewhere. Neither does such render the work art or literature, but rather indecent and abhorrent. Parents struggle to encourage their kids to read when such are the books available. ELIMINATING THE WEST For some time, agents have specifically requested non-western narratives, histories, and legends. Atop the deteriorating state of the current education system, teens aren't being presented with a fictionalized character in history, which may thereby spark interest and curiosity in real history. No wonder they know so little of the past when they're not offered history at all. What does make it in represents very select time periods. Other permitted historical fiction is alternative histories where the past is magicked or reimagined, almost always in some gender swapped way. While alternative histories can be creative, the lack of regular historical fiction seems to indicate the only permitted history is a remade one. Otherwise, most of western history isn't on shelves because no one wants to represent it. Which means no one's fighting for it to be published. Which means young readers aren't given glimpses into the past that made this present and will highly influence the future. And this from those who claim large swaths of the population don't properly teach history. The same who pushed the fabricated and widely debunked lie that slavery was unique to the west, the only culture who actively sought to end it. The same who have yet to consider the absolute necessity of mandating schools to teach the true horrors of communism done right. The same who have a monochrome view of colonization and chameleon approach to the faux oppressed-oppressor narrative. A rather high volume of Asian-based stories, histories, and mythologies fill the market instead. The proliferation of Asian and other eastern fiction isn't objectively concerning, but it's deliberate increase alongside western stories' deliberate decrease is. It's less an expansion of viewpoints and more a supplanting of anything west. I grew up reading historical fiction, but there's a dearth on shelves for teen readers, who must see where we come from through the eyes of characters resembling our ancestors. Instead of walking through time in their shoes and understanding their struggles in the context of when they lived, we project modern ideologies upon the one protagonist somehow vastly ahead of her time. It's deliberately false and disconnects readers from the world that created the one we live in. Whatever your opinion of our world, it was formed in those histories, and we cannot appreciate the present without understanding the world that made it. MENTAL HEALTH Another major trend in teen fiction is the focus on the broad category of mental health, its emergence unsurprising considering the uptick in modern society. Whatever the viewpoint on diagnoses, the truth is that the ones calling for greater awareness have much to do with having caused the issues. Teens living in the most prosperous, free society that ever was should not have such measures of mental health struggles, yet they do. Skim the messaging of the last several decades and it's no wonder why. Teens are raised on a bombardment of lies and damaging viewpoints resulting in a precarious Jenga structure at their foundation. For decades they've been told they can sleep around without lasting consequence, negating the need to build deep, lasting, exclusive relationships. Families, a fundamental source of meaning and grounding, have been shoved aside for the faux glory of sleeping with whomever, whenever, and the new solution of “found family”. Just because a pill supposedly prevents biological consequences doesn't mean a different sort of toll hasn't been exacted. And that follows the perpetual degradation of dress, reducing the entirety of an individual to a form as valued or devalued as any other physical object. Added to the disrespect of the body is the incessant, unfounded claim that “climate change” is going to destroy the planet by…well, soon. Never mind that we're doing better than before, and all predictions have been proven wrong. Imagine what continual doom and gloom does to the mental state of a teenager already grappling with ping-ponging hormones, who should be presented with optimism for the future they're about old enough to create. Well, we have a pill for that too. Teens have been told the American dream is gone by those who set out to destroy it, that American greatness isn't worth dreaming about by those who recolored it a nightmare. Hobbies and collected skills, the work of their own hands, have been shunted for social media trends and unfettered internet access. Phones are given to younger and younger kids, so they don't grow up in the tangible, real world but an algorithmic, digital one. Inevitably, the worst of that world affects them. They're told that they're hated, feared for the way they were born. They're told they're not even who they've been since birth, basic facts purposely turned into issues and doubts to shake the foundation of self. Those most adamant about the contrived need for teens to discover identity are the most diligent at axing their very roots. The response to the mental health crisis, the jadedness, the internal turmoil they've helped facilitate by destroying the enduring, reliable fabric of society is to encourage more of the same empty, hollowing behaviors. Atop all this is never-ending rage, rage, rage. At the base is the deliberate removal of religion. No matter an individual's choice of observance, religion undeniably provides what liberal society and decadence cannot; meaning. Eternal, enduring meaning. The knowing that you're more than a clump of cells passing through this timespan, because you are an integral link in a chain reaching back millennia. Your ancestors didn't endure hardships or fight to build civilization so you could be the end of the line, but so you could gratefully take your place in it. You and your actions matter. Not because you're a political vote or celebrated community, but because you were made in the image of G-d Who woke you today as there's something only you can do in His world. What effect would the proliferation of this messaging in literature have on the mental state of the youth? And for those pontificating about diversity and inclusion, who in truth only want different skin colors espousing the same beliefs, there is no greater unifier than religion. Belief in a higher power unites individuals of different backgrounds, colors, and, most valuably, opinions, in ways no mandate or ideology ever can. While lengthy, the above in no way encompasses all the changes, reasons, and effects pertaining to the devolution of teen fiction. And, as the focus is not on talent but content, it can be shifted as easily as it was before. You may disagree with everything I've written. You may accuse me of jealousy, hatred, bigotry, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, erasure, et al. I only encourage you to look for yourself. Peruse bookstore aisles; click through new releases; check who's getting awards. What do your eyes see?

Join us as we discuss the mental health issues affecting Latinx adolescents today. Dr. Yovanska Duarte-Velez, a clinical psychologist specializing in this area, sheds light on unique stressors like discrimination and cultural expectations. Discover how understanding these challenges can help provide the support needed. Don't miss this enlightening conversation!  Learn more about Yovanska Duarte-Velez, PhD 

After a celebrated run off-Broadway and rave reviews, Irene Lucio has returned to the role of Isadora in the groundbreaking play. LIBERATION explores the universal themes of freedom, identity, and resilience, set against the backdrop of historical and contemporary struggles for justice. Isadora is an Italian immigrant filmmaker who entered a green-card marriage. New York Theatre Guide called her performance “sharp and witty… toggling back and forth between humor and heartbreak with natural ease.” Irene is perhaps best known for her role in Jeremy O. Harris' award-winning play SLAVE PLAY where she starred as Patricia and played the role in all four forms of the show. She also wrote a Spanish series titled ‘SúperEllas' for Canela TV. A show for children about Latina trailblazers, it won the Best Non-English Program – Family Programming at the 48th Annual Gracie Awards. As a Latinx woman born and raised in Puerto Rico, Irene seeks roles which showcase the importance of diverse representation in the arts. Fluent in Spanish and a graduate of Princeton and Yale's esteemed acting program, she currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and 2 year old son. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preaching for Christmas, Cecilia González-Andrieu offers a reflection on what it means to have Christian faith: "God is with us. God is with us always, and God dwells with us most perfectly in the ones who need us. Where are our mangers? Let us search for them because that is where Creation joins our song. To go to them, protect them, accompany them is to give our Christian faith meaning and to make our God present."Cecilia González-Andrieu is professor of Theology and Theological Aesthetics at Loyola Marymount University. Her work explores systematic theology, theological aesthetics, and political theology from the particularity of the Latinx experience. A scholar-activist Dr. González-Andrieu speaks and marches with those who thirst for the liberative power of theological thought in a number of interlaced areas of inquiry. At LMU, Cecilia helps lead the university's work with undocumented students. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12252025 to learn more about Cecilia to read her preaching text, to view her preaching in Spanish, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

WHAT'S UP FOOL? EP 556Felipe welcomes back Marcella Arguello to What's Up Fool?! Marcella is the explosive Latinx comedian, actor, and writer whose debut HBO Max special, Bitch, Grow Up., was hailed by Latin Media as "absolutely joyous." A veteran stand-up with two Billboard-charting albums and recent roles on Abbott Elementary and Poker Face, she brings her sharp takes on race, gender, and wild stories to the mic.Connect with us on InstagramFelipe - @ FelipeesparzacomedianRizo - @ComicMartinRizoMarcella -@Marcellacomedy Hear about Felipe's tour dates, new merch drops & more by signing up @ http://felipesworld.com Felipe Esparza is a comedian and actor, known for his stand-up specials, “They're Not Gonna Laugh at You”, “Translate This”, and his latest dual-release on Netflix, “Bad Decisions/Malas Decisiones” (2 different performances in two languages), his recurring appearances on Netflix's “Gentefied”, NBC's “Superstore” and Adultswim's “The Eric Andre Show”, as well as winning “Last Comic Standing” (2010), and his popular podcast called “What's Up Fool?”. Felipe continues to sell out live stand-up shows in comedy clubs and theaters around the country.

Welcome to the Arise podcast, conversations on faith, race, justice, gender, the church, and what are we seeing in reality right now? So Jenny and I dive in a little bit about therapy. The holidays, I would don't say the words collective liberation, but it feels like that's what we're really touching on and what does that mean in this day and age? What are we finding with one another? How are we seeking help? What does it look like and what about healing? What does that mean to us? This isn't like a tell all or the answer to all the problems. We don't have any secret knowledge. Jenny and I are just talking out some of the thoughts and feeling and talking through what does it mean for us as we engage one another, engage healing spaces, what do we want for ourselves? And I think we're still figuring that out. You're just going to hear us going back and forth talking and thank you for joining. Danielle (00:10):Welcome to the Arise podcast, conversations on faith, race, justice, gender, the church, and what are we seeing in reality right now? So Jenny and I dive in a little bit about therapy. The holidays, I would don't say the words collective liberation, but it feels like that's what we're really touching on and what does that mean in this day and age? What are we finding with one another? How are we seeking help? What does it look like and what about healing? What does that mean to us? This isn't like a tell all or the answer to all the problems. We don't have any secret knowledge. Jenny and I are just talking out some of the thoughts and feeling and talking through what does it mean for us as we engage one another, engage healing spaces, what do we want for ourselves? And I think we're still figuring that out. You're just going to hear us going back and forth talking and thank you for joining. Download, subscribe. So Jenny, we were just talking about therapy because we're therapists and all. And what were you saying about it?Jenny (01:17):I was saying that I'm actually pretty disillusioned with therapy and the therapy model as it stands currently and everything. I don't want to put it in the all bad bucket and say it's only bad because obviously I do it and I, I've done it myself. I am a therapist and I think there is a lot of benefit that can come from it, and I think it eventually meets this rub where it is so individualistic and it is one person usually talking to one person. And I don't think we are going to dismantle the collective systems that we need to dismantle if we are only doing individual therapy. I think we really need to reimagine what healing looks like in a collective space.Danielle (02:15):Yeah, I agree. And it's odd to talk about it both as therapists. You and I have done a lot of groups together. Has that been different? I know for me as I've reflected on groups. Yeah. I'll just say this before you answer that. As I've reflected on groups, when I first started and joined groups, it was really based on a model of there's an expert teacher, which I accepted willingly because I was used to a church or patriarchal format. There's expert teacher or teachers like plural. And then after that there's a group, and in your group there's an expert. And I viewed that person as a guru, a professional, of course, they were professional, they are professionals, but someone that might have insider knowledge about me or people in my group that would bring that to light and that knowledge alone would change me or being witnessed, which I think is important in a group setting would change me. But I think part of the linchpin was having that expert guide and now I don't know what I think about that.(03:36):I think I really appreciate the somatic experiencing model that would say my client's body is the wisest person in the room.(03:46):And so I have shifted over the years from a more directive model where I'm the wisest person in the room and I'm going to name these things and I'm going to call these things out in your story to how do I just hold a space for your body to do what your body knows how to do? And I really ascribe to the idea that trauma is not about an event. It's about not having a safe place to go in the midst of or after an event. And so I think we need safe enough places to let our bodies do what our bodies have really evolved to do. And I really trust that more and more that less is more, and actually the more that I get out of the way and my clients can metabolize what they need to, that actually I think centers their agency more. Because if I'm always needing to defer my story to someone else to see things, I'm never going to be able to come into my own and say, no, I actually maybe disagree with you, or I see that differently, or I'm okay not figuring that out or whatever it might be. I get to stay centered in my own agency. And I think a professional model disavow someone of their own agency and their own ability to live their story from the inside outDanielle (05:19):To live their story from the inside out. I think maybe I associate a lot of grief with that because as you talk about it, you talk about maybe seeking healing in this frame, going to school for this frame, and I'm not dismissing all of the good parts of that or the things that I discovered through those insights, but sometimes I think even years later I'm like, why didn't they stick? If I know that? Why didn't they stick? Or why do I still think about that and go through my own mental gymnastics to think what is actually healing? What does it have to look like if that thing didn't stick and I'm still thinking about it or feeling it, what does that say about me? What does that say about the therapy? I think for me, the lack of ongoing collective places to engage those kinds of feelings have allowed things to just bumble on or not really get lodged in me as an alternative truth. Does that make sense?Jenny (06:34):Yeah. But one of the things I wonder is healing a lie? I have yet to meet someone I know that I get to know really well and I go, yeah, this person is healed regardless of the amount of money they've spent in therapy, the types of body work they've done. What if we were all just more honest about the fact that we're all messy and imperfect and beautiful and everything in between and we stopped trying to chase this imagined reality of healing that I don't actually think exists?(07:30):Well, I think I've said it before on here. I used to think it was somewhere I was going to get to where I wouldn't feel X, y, Z. So maybe it meant I got to a space where on the holidays I often feel sad. I have my whole life and I feel sad this year. So does that mean somehow the work that I've put in to understand that sadness, that I'm not healed because I still feel sadness? And I think at the beginning I felt like if I'm still feeling sadness, if there are triggers that come around the holidays, then that means that I'm not healed or I haven't done enough work or there's something wrong with me for needing more support. So now I'm wondering if healing more, and I think we talked about this a little bit before too, is more the growing awareness. How does it increase connection versus create isolation for me when I feel sad? That's one example I think of. What about you?Jenny (08:31):I think about the last time I went to Uganda and there's so much complexity with my role in Uganda as a white woman that was stepping into a context to bring healing. And my final time in Uganda, I was co-facilitating a workshop for Ugandan psychotherapists and I had these big pieces of parchment paper around the room with different questions because I thought that they would be able to be more honest if it was anonymous. And so one of the pieces of paper said, what would you want westerners to know who were coming to Uganda to do healing work? And it was basically 100% learn what healing means to us.(09:26):Bring your own ideas of healing, stop, try, stop basically. And for whatever reason, that time was actually able to really hear that and go, I'd actually have no place trying to bring my form of healing and implement that. You all have your own form of healing. And one of the things that they also said on that trip was for you, healing is about the individual. For us, healing is about reintegrating that person into the community. And that might mean that they still have trauma and they still have these issues, but if they are accepted and welcomed in, then the community gets to support them through that. It's not about bringing this person out and fixing them over here and then plucking them back. It's how does the community care for bodies that have been injured? And I think about how I broke my foot in dance class when I was 14 and I had to have reconstructive surgery and my foot and my ankle and my knee and my hip and my whole body have never been the same. I will never go back to a pre broken foot body. So why would we emotionally, psychologically, spiritually be any different? And I think some of it comes from this Christian cosmology of Eden that we're just keep trying to find ourselves back in Eden. And this is something I feel like I've learned from our dear friend, Rebecca Wheeler Walston, which is like, no, we're not going back to Eden. How do we then live in this post perfect pre-injury world that is messy and unhealed, but also how can we find meaning and connection in that?(11:28):That was a lot of thoughts, but that's kind of what comes up for me.Danielle (11:31):Oh man, there's a couple of things you said and I was like, oh, wait a minute, wait a minute. I think you said healing is how do we as a community integrate people who have experienced trauma into our spaces? I think if you think back to Freud, it's plucking people out and then he reintroduced trauma and abuse them in the process. But somehow despite those things, he got to be an expert. I mean, so if you wonder how we got to Donald Trump, if you wonder how we get to all these leaders in our country getting to rape, abuse, sexually assault people, and then still maintain their leader position of power, even in our healing realm, we based a lot of our western ideologies on someone that was abusive and we're okay with that. Let's read them, let's learn from them. Okay, so that's one thing.(12:32):And Freud, he did not reintegrate these people back into the community. In fact, their process took them further away. So I often think about that too with therapy. I dunno, I think I told you this, Jenny, that sometimes I feel like people are trying their therapeutic learning out on me just in the community. Wax a boundary on you or I'll tell you no, and I'm just like, wait, what have you been learning? Or what have you been growing in and why aren't we having a conversation in the moment versus holding onto something and creating these spinoffs? But I do think that part of it is that healing hasn't been a way of how to reconnect with your community despite their own imperfections and maybe even places of harm. It's been like, how do you get away from that? And then they're like, give your family. Who's your chosen family? That's so hard. Does that actually work?Jenny (13:42):Yeah, it makes me think of this meme I saw that was so brutal that said, I treat my trauma. Trump treats tariffs, implementing boundaries arbitrarily that hurt everyone. And I've, we've talked a lot about this and I think it is a very white idea to be like, no, that's my boundary. You can't do that. No, that's my boundary. No, that's my boundary. No, that's my boundary. And it's like, are you actually healing or are you just isolating yourself from everything that makes you uncomfortable or triggered or frustrated and hear me? I do think there is a time and a place and a role for boundaries and everything in capitalism. I think it gets bastardized and turned into something that only reproduces whiteness and privilege and isolation and individuation individualism because capitalism needs those things. And so how do we hold the boundaries, have the time and a place and a purpose, and how do we work to grow relation with people that might not feel good all the time?(15:02):And I'm not talking about putting ourselves in positions of harm, but what about positions of discomfort and positions of being frustrated and triggered and parts of the human emotion? Because I agree with what you shared about, I thought healing was like, I'm not going to feel these things, but who decided that and who said those are unhealed emotions? What if those are just part of the human experience and healing is actually growing our capacity to feel all of it, to feel the sadness that you're feeling over the holidays, to feel my frustration when I'm around certain people and to know that that gets to be okay and there gets to be space for that.Danielle (15:49):I mean, it goes without saying, but in our capitalistic system, and in a way it's a benefit for us not to have a sad feeling is you can still go to work and be productive. It's a benefit for us not to have a depressed feeling. It's a benefit for us to be like, well, you hurt me. I can cut you off and I can keep on moving. The goal isn't healing. And my husband often says this about our medical care system. It's just how do we get you back out the door if anybody's ever been to the ER or you've ever been ill or you need something? I think of even recently, I think, I don't dunno if I told you this, but I got a letter in the mail, I've been taking thyroid medicine, which I need, and they're like, no, you can't take that thyroid medicine.(16:34):It's not covered anymore. Well, who decided that according it's Republicans in the big beautiful bill, it's beautiful for them to give permission to insurance companies, not to pay for my thyroid medicine when actually I think of you and I out here in community trying to work with folks and help folks actually participate in our world and live a life maybe they love, that's not perfect, but so how are you going to take away my thyroid medicine as I'm not special though, and you're not special to a system. So I think it is beneficial for healing to be like, how do you do this thing by yourself and get better by yourself, impact the least amount of people as possible with your bad feelings. Bad feelings. Yeah. That's kind of how I think of it when you talked about that.(17:50):So if our job is this and we know we're in this quote system and we imagine more collective community care, I know you're touring the country, you're seeing a lot of different things. What are you seeing when you meet with people? Are you connect with people? Are there any themes or what are you noticing?Jenny (18:09):Yeah, Sean and I joked, not joked before we moved into the van that this was our We Hate America tour and we were very jaded and we had a lot of stereotypes and we were talking at one point with our friend from the south and talking shit about the south and our friend was like, have you even ever been to the south? And we were like, no. And Rick Steves has this phrase that says it's hard to hate up close. And the last two years have really been a disruption in our stereotypes, in our fears, in our assumptions about entire groups of people or entire places that the theme has really felt like people are really trying their best to make the world a more beautiful place all over in a million different ways. And I think there are as many ways to bring life and beauty and resistance into the world as there are bodies on the planet.(19:21):And one of my mentors would say anti-racism about something you do. It's about a consciousness and how you are aware of the world. And that has been tricky for me as a recovering white savior who's like, no, okay, what do I do? How do I do the right thing? And I think I've been exposed to more and more people being aware whether that awareness is the whole globe or the nation or even just their neighbors and what does it mean to go drop off food for their neighbor or different ways in which people are showing up for each other. And sometimes I think that if we're only ever taught, which is often the case in therapy to focus on the trauma or the difficult parts, I think we're missing another part of reality, which is the beauty and the goodness and the somatic experiencing language would be the trauma vortex or your counter vortex.(20:28):And I think we can condition ourselves to look at one or focus on one. And so while I'm hesitant to say everything is love and light, I don't think that's true. And I don't think everything is doom and gloom either. And so I think I'm very grateful to be able to be in places where talking to people from Asheville who experienced the insane flooding last year talking about how they don't even know would just drop off a cooler of spring water every morning for them to flush their toilets and just this person is anonymous. They'll never get praise or gratitude. It was just like, this is my community. This is one thing I can do is bring coolers of water. And so I think it's just being able to hear and tell those stories of community gives us more of an imagination for how we can continue to be there for community.Danielle (21:38):Yeah, I like that. I like that. I like that you had this idea that you were willing to challenge it or this bias or this at the beginning just talking about it that you're willing to challenge.Jenny (21:59):Yeah, we said I think I know two things about every state, and they're probably both wrong. And that's been true. There's so much we don't know until we get out and experience it.Danielle (22:14):I think that's also symptom of, I think even here, I know people, but I don't know them. And often even just going someplace feeling like, oh, I don't have the time for that, or I can't do that, and the barriers, maybe my own exhaustion is true. I have that exhaustion or someone else has that exhaustion. But even the times I've avoided saying hi to someone or the times I've avoided small connections, I just think a lot, and maybe what is tiring is that the therapeutic model has reinforced isolation without having this other. You're talking about the counter vortex when we talk about healing is done in community, healing is done by witnessing, and somehow the assumption is that the therapist can be all of that witnessing and healing and community, and you're paying us and we're there and we're able to offer insight and we've studied and we have a professional job and we're not enough.(23:33):I often find myself in a state of madness and I can't do everything and I can speak to what I've chosen to do recently, but how do I function as a therapist in a system? I want people to feel less anxious. I want to be there, offer insights around depression or pay attention to their body with them. All of these really good, there aren't bad. They're good things. But yet when I walk out my door, if kids are hungry, that burden also affects my clients. So how do I not somehow become involved as an active member of my community as a therapist? And I think that's frustrated me the most about the therapy world. If we see the way the system is hurting people, how is our professional, it seems like almost an elite profession sometimes where we're not dug in the community. It's such a complicated mix. I don't know. What are you hearing me say? Yeah,Jenny (24:40):Yeah. I'm thinking about, I recently read this really beautiful book by Susan Rao called Liberated to the Bone, and Susan is a craniosacral therapist, so different than talk therapy, but in it, there was a chapter talking about just equity in even what we're charging. Very, very, very, very few people can afford 160 plus dollars a week(25:13):Extra just to go to therapy. And so who gets the privileges? Who gets the benefits from the therapy? And yet how do we look at how those privileges in themselves come at the expense of humanity and what is and what privileged bodies miss out on because of the social location of privilege? And yeah, I think it's a symptom that we even need therapy that we don't have communities where we can go to and say, Hey, this thing happened. It was really hard. Can we talk about it? And that is devastating. And so for me it's this both. And I do think we live in a world right now where therapy is necessary and I feel very privileged and grateful to be a therapist. I love my clients, I love the work I get to do. And I say this with many of my new clients.(26:22):My job is to work myself out of a job. And my hope is that eventually, eventually I want you to be able to recreate what we're growing here outside of here. And I do mean that individually. And I also mean that collectively, how do I work towards a world where maybe therapy isn't even necessary? And I don't know that that will ever actually happen, but if that gets to be my orientation, how does that shift how I challenge clients, how I invite them to bring what they're bringing to me to their community? And have you tried talking to that person about that? Have you tried? And so that it doesn't just become only ever this echo chamber, but maybe it's an incubator for a while, and then they get to grow their muscles of confrontation or vulnerability or the things that they've been practicing in therapy. Outside of therapy.Danielle (27:29):And I know I'm always amazed, but I do consistently meet people in different professions and different life circumstances. If you just sit down and listen, they offer a lot of wisdom filled words or just sometimes it feels like a balm to me. To hear how someone is navigating a tough situation may not even relate to mine at all, but just how they're thinking about suffering or how they're thinking about pain or how they're thinking about feeling sad. I don't always agree with it. It's not always something I would do. But also hearing a different way of doing things feels kind of reverberates in me, feels refreshing. So I think those conversations, it's not about finding a total agreement with someone or saying that you have to navigate things the same. I think it is about I finding ways where you can hear someone and hearing someone that's different isn't a threat to the way you want to think about the world.Jenny (28:42):As you say that, it makes me think about art. And something Sean often says is that artists are interpreters and their interpreting a human experience in a way that maybe is very, very specific, but in their specificity it gets to highlight something universal. And I think more and more I see the value in using art to talk about the reality of being unhealed. And that in itself maybe gets to move us closer towards whatever it is that we're moving closer towards or even it just allows us to be more fully present with what is. And maybe part of the issue is this idea that we're going to move towards something rather than how do we just keep practicing being with the current moment more honestly, more authentically?Danielle (29:51):I like my kids' art, honestly. I like to see what they interpret. I have a daughter who makes political art and I love it. I'll be like, what do you think about this? And she'll draw something. I'm like, oh, that's cool. Recently she drew a picture of the nativity, and I didn't really understand it at first, but then she told me it was like glass, broken glass and half of Mary's face was like a Palestinian, and the other half was Mexican, and Joseph was split too. And then the Roman soldiers looking for them were split between ice vests and Roman soldiers. And Herod had the face part of Trump, part of an ancient king. I was like, damn, that's amazing. It was cool. I should send it to you.(30:41):Yeah, I was, whoa. I was like, whoa. And then another picture, she drew had Donald Trump invading the nativity scene and holding a gun, and the man drew was empty and Joseph and Mary were running down the road. And I was like, oh, that's interesting. It is just interesting to me how she can tell the truth through art. Very, if you met this child of mine, she's very calm, very quiet, very kind, laid back, very sweet. But she has all these powerful emotions and interpretations, and I love hearing my kids play music. I love music. I love live music. Yeah. What about you? What kind of art do you enjoy?Jenny (31:28):I love dance. I love movement. I think there's so many things that when I don't have words for just letting my body move or watching other bodies move, it lets me settle something in me that I'm not trying to find words for. I can actually know that there's much more to being human than our little language center of our brain. I really love movies and cinema. I really love a lot of Polish films that are very artistic and speak to power in really beautiful ways. I just recently watched Hamnet in the theater and it was so beautiful. I just sobbed the entire time. Have you seen it?(32:27):I won't say anything about it other than I just find it to be, it was one of the most, what I would say is artistic films I've seen in a long time, and it was really, really moving and touching.Danielle (32:43):Well, what do you recommend for folks? Or what do you think about when you're thinking through the holiday season and all the complications of it?Jenny (32:57):I think my hope is that there gets to be more room for humanity. And at least what I've seen is a lot of times people making it through the holidays usually means I'm not going to get angry. I'm not going to get frustrated. I'm not going to get sad or I'm not going to show those things. And again, I'm like, well, who decided that we shouldn't be showing our emotions to people? And what if actually we get to create a little bit more space for what we're feeling? And that might be really disruptive to systems where we are not supposed to feel or think differently. And so I like this idea of 5%. What if you got to show up 5% more authentically? Maybe you say one sentence you wouldn't have said last year, or maybe you make one facial expression that wouldn't have been okay, or different things like that. How can you let yourself play in a little bit more mobility in your body and in your relational base? That would be my hope for folks. And yeah.Jenny (34:26):What would you want to tell people as they're entering into holiday season? Or maybe they feel like they're already just in the thick of the holidays?Danielle (34:35):I would say that more than likely, 90% of the people you see that you're rubbing shoulders with that aren't talking to you even are probably feeling some kind of way right now. And probably having some kind of emotional experience that's hard to make sense of. And so I know as we talk people, you might be like, I don't have that community. I don't have that. I don't have that. And I think that's true. I think a lot of us don't have it. So I think we talked about last week just taking one inch or one centimeter step towards connecting with someone else can feel really big. But I think it can also hold us back if we feel like, oh, we didn't do the whole thing at once. So I would say if people can tolerate even just one tiny inch towards connection or a tiny bit more honesty, when someone you notice is how you are and you're like, yeah, I feel kind of shitty. Or I had this amazing thing happen and I'm still sad. You don't have to go into details, but I wonder what it's like just to introduce a tiny a sentence, more of honesty into the conversation.Jenny (35:51):I like that. A sentence more of honesty.Danielle (35:54):Yeah. Thanks Jenny. I love being with you.Jenny (35:57):Thank you, friend. Same. Love you. Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

How can habits of racialization be affected by art, in its reception and its creation? How can a carnal aesthetics help us understand Latinx life? What if we listen to photographs? How might they undo us? Can we be undone? In Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad (Duke UP, 2025), Mariana Ortega focuses on photography using a hermeneutics of love and critical phenomenology to think about and with creative practices of primarily Latinx artists. Moving from the ocular to the mouthly, Ortega opens up possibilities for being affected by art. She also shows how artists use aesthetic practices to transform themselves, the possibilities for life, and as means to refuse to forget the dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latino-studies

How can habits of racialization be affected by art, in its reception and its creation? How can a carnal aesthetics help us understand Latinx life? What if we listen to photographs? How might they undo us? Can we be undone? In Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad (Duke UP, 2025), Mariana Ortega focuses on photography using a hermeneutics of love and critical phenomenology to think about and with creative practices of primarily Latinx artists. Moving from the ocular to the mouthly, Ortega opens up possibilities for being affected by art. She also shows how artists use aesthetic practices to transform themselves, the possibilities for life, and as means to refuse to forget the dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

How can habits of racialization be affected by art, in its reception and its creation? How can a carnal aesthetics help us understand Latinx life? What if we listen to photographs? How might they undo us? Can we be undone? In Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad (Duke UP, 2025), Mariana Ortega focuses on photography using a hermeneutics of love and critical phenomenology to think about and with creative practices of primarily Latinx artists. Moving from the ocular to the mouthly, Ortega opens up possibilities for being affected by art. She also shows how artists use aesthetic practices to transform themselves, the possibilities for life, and as means to refuse to forget the dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

How can habits of racialization be affected by art, in its reception and its creation? How can a carnal aesthetics help us understand Latinx life? What if we listen to photographs? How might they undo us? Can we be undone? In Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad (Duke UP, 2025), Mariana Ortega focuses on photography using a hermeneutics of love and critical phenomenology to think about and with creative practices of primarily Latinx artists. Moving from the ocular to the mouthly, Ortega opens up possibilities for being affected by art. She also shows how artists use aesthetic practices to transform themselves, the possibilities for life, and as means to refuse to forget the dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/art

How can habits of racialization be affected by art, in its reception and its creation? How can a carnal aesthetics help us understand Latinx life? What if we listen to photographs? How might they undo us? Can we be undone? In Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad (Duke UP, 2025), Mariana Ortega focuses on photography using a hermeneutics of love and critical phenomenology to think about and with creative practices of primarily Latinx artists. Moving from the ocular to the mouthly, Ortega opens up possibilities for being affected by art. She also shows how artists use aesthetic practices to transform themselves, the possibilities for life, and as means to refuse to forget the dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/photography

In Producing Precarity (NYU Press, 2025) Curtis Marez examines the television industry's practice of “offshoring” production to impoverished sites within the US. Marez, focuses on state efforts to attract film and TV producers to poor places with tax incentives, discounted public lands, and subsidized infrastructures. He argues that these efforts result in the redistribution of wealth from poor people of color, Indigenous people, and other taxpayers to Los Angeles-based media makers, while also diverting money that could be used for education and health care to the wealthy. The popular series produced in these places, such as Breaking Bad, The Watchmen, Lovecraft County, The Walking Dead, and Vida, are praised by critics and awards organizations and highlighted by streaming services for challenging genre, casting, and narrative conventions. However, many of these shows rely on racialized and gendered low-wage labor for production, and diversity, equity, and inclusion representations can sometimes perpetuate repression, such as depicting police as diversity champions. Producing Precarity examines how contemporary streaming shows from these areas promote racial inequality in ideology and content, as well as materially through their local production methods, and perceptually through streaming distribution modes that discourage viewers from understanding how TV is made. Marez also provides examples of local resistance, including movements against a police training center and a film studio in Atlanta, as well as anti-gentrification movements in Latinx neighborhoods of LA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Jenny Mendez and Betsabeé Romero. JENNY MENDEZ, Cultural Arts Director Mattie Rhodes Arts Center and Gallery was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Growing up in a neighborhood filled with family and friends on Kansas City's West Side. As a young girl Jenny enjoyed hearing stories from her grandmother, these stories were such an inspiration to Jenny in her love of her culture and heritage. Jenny attended the Kansas City Art Institute majoring in painting, she also studied both printmaking and photography. She was involved in community mural projects as a high school student and into college. She has always given back to her community. She has been employed with the Mattie Rhodes Center for the past twenty- five years and is responsible for all arts programming for the agency as the Cultural Arts Director. Through her work she is able to educate the community on the Latino culture through art. Being able to inspire children through art is what she is most passionate about – giving children and young artists a place to learn, create, express themselves, imagine, and grow in the arts. She has served and participated on many boards and committees through the years advocating for the arts and community. Her most valued appointment was to the board of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC). Most recently in March of 2020 as part of Women's History Month she was awarded the Nuestra Latina Award for the Arts by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Her work in the community is valued and shows her commitment to being a voice for the Latinx artists, students and individuals. Showing her expertise in the creative process and authenticity to arts and culture through her work and partnerships with the Kansas City Museum and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. She is very committed to continue to be a voice for the Latinx and arts communities at large. Mattie Rhodes Art and Cultural Center is located at 1701 Jarboe, KCMO www.mattierhodes.org BETSABEÉ ROMERO- Knitting Ties, Project Description: The installation features the creation of two sculptural soccer goals with nets crafted from metal lattices. These lattices will showcase characters that represent both soccer and the pre-Hispanic ball game, creating a bridge between contemporary sports and ancient cultural traditions. The metallic lattices will be interwoven with threads of various fibers, with the characters cut along the length and width of each goal's net. All elements will be handcrafted by migrants and local artisans, emphasizing community collaboration and cultural exchange. Elements of the Sculptural Objective: Metallic Lattices-metal cutouts are interconnected in a lattice configuration, forming modular structures that provide a sculptural foundation for artistic interventions. Community Networks-Fabrics crafted by volunteers and artisans interweave with lattices, forming distinctive patterns that narrate the stories of their communities. Athletic Emblems-Symbolic figures associated with soccer are integrated into the sculptural design, linking artistic expression with the passion for football. Betsabeé Romero; Education: Bachelor's Degree in Communication with a specialization in Participatory Communication, Universidad Iberoamericana (1984) Master's Degree in Visual Arts, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (1986) Diploma from l'École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (1989) Art History Studies at l'École du Louvre (1988-1989) Doctoral studies in Art History, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, no degree completed (1990-1993) Exhibitions: Romero has held over 100 solo exhibitions across five continents, with notable shows at the British Museum (2015), Grand Palais (2019), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2022), York Avenue in Washington (2018), Place Vieille Bourse in Lille, France (2019), Nevada Museum of Art (2014), Neuberger Museum (2011), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (2012), Canberra University Museum (2002), La Recoleta, Buenos Aires (2019), Mexico Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020 (2021), and Place du Louvre (2021). In 2024, her exhibition "Huellas para Recordar" featured five monumental sculptures on Park Avenue (81st, 82nd, and 83rd Streets) by invitation of NYC Parks & Recreation. Also in 2024, "The Endless Spiral" was featured at the Venice Biennale Official Collateral Event at Galeria Belacqua LaMassa, St. Mark's Square, by invitation of MOLAA. In Mexico, highlights include the Mega Ofrenda at Mexico City's Zócalo (2016), Museo Frida Kahlo (2019, 2013), Museo Anahuacalli (2015), Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (2014), Museo Amparo, Puebla (2008), MARCO, Monterrey (2009), and Museo Carrillo Gil (1999). Collections: Her work is part of major collections including the British Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Houston, Phoenix Art Museum, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Daros Collection (Switzerland), Nelson-Atkins Museum, Nevada Museum of Art, World Bank Collection, LACMA California, FEMSA, Irish Museum of Modern Art, El Museo del Barrio, Museo de Arte Moderno de México, MUAC, and Michigan State University. Biennials: Monterrey Biennial, Tamayo Biennial, inSite (Tijuana-San Diego), La Courneuve Biennial, Puerto Rico Graphics Triennial, Polygráfica Philadelphia, Ljubljana Graphics Biennial, Havana Biennial, Porto Alegre Biennial, Cairo Biennial, Sur Buenos Aires Biennial, Bogotá, and United Arab Emirates. Official selection for collateral projects at the 2024 Venice Biennale with the solo exhibition "Endless Spiral" with MOLAA Museum at the Bellaacqua La Massa Foundation in St. Mark's Square. Awards: Prix Oric'Art, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1988 Grand Acquisition Prize in Installation, Second Monterrey Biennial, Museo de Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, 1994 First Prize, Cairo Biennial, 2006 Millésimé Prize in Visual Arts, 2018 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, France, 2020 First Prize in Pavilion Design

This is way more than just our first annual predictions episode. Victoria Bachan is the SVP, Creators at Wasserman. Wasserman operates at the epicenter of sports, music, entertainment and culture, serving talent, brands and properties on a global scale. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Wasserman's presence spans 28 countries and more than 70 cities, including New York, London, Nashville, Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico City, Toronto, Paris and Sydney.Formerly the Global President of Sixteenth, Victoria oversaw a team of 43 managers and over 300 diverse Creators, while spearheading the company's global expansion efforts.  Victoria and her team collaborated with some of today's brightest Creators, including People's Choice Award winner Doug the Pug, visual artist and best-selling author Adam J. Kurtz, Crypto and Gen Z Finance expert Taylor Price, best-selling author and gamer Kelsey Dangerous and the Nami Matcha Founder and CEO, Ashley Alexander. Previously her team was instrumental in launching two groundbreaking TikTok Creator houses, “The Crib Around the Corner” for Black content creators, and “Familia Fuego” for Latinx talent. In 2023, she also helped Doug the Pug launch Nonipup, a human-grade all-natural pet care brand. Under her leadership, 61% of the Sixteenth roster proudly identified as BIPOC, reflecting her commitment to diversity and inclusion. When Victoria isn't paving the way for prominent creators, she mentors South Asian executives and talent as a member of The Salon and supports fundraising efforts for Play Inspired.

   “It's not enough to build a system and then exit stage left when you realize it's broken. The ‘I'm sorry' is not the work — it's only the acknowledgment that work needs to be done. After the apology, you must actually do the repair. And what I see from her is the language of accountability without the actions that would demonstrate it. That's insufficient for real change.” Danielle (01:03):Well, I mean, what's not going on? Just, I don't know. I think the government feels more and more extreme. So that's one thing I feel people are like, why is your practice so busy? I'm like, have you seen the government? It's traumatizing all my clients. Hey Jeremy. Hey Jenny.Jenny (01:33):I'm in Charlottesville, Virginia. So close to Rebecca. We're going to soon.Rebecca (01:48):Yeah, she is. Yeah, she is. And before you pull up in my driveway, I need you to doorbell dish everybody with the Trump flag and then you can come. I'm so readyThat's a good question. That's a good question. I think that, I don't know that I know anybody that's ready to just say out loud. I am not a Trump supporter anymore, but I do know there's a lot of dissonance with individual policies or practices that impact somebody specifically. There's a lot of conversation about either he doesn't know what he's doing or somebody in his cabinet is incompetent in their job and their incompetency is making other people's lives harder and more difficult. Yeah, I think there's a lot of that.(03:08):Would she had my attention for about two minutes in the space where she was saying, okay, I need to rethink some of this. But then as soon as she says she was quitting Congress, I have a problem with that because you are part of the reason why we have the infrastructure that we have. You help build it and it isn't enough to me for you to build it and then say there's something wrong with it and then exit the building. You're not equally responsible for dismantling what you helped to put in place. So after that I was like, yeah, I don't know that there's any authenticity to your current set of objections,I'm not a fan of particularly when you are a person that in your public platform built something that is problematic and then you figure out that it's problematic and then you just leave. That's not sufficient for me, for you to just put on Twitter or Facebook. Oh yeah, sorry. That was a mistake. And then exit stage leftJenny (04:25):And I watched just a portion of an interview she was on recently and she was essentially called in to accountability and you are part of creating this. And she immediately lashed out at the interviewer and was like, you do this too. You're accusing me. And just went straight into defensive white lady mode and I'm just like, oh, you haven't actually learned anything from this. You're just trying to optically still look pure. That's what it seems like to me that she's wanting to do without actually admitting she has been. And she is complicit in the system that she was a really powerful force in building.Rebecca (05:12):Yeah, it reminds me of, remember that story, excuse me, a few years ago about that black guy that was birdwatching in Central Park and this white woman called the cops on him. And I watched a political analyst do some analysis of that whole engagement. And one of the things that he said, and I hate, I don't know the person name, whoever you are, if you said this and you hear this, I'm giving you credit for having said it, but one of the things that he was talking about is nobody wants you to actually give away your privilege. You actually couldn't if you tried. What I want you to do is learn how to leverage the privilege that you have for something that is good. And I think that example of that bird watching thing was like you could see, if you see the clip, you can see this woman, think about the fact that she has power in this moment and think about what she's going to do with that power.(06:20):And so she picks up her phone and calls the cops, and she's standing in front of this black guy lying, saying like, I'm in fear for my life. And as if they're doing anything except standing several feet apart, he is not yelling at you. He hasn't taken a step towards you, he doesn't have a weapon, any of that. And so you can see her figure out what her privilege looks like and feels like and sounds like in that moment. And you can see her use it to her own advantage. And so I've never forgotten that analysis of we're not trying to take that from you. We couldn't if we tried, we're not asking you to surrender it because you, if you tried, if you are in a place of privilege in a system, you can't actually give it up because you're not the person that granted it to yourself. The system gave it to you. We just want you to learn how to leverage it. So I would love to see Marjorie Taylor Greene actually leverage the platform that she has to do something good with it. And just exiting stays left is not helpful.Danielle (07:33):And to that point, even at that though, I've been struck by even she seems to have more, there's on the continuum of moral awareness, she seems to have inch her way in one direction, but I'm always flabbergasted by people close to me that can't even get there. They can't even move a millimeter. To me, it's wild.Well, I think about it. If I become aware of a certain part of my ignorance and I realize that in my ignorance I've been harming someone or something, I believe we all function on some kind of continuum. It's not that I don't think we all wake up and know right and wrong all the time. I think there's a lot of nuance to the wrongs we do to people, honestly. And some things feel really obvious to me, and I've observed that they don't feel obvious to other people. And if you're in any kind of human relationship, sometimes what you feel is someone feels as obvious to them, you're stepping all over them.(08:59):And I'm not talking about just hurting someone's feelings. I'm talking about, yeah, maybe you hurt their feelings, but maybe you violated them in that ignorance or I am talking about violations. So it seems to me that when Marjorie Taylor Green got on CN and said, I've been a part of this system kind of like Rebecca you're talking about. And I realized that ignoring chomp hyping up this rhetoric, it gets people out there that I can't see highly activated. And there's a group of those people that want to go to concrete action and inflict physical pain based on what's being said on another human being. And we see that, right? So whatever you got Charlie Kirk's murderer, you got assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King all throughout history we've seen these, the rhetoric and the violence turns into these physical actions. And so it seems to me like she had some awareness of what her contributing to that, along with the good old orange guy was doing contributes to violence. It seems to me like she inched in that direction.Rebecca (10:27):Yeah, like I said, I think you're right in that inching, she had my attention. And so then I'm waiting for her to actually do something substantive more than just the acknowledgement that I have been in error. And and I think part of that is that I think we have a way of thinking that the acknowledgement or the, I'm sorry, is the work, and it is not the, I'm sorry, is the acknowledgement that work needs to be done. So after you say, I'm sorry, now let's go do the work.Danielle (11:10):I mean our own therapeutic thing that we all went through that we have in common didn't have a concept for repair. So people are coming to therapy looking for a way to understand. And what I like to say is there's a theory of something, but there's no practical application of it that makes your theory useless in some sense to me or your theology, even if your ology has a theology of X, Y, Z, but you can't actually apply that. What is the use of it?Jenny (11:43):And I think that's best case scenario, and I think I'm a more cynical person than you are Danielle, but I see what's happening with Taylor Green and I'm like, this actually feels like when a very toxic, dangerous man goes to therapy and learns the therapy language and then is like it's my boundaries that you can't wear that dress. And it's like, no, no, that's not what we're doing. It's just it's my boundary that when there isn't that actual sense of, okay, I'm going to be a part of the work, to me it actually somehow feels potentially more dangerous because it's like I'm using the language and the optics of what will keep me innocent right now without actually putting any skin in the game.(12:51):Yeah, I would say it's an enactment of white womanhood. I would say it's intentional, but probably not fully conscious that it is her body moving in the way that she's been racially and gendered(13:07):Tradition to move. That goes in some ways maybe I can see that I've enacted harm, but I'm actually going to replicate the same thing in stepping into now a new position of performing white womanhood and saying the right things and doing the right things. But then the second an interviewee calls me out into accountability, I'm going to go into potentially white psychosis moment because I don't actually know how to metabolize the ways in which I am still complicit in the system. And to me, I think that's the impossibility of how do we work through the ways that these systems live in our bodies that isn't clean. It isn't pure, but I think the simplicity of I was blind now I see. I am very skeptical of,Rebecca (14:03):Yeah, I think it's interesting the notion that, and I'm going to misquote you so then you fix it. But something of like, I don't actually know how to metabolize these things and work them through. I only know this kind of performative space where I say what I'm expected to say.Jenny (14:33):Yeah, I think I see it as a both, and I don't totally disagree with the fact of there's not something you can do to get rid of your privilege. And I do think that we have examples of, oh goodness, I wish I could remember her name. Viola Davis. No, she was a white woman who drove, I was just at the African-American History Museum yesterday and was reminded of her face, but it's like Viola ela, I want to say she's a white woman from Detroit who drove down to the south during the bus boycotts to carpool black folks, and she was shot in the head and killed in her car because she stepped out of the bounds of performing white womanhood. And I do think that white bodies know at a certain level we can maintain our privilege and there is a real threat and a real cost to actually doing what needs to be done to not that we totally can abdicate our privilege. I think it is there, and I do think there are ways of stepping out of the bondage of our racial and gendered positions that then come with a very real threat.Rebecca (16:03):Yes. But I think I would say that this person that you're referring to, and again, I feel some kind of way about the fact that we can't name her name accurately. And there's probably something to that, right? She's not the only one. She's not the first one. She's not the last one who stepped outside of the bounds of what was expected of her on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement, on behalf of justice. And those are stories that we don't know and faces and names we cannot, that don't roll off the tip of our tongue like a Rosa Parks or a Medgar Evers or a Merley Evers or whoever. So that being said, I would say that her driving down to the South, that she had a car that she could drive, that she had the resources to do that is a leveraging of some of her privilege in a very real way, a very substantive way. And so I do think that I hear what you're saying that she gave up something of her privilege to do that, and she did so with a threat that for her was realizing a very violent way. And I would also say she leveraged what privilege she had in a way that for her felt like I want to offer something of the privilege that I have and the power that I have on behalf of someone who doesn't have it.(17:44):It kind of reminds me this question of is the apology enough or is the acknowledgement enough? It reminds me of what we did in the eighties and nineties around the racial reconciliation movement and the Promise Keepers thing and all those big conferences where the notion that the work of reconciliation was to stand on the stage and say, I realize I'm white and you're black, and I'm sorry. And we really thought that that was the work and that was sufficient to clear everything that needed to be cleared, and that was enough to allow people to move forward in proximity and connection to each other. And I think some of what we're living through 40, 45 years later is because that was not enough.(18:53):It barely scratched the surface to the extent that you can say that Donald Trump is not the problem. He is a symptom of the problem. To the extent that you could say that his success is about him stoking the fires that lie just beneath the surface in the realization that what happened with reconciliation in the nineties was not actually repair, it was not actually reconciliation. It was, I think what you're saying, Jenny, the sort of performative space where I'm speaking the language of repair and reconciliation, but I haven't actually done the work or paid the cost that is there in order to be reconciled.Danielle (19:40):That's in my line though. That's the continuum of moral awareness. You arrive to a spot, you address it to a certain point. And in that realm of awareness, what we've been told we can manage to think about, which is also goes back to Jenny's point of what the system has said. It's almost like under our system we have to push the system. It's so slow. And as we push the system out and we gain more awareness, then I think we realize we're not okay. I mean, clearly Latinos are not okay. They're a freaking mess. I think Mother Fers, half of us voted for Trump. The men, the women are pissed. You have some people that are like, you have to stay quiet right now, go hide. Other people are like, you got to be in the streets. It's a clear mess. But I don't necessarily think that's bad because we need to have, as a large group of people, a push of our own moral awareness.(20:52):What did we do that hurt ourselves? What were we willing to put up with to recolonize ourselves to agree to it, to agree to the fact that you could recolonize yourself. So I mean, just as a people group, if you can lump us all in together, and then the fact that he's going after countries of origin, destabilizing Honduras telling Mexico to release water, there is no water to release into Texas and California. There isn't the water to do it, but he can rant and rave or flying drones over Venezuela or shooting down all these ships. How far have we allowed ourselves in the system you're describing Rebecca, to actually say our moral awareness was actually very low. I would say that for my people group, very, very low, at least my experience in the states,Rebecca (21:53):I think, and this is a working theory of mine, I think like what you're talking about, Danielle, specifically in Latino cultures, my question has been when I look at that, what I see as someone who's not part of Latino culture is that the invitation from whiteness to Latino cultures is to be complicit in their own erasure in order to have access to America. So you have to voluntarily drop your language, drop your accent, change your name, whatever that long list is. And I think when whiteness shows up in a culture in that way where the request or the demand is that you join in your own eraser, I think it leads to a certain kind of moral ignorance, if you will.(23:10):And I say that as somebody coming from a black American experience where I think the demand from whiteness was actually different. We weren't actually asked to participate in our own eraser. We were simply told that there's no version of your existence where you will have access to what whiteness offers to the extent that a drop is a drop is a drop. And by that I mean you could be one 16th black and be enslaved in the United States, whereas, so I think I have lots of questions and curiosities around that, about how whiteness shows up in a particular culture, what does it demand or require, and then what's the trajectory that it puts that culture on? And I'm not suggesting that we don't have ways of self-sabotage in black America. Of course we do. I just think our ways of self-sabotage are nuanced or different from what you're talking about because the way that whiteness has showed up in our culture has required something different of us. And so our sabotage shows up in a different way.(24:40):To me. I don't know. I still don't know what to do with the 20% of black men that voted for Trump. I haven't figured that one out yet. Perhaps I don't have enough moral awareness about that space. But when I look at what happened in Latino culture, at least my theory as someone from the outside looking in is like there's always been this demand or this temptation that you buy the narrative that if you assimilate, then you can have access to power. And so I get it. It's not that far of a leap from that to course I'll vote for you because if I vote for you, then you'll take care of us. You'll be good and kind and generous to me and mine. I get that that's not the deal that was made with black Americans. And so we do something different. Yeah, I don't know. So I'm open to thoughts, rebuttals, rebukes,Jenny (25:54):My mind is going to someone I quote often, Rosa Luxembourg, who was a democratic socialist revolutionary who was assassinated over a hundred years ago, and she wrote a book called Reform or Revolution arguing that the more capitalism is a system built on collapse because every time the system collapse, those who are at the top get to sweep the monopoly board and collect more houses, more land, more people. And so her argument was actually against things like unions and reforms to capitalism because it would only prolong the collapse, which would make the collapse that much more devastating. And her argument was, we actually have to have a revolution because that's the only way we're going to be able to redo this system. And I think that for the folks that I knew that voted for Trump, in my opinion, against their own wellness and what it would bring, it was the sense of, well, hopefully he'll help the economy.(27:09):And it was this idea that he was just running on and telling people he was going to fix the economy. And that's a very real thing for a lot of people that are really struggling. And I think it's easier for us to imagine this paternalistic force that's going to come in and make capitalism better. And yet I think capitalism will only continue to get worse on purpose. If we look at literally yesterday we were at the Department of Environmental Protections and we saw that there was black bags over it and the building was empty. And the things that are happening to our country that the richest of the ridge don't care that people's water and food and land is going to be poisoned in exponential rates because they will not be affected. And until we can get, I think the mass amount of people that are disproportionately impacted to recognize this system will never work for us, I don't know. I don't know what it will take. I know we've used this word coalition. What will it take for us to have a coalition strong enough to actually bring about the type of revolution that would be necessary? IRebecca (28:33):Think it's in part in something that you said, Jenny, the premise that if this doesn't affect me, then I don't have any skin in this game and I don't really care. I think that is what will have to change. I think we have to come to a sense of if it is not well with the person sitting next to me, then it isn't well with me because as long as we have this mindset that if it doesn't directly affect me that it doesn't matter, then I think we're always sort of crabs in a barrel. And so maybe that's idealistic. Maybe that sounds a little pollyannaish, but I do think we have to come to this sense of, and this maybe goes along with what Danielle was saying about the continuum of moral awareness. Can I do the work of becoming aware of people whose existence and life is different than mine? And can that awareness come from this place of compassion and care for things that are harmful and hurtful and difficult and painful for them, even if it's not that way? For me, I think if we can get there with this sense of we rise and fall together, then maybe we have a shot at doing something better.(30:14):I think I just heard on the news the other day that I think it used to be a policy that on MLK Day, certain federal parks and things were free admission, and I think the president signed an executive order that's no longer true, but you could go free if you go on Trump's birthday. The invitation and the demand that is there to care only about yourself and be utterly dismissive of anyone and everyone else is sickening.Jenny (30:51):And it's one of the things that just makes me go insane around Christian nationalism and the rhetoric that people are living biblically just because they don't want gay marriage. But then we'll say literally, I'm just voting for my bank account, or I'm voting so that my taxes don't go to feed people. And I had someone say that to me and they're like, do you really want to vote for your taxes to feed people? I said, absolutely. I would much rather my tax money go to feed people than to go to bombs for other countries. I would do that any day. And as a Christian, should you not vote for the least of these, should you not vote for the people that are going to be most affected? And that dissonance that's there is so crazy making to me because it's really the antithesis of, I think the message of Jesus that's like whatever you do to the least of these, you are doing to me. And instead it's somehow flipped where it's like, I just need to get mine. And that's biblical,Rebecca (31:58):Which I think I agree wholeheartedly as somebody who identifies as a Christian who seeks to live my life as someone that follows the tenets of scripture. I think part of that problem is the introduction of this idea that there are hierarchies to sin or hierarchies to sort of biblical priorities. And so this notion that somehow the question of abortion or gay rights, transgendered rights is somehow more offensive to scripture than not taking care of the least of these, the notion that there's such a thing as a hierarchy there that would give me permission to value one over the other in a way that is completely dismissive of everything except the one or two things that I have deemed the most important is deeply problematic to me.Danielle (33:12):I think just coming back to this concept of I do think there was a sense among the larger community, especially among Latino men, Hispanic men, that range of people that there's high percentage join the military, high percentage have tried to engage in law enforcement and a sense of, well, that made me belong or that gave my family an inn. Or for instance, my grandfather served in World War II and the Korean War and the other side of my family, the German side, were conscientious objectors. They didn't want to fight the Nazis, but then this side worked so hard to assimilate lost language, didn't teach my mom's generation the language. And then we're reintroducing all of that in our generation. And what I noticed is there was a lot of buy-in of we got it, we made it, we made it. And so I think when homeboy was like, Hey, I'm going to do this. They're like, not to me,To me, not to me. It's not going to happen to me. I want my taxes lowered. And the thing is, it is happening to us now. It was always going to, and I think those of us that spoke out or there was a loss of the memory of the old school guys that were advocating for justice. There was a loss there, but I think it's come back with fury and a lot of communities and they're like, oh, crap, this is true. We're not in, you see the videos, people are screaming, I'm an American citizen. They're like, we don't care. Let me just break your arm. Let me run over your legs. Let me take, you're a US service member with a naval id. That's not real. Just pure absurdity is insane. And I think he said he was going to do it, he's doing it. And then a lot of people in our community were speaking out and saying, this is going to happen. And people were like, no, no, no, no, no. Well, guess what?Rebecca (35:37):Right? Which goes back to Martin Luther King's words about injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The notion that if you're willing to take rights and opportunities and privileges from one, you are willing to take them from all. And so again, back to what Jenny said earlier, this notion that we rise our fall together, and as long as we have this mindset that I can get mine, and it doesn't matter if you don't get yours, there will always be a vulnerability there. And what you're saying is interesting to me, Danielle, talking about the military service in Latino communities or other whatever it is that we believed was the ticket in. And I don't think it's an accident or a coincidence that just around the time that black women are named the most educated and the fastest rising group for graduate and doctoral degrees, you see the dismantling of affirmative action by the Supreme Court.(36:49):You see now, the latest thing is that the Department of Education has come out and declassified a list of degrees as professional degrees. And overwhelmingly the degrees that are named on that list that are no longer considered professional are ones that are inhabited primarily by women and people of color. And I don't think that that is a coincidence, nor do I think it's a coincidence that in the mass firings of the federal government, 300,000 black women lost their jobs. And a lot of that is because in the nineties when we were graduated from college and getting our degrees, corporate America was not a welcome place for people of color, for black people, for black women. So we went into the government sector because that was the place where there was a bit more of a playing field that would allow you to succeed. And I don't think it is a coincidence that the dismantling intentionally of the on-ramps that we thought were there, that would give us a sense of belonging. Like you're in now, right? You have arrived, so to speak. And I am only naming the ones that I see from my vantage point. I hear you naming some things that you see from your vantage point, right? I'm sure, Jenny, you have thoughts about how those things have impacted white women.Jenny (38:20):Yeah, yeah. And I'm thinking about, we also went yesterday to the Native American Museum and I learned, I did not realize this, that there was something called, I want to say, the Pocahontas exception. And if a native person claimed up to one 14th of Pocahontas, DNA, they were then deemed white. What? And it just flabbergasted to me, and it was so evident just this, I was thinking about that when you were talking, Danielle, just like this moving target and this false promise of if you just do enough, if you just, you'll get two. But it's always a lie. It's always been a lie from literally the very first settlers in Jamestown. It has been a lie,Rebecca (39:27):Which is why it's sort of narcissistic and its sort of energy and movement, right? Because narcissism always moves the goalpost. It always changes the roles of the game to advantage the narcissist. And whiteness is good for that. This is where the goalpost is. You step up and meet it, and whiteness moves the goalpost.Danielle (40:00):I think it's funny that Texas redistricted based on how Latinos thought pre pre-migration crackdown, and they did it in Miami and Miami, Miami's democratic mayor won in a landslide just flipped. And I think they're like, oh, shit, what are we going to do? I think it's also interesting. I didn't realize that Steven Miller, who's the architect of this crap, did you know his wife is brownHell. That's creepy shit,Rebecca (40:41):Right? I mean headset. No, no. Vance is married to a brown woman. I'm sure in Trump's mind. Melania is from some Norwegian country, but she's an immigrant. She's not a US citizen. And the Supreme Court just granted cert on the birthright citizenship case, which means we're in trouble.(41:12):Well, I'm worried about everybody because once you start messing with that definition of citizenship, they can massage it any kind of way they want to. And so I don't think anybody's safe. I really don't. I think the low hanging fruit to speak, and I apologize for that language, is going to be people who are deemed undocumented, but they're not going to stop there. They're coming for everybody and anybody they can find any reason whatsoever to decide that you're not, if being born on US soil is not sufficient, then the sky's the limit. And just like they did at the turn of the century when they decided who was white and who wasn't and therefore who could vote and who could own property or who couldn't, we're going to watch the total and reimagining of who has access to power.Danielle (42:14):I just am worried because when you go back and you read stories about the Nazis or you read about genocide and other places in the world, you get inklings or World War I or even more ancient wars, you see these leads up in these telltale signs or you see a lead up to a complete ethnic cleansing, which is what it feels like we're gearing up for.I mean, and now with the requirement to come into the United States, even as a tourist, when you enter the border, you have to give access to five years of your social media history. I don't know. I think some people think, oh, you're futurizing too much. You're catastrophizing too much. But I'm like, wait a minute. That's why we studied history, so we didn't do this again. Right?Jenny (43:13):Yeah. I saw this really moving interview with this man who was 74 years old protesting outside of an nice facility, and they were talking to him and one of the things he said was like, Trump knows immigrants are not an issue. He's not concerned about that at all. He is using this most vulnerable population to desensitize us to masked men, stealing people off the streets.Rebecca (43:46):I agree. I agree. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think it's desensitizing us. And I don't actually think that that is Trump. I don't know that he is cunning enough to get that whoever's masterminding, project 2025 and all that, you can ask the question in some ways, was Hitler actually antisemitic or did he just utilize the language of antisemitism to mask what he was really doing? And I don't mean that to sort of sound flippant or deny what happened in the Holocaust. I'm suggesting that same thing. In some ways it's like because America is vulnerable to racialized language and because racialized rhetoric moves masses of people, there's a sense in which, let me use that. So you won't be paying attention to the fact that I just stole billions of dollars out of the US economy so that you won't notice the massive redistribution of wealth and the shutting off of avenues to upward social mobility.(45:12):And the masses will follow you because they think it's about race, when in actuality it's not. Because if they're successful in undoing birthright citizenship, you can come after anybody you want because all of our citizenship is based on the fact that we were born on US soil. I don't care what color you are, I do not care what lineage you have. Every person in this country or every person that claims to be a US citizen, it's largely based on the fact that you were born on US soil. And it's easy to say, oh, we're only talking about the immigrants. But so far since he took office, we've worked our way through various Latin cultures, Somali people, he's gone after Asian people. I mean, so if you go after birthright citizenship and you tell everyone, we're only talking about people from brown countries, no, he's not, and it isn't going to matter. They will find some arbitrary line to decide you have power to vote to own property. And they will decide, and this is not new in US history. They took whole businesses, land property, they've seized property and wealth from so many different cultures in US history during Japanese internment during the Tulsa massacre. And those are only the couple that I could name. I'm sure Jenny and Danielle, you guys could name several, right? So it's coming and it's coming for everybody.Jenny (47:17):So what are you guys doing to, I know that you're both doing a lot to resist, and we talk a lot about that. What are you doing to care for yourself in the resistance knowing that things will get worse and this is going to be a long battle? What does helping take care of yourself look like in that for you?Danielle (47:55):I dunno, I thought about this a lot actually, because I got a notification from my health insurance that they're no longer covering thyroid medication that I take. So I have to go back to my doctor and find an alternative brand, hopefully one they would cover or provide more blood work to prove that that thyroid medication is necessary. And if you know anything about thyroids, it doesn't get better. You just take that medicine to balance yourself. So for me, my commitment and part of me would just want to let that go whenever it runs out at the end of December. But for me, one way I'm trying to take care of myself is one, stocking up on it, and two, I've made an appointment to go see my doctor. So I think just trying to do regular things because I could feel myself say, you know what?(48:53):Just screw it. I could live with this. I know I can't. I know I can technically maybe live, but it will cause a lot of trouble for me. So I think there's going to be probably not just for me, but for a lot of people, like invitations as care changes, like actual healthcare or whatever. And sometimes those decisions financially will dictate what we can do for ourselves, but I think as much as I can, I want to pursue staying healthy. And it's not just that just eating and exercising. So that's one way I'm thinking about it.Rebecca (49:37):I think I'm still in the phase of really curating my access to information and data. There's so much that happens every day and I cannot take it all in. And so I still largely don't watch the news. I may scan a headline once every couple days just to kind of get the general gist of what is happening because I can't, I just cannot take all of that in. Yeah, it will be way too overwhelming, I think. So that still has been a place of that feels like care. And I also think trying to move a little bit more, get a little bit of, and I actually wrote a blog post this month about chocolate because when I grew up in California seas, chocolate was a whole thing, and you cannot get it on the east coast. And so I actually ordered myself a box of seas chocolate, and I'm waiting for it to arrive at my house costs way too much money. But for me, that piece of chocolate represents something that makes me smile about my childhood. And plus, who doesn't think chocolate is care? And if you live a life where chocolate does not care, I humbly implore you to change your definition of care. But yeah, so I mean it is something small, but these days, small things that feel like there's something to smile about or actually big things.Jenny (51:30):I have been trying to allow myself to take dance classes. It's my therapy and it just helps me. A lot of the things that we're talking about, I don't have words for, I can only express through movement now. And so being able to be in a space where my body is held and I don't have to think about how to move my body and I can just have someone be like, put your hand here. That has been really supportive for me. And just feeling my body move with other bodies has been really supportive for me.Rebecca (52:17):Yeah. The other thing I would just add is that we started this conversation talking about Marjorie Taylor Green and the ways in which I feel like her response is insufficient, but there is a part of me that feels like it is a response, it however small it is, an acknowledgement that something isn't right. And I do think you're starting to see a little bit of that seep through. And I saw an interview recently where someone suggested it's going to take more than just Trump out of office to actually repair what has been broken over the last several years. I think that's true. So I want to say that putting a little bit of weight in the cracks in the surface feels a little bit like care to me, but it still feels risky. I don't know. I'm hopeful that something good will come of the cracks that are starting to surface the people that are starting to say, actually, this isn't what I meant when I voted. This isn't what I wanted when I voted. That cities like Miami are electing democratic mayors for the first time in 30 years, but I feel that it's a little bit risky. I am a little nervous about how far it will go and what will that mean. But I think that I can feel the beginnings of a seedling of hope that maybe this won't be as bad as maybe we'll stop it before we go off the edge of a cliff. We'll see.Kitsap County & Washington State Crisis and Mental Health ResourcesIf you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911.This resource list provides crisis and mental health contacts for Kitsap County and across Washington State.Kitsap County / Local ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They OfferSalish Regional Crisis Line / Kitsap Mental Health 24/7 Crisis Call LinePhone: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/24/7 emotional support for suicide or mental health crises; mobile crisis outreach; connection to services.KMHS Youth Mobile Crisis Outreach TeamEmergencies via Salish Crisis Line: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://sync.salishbehavioralhealth.org/youth-mobile-crisis-outreach-team/Crisis outreach for minors and youth experiencing behavioral health emergencies.Kitsap Mental Health Services (KMHS)Main: 360‑373‑5031; Toll‑free: 888‑816‑0488; TDD: 360‑478‑2715Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/Outpatient, inpatient, crisis triage, substance use treatment, stabilization, behavioral health services.Kitsap County Suicide Prevention / “Need Help Now”Call the Salish Regional Crisis Line at 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/Suicide-Prevention-Website.aspx24/7/365 emotional support; connects people to resources; suicide prevention assistance.Crisis Clinic of the PeninsulasPhone: 360‑479‑3033 or 1‑800‑843‑4793Website: https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/607/Mental-Health-ResourcesLocal crisis intervention services, referrals, and emotional support.NAMI Kitsap CountyWebsite: https://namikitsap.org/Peer support groups, education, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness.Statewide & National Crisis ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They Offer988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (WA‑988)Call or text 988; Website: https://wa988.org/Free, 24/7 support for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, relationship problems, and substance concerns.Washington Recovery Help Line1‑866‑789‑1511Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesHelp for mental health, substance use, and problem gambling; 24/7 statewide support.WA Warm Line877‑500‑9276Website: https://www.crisisconnections.org/wa-warm-line/Peer-support line for emotional or mental health distress; support outside of crisis moments.Native & Strong Crisis LifelineDial 988 then press 4Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesCulturally relevant crisis counseling by Indigenous counselors.Additional Helpful Tools & Tips• Behavioral Health Services Access: Request assessments and access to outpatient, residential, or inpatient care through the Salish Behavioral Health Organization. Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/SBHO-Get-Behaviroal-Health-Services.aspx• Deaf / Hard of Hearing: Use your preferred relay service (for example dial 711 then the appropriate number) to access crisis services.• Warning Signs & Risk Factors: If someone is talking about harming themselves, giving away possessions, expressing hopelessness, or showing extreme behavior changes, contact crisis resources immediately.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.Rebecca A. Wheeler Walston, J.D., Master of Arts in CounselingEmail: asolidfoundationcoaching@gmail.comPhone:  +1.5104686137Website: Rebuildingmyfoundation.comI have been doing story work for nearly a decade. I earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary and trained in story work at The Allender Center at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. I have served as a story facilitator and trainer at both The Allender Center and the Art of Living Counseling Center. I currently see clients for one-on-one story coaching and work as a speaker and facilitator with Hope & Anchor, an initiative of The Impact Movement, Inc., bringing the power of story work to college students.By all accounts, I should not be the person that I am today. I should not have survived the difficulties and the struggles that I have faced. At best, I should be beaten down by life‘s struggles, perhaps bitter. I should have given in and given up long ago. But I was invited to do the good work of (re)building a solid foundation. More than once in my life, I have witnessed God send someone my way at just the right moment to help me understand my own story, and to find the strength to step away from the seemingly inevitable ending of living life in defeat. More than once I have been invited and challenged to find the resilience that lies within me to overcome the difficult moment. To trust in the goodness and the power of a kind gesture. What follows is a snapshot of a pivotal invitation to trust the kindness of another in my own story. May it invite you to receive to the pivotal invitation of kindness in your own story. Listen with me…  Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

In a world driven by fast-fashion, mass production, and shifts in retail shopping habits, the fashion industry has faced its fair share of challenges lately-particularly for entrepreneurs and small businesses.rnrnYet, Valerie May?n has remained committed to sustainability and the art of hand-crafted garments that fit everybody and every body. Valerie is the Latinx female powerhouse behind Yellowcake Shop Fashion, where her unapologetic approach to representation and empowerment through fashion has earned her multiple accolades, including Crain's Cleveland Woman of Note, Notable Latino Leaders, and the Cleveland Arts Prize, among others.rnrnValerie grew from humble beginnings as a student at the Cleveland Institute of Arts and an Etsy shop owner before gaining international recognition through Project Runway (Season 8 and All-Stars Season 5). She ultimately scaled Yellowcake from zero to six figures, without external support. Her entrepreneurial journey is filled with real-world lessons on creativity, integrity, and a lived experience on how Northeast Ohio can better support entrepreneurs.

This week on Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski sits down with Yiselle Santos Rivera—architect, educator, and the incoming president of the AIA—to explore how buildings can become tools for healing, justice, and joy. Yiselle shares her journey from genetics labs in Puerto Rico to the forefront of neuroarchitecture and design leadership. She unpacks how architecture intersects with public health, economic mobility, and climate resilience, and why design excellence is inherently about people. From tropical modernism to the power of culturally responsive spaces, Yiselle reveals why the future of architecture must be collaborative, community-rooted, and deeply human. Whether you're an architect, planner, or policy-maker, this episode will reignite your passion for the built environment as a force for good.More About Yiselle Santos RiveraYiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, SHRM-SCP, is a healthcare architect, medical planner, educator, and organizational leadership strategist whose work sits at the intersection of architecture, neuroscience, culture, and human well-being. She serves as the 2026 President-Elect of the American Institute of Architects, where she is shaping a national agenda focused on community health, professional joy, and a future-ready architectural workforce.Yiselle is the Founder and CEO of YSR, LLC, a consultancy that blends healthcare design, neuroarchitecture, leadership psychology, and intercultural experience design. Her work centers on creating environments that elevate dignity, belonging, and wellness for diverse communities. She also teaches at Howard University, where she encourages emerging designers to lead with empathy, cultural awareness, and an understanding of how the built environment shapes human potential.Her leadership journey includes service on the AIA Strategic Council, the AIA Board of Directors, and multiple national task forces advancing public health, resilience, and equity. She is the creator of WIELD, a storytelling platform for women in design, and co-founder of LA.IDEA, the first Latinx-focused committee at AIA DC.Yiselle is a published author, national speaker, and advocate for redefining design excellence through the lens of people, purpose, and impact..Contact:https://www.linkedin.com/in/yisellesantosrivera/ https://www.yisellesantosrivera.com/ www.ysrconsultancy.com  Where To Find Us:https://bbfhpod.advancedglazings.com/www.advancedglazings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/better-buildings-for-humans-podcastwww.linkedin.com/in/advanced-glazings-ltd-848b4625https://twitter.com/bbfhpodhttps://twitter.com/Solera_Daylighthttps://www.instagram.com/bbfhpod/https://www.instagram.com/advancedglazingsltdhttps://www.facebook.com/AdvancedGlazingsltd

Artist Manuel Vdah Bracamonte joins What's My Thesis? for a grounded conversation on graffiti, identity, and the lived conditions that shaped Los Angeles street culture in the 1980s and 90s. Born in El Salvador and raised in downtown LA, Bracamonte traces his earliest memories of tagging, the shift into “tag banging,” and how the social and political pressures of that era intersected with his development as an artist. A pivotal high-school teacher introduced him to portfolio building and ultimately to the CalArts CAP program—a transformational moment that opened a different pathway into art, community, and education. Throughout the episode, Bracamonte reflects on moving from name-based graffiti to narrative, community-oriented mural work; researching Mayan hieroglyphs; and developing a hybrid visual language that holds both ancestral history and futurist possibility. The discussion expands outward into questions of Latinx identity, diaspora, public art, youth mentorship, and the politics of presence—what it means to show up in spaces that often assume you don't belong. Bracamonte's reflections move between personal history and broader frameworks of street culture, muralism, pedagogy, and the ongoing transformation of LA's art landscape. This episode offers a direct, unfiltered look at how artistic practices emerge from lived experience, community ties, and the need to create meaning beyond institutional boundaries.

In this episode of the Latinx Business Podcast Show, host Randy Gomez welcomes Claudia Luquerna from VR Business Sales & Acquisitions. Claudia shares her journey from Colombia to the United States, where she built a successful career in business sales and mergers. The conversation delves into the strategies that propelled VR Business Sales to rapid growth, emphasizing the importance of structured deal-making, strategic target selection, and efficient team building. Claudia also discusses the emotional challenges business owners face when selling their companies, likening it to letting go of a cherished child. The episode highlights the significance of cultural understanding in international business dealings and offers valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly young Latinas, encouraging them to be confident, well-prepared, and resilient in their pursuits.#BusinessGrowth #LatinxEntrepreneurs #MergersAndAquisitions #GlobalBusiness #EntrepreneurshipJournet #BusinessSuccess #Business Strategy Claudia's Social Media:Facebook: VR Business Brokers Global Headquartershttps://vrbizworld.com/Randy's Social MediaInstagram: @randygmz.mbaFacebook: Randy Gomez Mba EALinkedIn: Randy Gòmez, MBA, EA

Chester Rushing is a Latinx actor. He's best known for portraying Tommy H in the first two seasons of Stranger Things. In this episode Chester and I discuss his career, Stranger Things, Cookie Run: Kingdom, Mighty MonsterWheeiles, the current state of the world, AI, social media, human connections, paying it forward, No Time To Spy: A Loud House Movie, and Superman. Chester's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chesterrushing/

We are a movable species. In less than 50 thousand years, Homo sapiens has penetrated practically all corners of humanity. And the story started long before trains and airplanes. This is an episode about thoese epic migrations, with a focus on the two furthest edges of the human migratory map: the Americas in the West and the Polynesian islands in the east. In the end, we discuss emerging evidence that those branches met each other -- work coming directly out of the work of my guest, Andrés Moreno-Estrada.Enjoy!DECODING OUR STORYThis is episode 3 in the "⁠Decoding Our Story⁠" mini-series, recorded live at the Salk Institute's CARTA symposium on ancient DNA. The other episodes are:"The Neanderthal Mirror: Latest Findings About the Lines Between Us" ~ David Gokhman "Beyond Race: A New Outlook on the Shape of Humanity" ~ Diyendo MassilaniFACT CHECKINGNo errors have been found as of now. If you find an error in this or other episodes, get in touch via the form below.LINKSArticles and essays: ⁠⁠⁠OnHumans.Substack.com⁠⁠⁠Support: ⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠⁠⁠Contact Form: ⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/h5wcmefuwvD6asos8⁠⁠⁠⁠CARTA symposium⁠⁠The Moreno lab⁠⁠KEYWORDSHuman population history | Human origins | Anthropogeny | Anthropology | Ancient Migration | Out of Africa | Homo sapiens | Ancient DNA | Comparative genetics | Austronesian expansion | Taiwan | Admixture | Archaeogenetics | Archaeology | Polynesia | Easter Islands | Rapa Nui | Hawai'i | Aotearoa New Zealand | Tonga Fiji | Native American origins | Latino genetics | Latinx genetics | Hispanic genetics | Indegenous genetics |

Global superstar Karol G sits down with Emily Curl to discuss her album "Tropicoqueta,” discussing its intergenerational appeal and how it celebrates the diverse sounds of Latin music. She shares insights into her unique creative process for the album and her vision to bring a "Latina party" to life for the upcoming Tropicoqueta Tour. Karol G reflects on the cultural influences from countries like Mexico that have shaped her music and opens up about the importance of showing vulnerability in her Netflix documentary. Finally, she touches on what brings her joy, including exploring new cultures through travel and her recent experiences living in New York City y mucho mucho más. My Cultura Presents brings in laughs, gasps, and maybe some cries with an ultra-fun mix of interviews featuring legends, icons, and the future of música y cultura. Whether it's Karol G getting into her album, “Tropicoqueta,” America Ferrera reminiscing on her Ugly Betty days, or Luis Guzmán being everyone's favorite tío, every episode is a whole moment. Perfect for background vibes or full-on binge mode. Listen to the best episodes with our favorite Latinx stars! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preaching for the Second Sunday of Advent, Carmen Ramos invites us to reclaim our common divine ancestry by nurturing new blossoms of justice, kinship, and courageous hope:"Even as we lament, we organize hope. This is our Divine Ancestry, given to us by Jesus, blooming anew. When we reclaim our divine lineage, people from longstanding opposing views gather together as the wolf and lamb; the leopard and the sheep; the calf and the lion…working together for justice, creating hope, creating kinship."Carmen Ramos is a first-generation Mexican-American raised in central California. She is an educator, spiritual director, retreat master, and formator. Currently, she serves Latinx parishes as Director of Renovación (Parish Renewal Initiative) at Marian University in Indianapolis. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12072025 to learn more about Carmen, for her preaching in Spanish, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Lilly Cortes Wyatt is the visionary founder of SociosPR, an innovative integrated communications firm renowned for its cultural competence expertise. With a diverse team, SociosPR collaborates with private enterprises and public agencies, forging meaningful connections with varied communities. On this episode, Lilly shares why cultural competence is so important in 2025 and the dead giveaways that PR agencies are missing the mark. Also, a look at the competitive world of voice-over acting and Lilly's thought-leadership philosophy. Key Takeaways:- Keys to cultural competence- A look inside the world of voice-over acting- The inspiration for SociosPREpisode Timeline:1:45 Why voice acting is harder than most people think4:20 AI is taking voice acting jobs7:00 What's happening at SociosPR these days8:20 The inspiration for SociosPR10:50 The importance of cultural competence in 202513:10 What is cultural competence?14:20 Should PR people use the term Latinx?17:05 Dead giveaways that some PR isn't culturally competent19:45 Is ChatGPT good at translations?22:50 Understanding the diversity within the Hispanic community24:20 Lilly's thought leadership philosophyThis episode's guest:• Lilly Cortes Wyatt on LinkedIn• SociosPRAgency.Com• SociosPR on LinkedInSubscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latino-studies

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

For World Aids Day 2025, Yo Aunteas sit with Mario Harper, Director at Health Action Alliance and leader of the U.S. Business Action to End HIV, to discuss a topic too often shrouded in shame: HIV in the Black Community. Mario shares his deeply personal journey, from overcoming family stigma surrounding his uncle's death to leading national efforts to secure critical funding for grassroots HIV services. This episode is about courage, visibility, and reclaiming our narrative. We break down: How the HIV funding crisis directly impacts Black and Latinx lives. The power of confronting family and church stigma. Why queer people of color are embracing words like "sissy" to embody their whole truth. This is a powerful, educational, and necessary episode. Don't just listen—share this with your entire Communitea! Of course, we end with Curiositea! Subscribe now to the Minoritea Report for more unfiltered Black queer perspectives and get them cups ready! Tea Stamps: 00:00 Intro 01:03 Thanksgiving: Black Olympics 06:24 Mario Harper's Background 12:48 Sissy That Walk 16:14 World AIDS Day: The Role Of Visibility and Funding 22:56 The Future of HIV Services and Community Support 26:25 Economic Impact and Community Health 27:11 Barriers to Healthcare Access 29:07 Stigma and the Black Church 31:16 Corporate Responsibility in HIV Awareness 35:33 Engaging Younger Generations 40:01 Innovations in HIV Prevention 43:34 Media Representation and HIV Awareness 47:31 Get Tested! 49:59 Q Care Plus & Mistr: Avenues for PREP 52:06 Reflections on Wicked: For Good 01:03:03 The Boy Is Mine Tour: Brandy & Monica 01:07:15 Curiositea: Mario Harper 01:11:49 What Do You Know For Sure? 01:13:04 Beyoncé vs. Janet 01:14:51 Benediction

Plan Dulce Host Michelle E. Zuñiga, AICP (she/her) is joined with Cristina Garcia (she/her), founder of Latinxs in Sustainability (LiS) for a live recording at LUGARES 2025, the annual virtual conference focused on bringing diverse Latiné voices across the nation and their contributions to planning in our communities. L.U.G.A.R.E.S. is Latinidad, Unity, Gente, Advocacy, Resiliencia, Equity, Spaces. Raíces Fuertes: Sowing Resilience. Guided by the wisdom passed down through generations, we gather to explore how collective community is a legacy we inherit, cultivate, and sustain —planting the seeds for the future. We are advancing resilience through collaborative creation, acknowledging dónde estábamos (where we have been), dónde estamos (where we are now), and dónde vamos (where we are headed). Together, we will examine how to sustain growth and justice for cities in the face of systemic barriers, climate change, and displacement—grounded in cultura, guided by historia, and committed to acción.Bio and Links:Cristina Garcia (she/her) is a first-generation Latina, native New Yorker, and Founder of Latinxs in Sustainability (LiS), a national nonprofit advancing Latinx leadership in climate and sustainability. Since 2017, LiS has grown to 2,000+ followers, hosted 75+ events, and built programs connecting Latinx students and professionals to mentorship and career opportunities.Cristina works at Con Edison, managing programs that help New Yorkers decarbonize their homes. She previously held roles at the Building Electrification Institute and the NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability, where she launched workforce initiatives for CUNY students. A Certified Energy Manager, Cristina holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Environmental Engineering from City College of New York.Learn more about Latinxs in Sustainability (LiS):https://www.latinxsinsustainability.org/ --------------------------------------Plan Dulce is a podcast by members of the ⁠⁠Latinos and Planning Division⁠ of the American Planning Association⁠. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Want to recommend our next great guests and stay updated on the latest episodes? We want to hear from you! Follow, rate, and subscribe! Your support and feedback helps us continue to amplify insightful and inspiring stories from our wonderfully culturally and professionally diverse community.This episode was conceived, written, edited and produced by Michelle E.  Zuñiga, AICP (she/her) and co-produced by Vidal F. Márquez (he/him).Connect with Plan Dulce and Latinos and Planning:Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/plandulcepodcast/ Facebook:⁠https://www.facebook.com/LatinosandPlanning/⁠Youtube:Subscribe to Plan Dulce on Youtube LinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4294535/⁠X/ Twitter:⁠https://twitter.com/latinosplanapa?lang=en⁠—----

The Heart of Financial Planning Award Winner Liz Menjivar Hosts Brad Wright and Michael Connaughton are joined by Heart of Financial Planning award winner Liz Menjivar Liz is a financial consultant at Fidelity Investments and president of the FPA of Illinois chapter. At Fidelity, she serves as Regional Co-chair of SOHL (Support and Outreach for Hispanics and Latinx) employees. She is a past member of the boards of Arden Shore Family Services and the Chicago Financial Women Association (CFW). Liz is also a recipient (along with Preston Cherry) of the 2025 Heart of Financial Planning Award. They discuss: -How Liz became involved with financial planning, and why she stays -Why mentoring is such a big part of her life -How she found out she won the Heart of Financial Planning award Lizbeth Menjivar: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizbethgmenjivar/

In this episode, Gaby Huezo shares how she left El Salvador, navigated cultural differences in LA, and built a creative career from scratch—all while taking up space and championing Latinx voices globally. Learn how to take risks, own your space, and make your impact. In this empowering episode, we sit down with Gaby Huezo, creative strategist, storyteller, and founder of Haus of Duke, to uncover how she took bold risks, built a creative career from scratch, and championed Latinx voices globally. Gaby shares the lessons she learned leaving El Salvador for Los Angeles, navigating cultural differences, and stepping into rooms where she wasn't expected—yet choosing to take up space with confidence and purpose. You will discover how to: Take risks and create opportunities instead of waiting for them Build a career from scratch in a new country while staying true to your identity Find your zone of genius and protect it in any environment Use creativity and storytelling to make an impact and elevate underrepresented voices From shaping influencer strategy for MAC in El Salvador to running her own business and building campaigns for global brands, Gaby's story is a masterclass in courage, cultural empathy, and purposeful career-building. Whether you're a creative professional, an immigrant, or anyone striving to show up boldly in your career, this episode will leave you inspired and ready to take risks, own your space, and amplify your voice. FIND GABY ON: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hausofduke OR www.hauseofduke.com  Resources + Links: Subscribe to Dreams In Drive wherever you get your podcasts Follow @rainshineluv on Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates Share this episode with a friend who's questioning what's next Sign up for our weekly newsletter www.dreamsindrive.com/join Episode Partner Cash App Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/u8hilect #CashAppPod Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Leave a Review Loving the show? Your reviews help Dreams In Drive reach more listeners. Leave one on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and tag Rana to share your thoughts!  Join the Conversation Has your dream evolved? Are you navigating a pivot in real time? DM Rana on IG @dreamsindrive

Dr. Roberto L. Abreu met with Dr. Desa Karye Daniel to discuss how his understanding of LGBTQ experiences within Latinx communities has evolved through his lived experiences. They reflected on how their research has influenced their perspectives on social justice issues, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based practices in advocating for marginalized groups. The conversation also highlighted the delicate balance between challenging systems of oppression and providing support to their communities and students. They shared strategies for maintaining this balance, such as engaging in open dialogue and fostering inclusive environments in educational settings. Ultimately, their discussion underscored the significance of solidarity and allyship within and beyond the Latinx and LGBTQ communities in the pursuit of social justice. For more on our guests, links from the conversation, and APA citation for this episode visit https://concept.paloaltou.edu/resources/the-thoughtful-counselor-podcast  The Thoughtful Counselor is created in partnership with Palo Alto University's Division of Continuing & Professional Studies. Learn more at concept.paloaltou.edu  

“Before the pandemic, one in four San Francisco families struggled with food security; after, four out of ten Black and Latinx families are struggling.” - Kenneth Kim, Senior Director of Programs, GLIDEDrawn from our 105-episode COVID-19 series, this conversation revisits the early months of the global pandemic—and connects them to today's hunger crisis intensified by government shutdowns and SNAP cuts. Frontline leaders describe building pop-up pantries in days, serving thousands of outdoor meals, scaling home-delivered food for seniors, and standing up mobile hygiene and hotel-based shelters for unhoused neighbors.You'll hear from:SF-Marin Food Bank, Redwood Empire Food Bank & Meals on Wheels SFGlide Memorial Church & St. Anthony'sSimply the Basics, Lava Mae X & Hayes Valley BakeworksCommunity Forward SF, Tipping Point & Project Homeless ConnectKey themes:Demand outpacing supply across food and hygiene servicesSeniors, families, and communities of color on the front lines of hungerHow “radical hospitality” and one-stop hubs restore dignity and trust

Today I have an amazing guest, Naeemah Lafond, a true force within the hair industry.A first generation Haitian American who grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, Naeemah is well versed in hair at every level, as a stylist, artistic director, educator and someone who stands for change and real inclusion.In 2021 she worked with Pinterest on the hair pattern function to improve the user experience for Black, Brown and Latinx people with textured hair in search of style inspiration and advice.A year before, in June 2020, Naeemah created a guide about what needed to change when it came to Black creatives; from hiring black stylists to normalising Black beauty. While Naeemah's focus was and is of course hair, her guide spoke to everyone in every industry.In this episode we discuss how Naeemah got her start in hairdressing and how her work fits alongside being a mother. She talks about the gap she began noticing in hair education and points out why the onus falls on the system, not the stylist and she shares on that stunning global fashion moment when she created the hair looks for the Christopher John Rogers AW20 show.By the way, there's a dedicated Substack on Naeemah's episode as well as a special video all about that epic Christopher John Rogers show over on my Instagram.Follow Naeemah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naeemahlafond/WHERE TO FIND MESubstack: https://thecharissereport.substack.comThreads: https://www.threads.net/@charisse_kenion/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charisse_kenion/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenionCheck me out on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme Business inquiries: info@charissekenion.com

Welcome to another episode of Las Platicas, a show hosted by Comadres y Comics, where we meet with creators and friends to talk about upcoming projects, events and all-around awesome news in the Latinx comic community. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Abby Rocha. Abby Rocha is a creator from the too-sunny lands of San Diego and has settled in the foggy coastal embrace of the East Bay. They write/illustrate from the intersection of their latinidad, the multifaceted subject of death and the world around them. They've self published and been nationally published, and their art has been shown in galleries and museums. They are currently working on their debut graphic novel, “Two Hearts in Mictlan.” You can often find them dressed in black and communing with cats in the neighborhood with their partner and child. Welcome Abby!@chica_artista_illustrationabbyrocha.com

Two new exhibitions at the Dubuque Museum of Art rethink representation through Indigenous, Latinx and community-centered storytelling. Then, two sisters organize an annual Thanksgiving day giveaway of pies, no questions asked.

After the owners of Del Pueblo Cafe, a cozy Mexican-style restaurant in Santa Barbara, announced their dire financial struggles, the community came together to raise more than $20,000 to keep the restaurant's doors open. Co-owner Giselle Cuevas gives her insight on the economic and social factors that led to their near closure, and their overall experience running a Latinx-centered business in Santa Barbara. Here's more from KCSB's Ivanna Ramirez.

This episode of then & now features a panel from the “Future of History” conference moderated by UCLA Professor Brenda Stevenson, an award-winning historian of race, gender, slavery, and community. She introduces three UCLA historians whose work spans the U.S. and the globe: Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández, a MacArthur Fellow and leading scholar of race, immigration, and mass incarceration; Professor Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Distinguished Professor and global historian of the early modern world; and Professor Vivien Tejada, a rising scholar of 19th-century African American and Native American history. Lytle Hernández details her public-facing work, including Million-Dollar Hoods and Mapping Deportations, and her efforts with the Zinn Education Project to support teachers nationwide. Subrahmanyam draws on experiences teaching in Europe, South America, and India to outline global anxieties about the U.S. academy. Tejada emphasizes how the abrupt reversal of post-2020 hiring initiatives threatens future scholarship in Black, Native, and Latinx history.Together, the panelists explore the role of historians in shaping public narratives, covering topics such as “patriotic history,” big-data projects, archival access, controversy around AI, and the teaching of writing and critical literacy. They reflect on internal debates within the field: DEI backlash, community engagement, shrinking academic resources, objectivity, “woke-ism,” and the legacy of the Ginzburg–Hayden White debate. Brenda Stevenson holds the inaugural Hillary Rodham Clinton Chair in Women's History at St. John's College, Oxford University and the Nickoll Family Endowed Chair in History at UCLA. She is an internationally recognized scholar whose work bridges race, slavery, gender, family, and community in the United States and beyond. Her most recent book What is Slavery? was published by Cambridge University Press.Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández holds The Thomas E. Lifka Endowed Chair in History at UCLA. One of the nation's leading experts on race, immigration, and mass incarceration, she is the author of many award-winning books including Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol and Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands. For her historical and contemporary work, Professor Lytle Hernández was named a 2019 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. Sanjay Subrahmanyam is the Distinguished Professor of History and Irving & Jean Stone Chair in Social Sciences at UCLA. A specialist of the early modern period (15th-18th centuries), his work ranges between studies of India and the Indian Ocean, the early modern European empires, and reflections on global history as a field of research. In 2024, he published Across the Green Sea: Histories from the Western Indian Ocean, 1440-1640 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2024), with UK and Indian editions. Vivien Tejada is an Assistant Professor of U.S. history at UCLA. She is a scholar of the nineteenth-century United States with a focus on the Civil War era. Her research interests lie in the intersections between Native American history and African American history. Her current project, “Unfree Soil: Empire, Labor, and Coercion in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, 1812-1861,” examines the relationship between slavery and conquest in the Upper Midwest. 

For the last few weeks, we've been sharing conversations between transgender and nonbinary kids and the people in their lives who love and support them — a series called Love You for You. As we enter Transgender Awareness Month, we shift the lens toward intergenerational stories — young people in their twenties in conversation with transgender elders whose lives trace the long arc of LGBTQ+ activism in California. These bonus episodes carry heavier histories and more mature themes than the family conversations featured earlier in the series. They offer deeper context to the ongoing fight for safety, dignity, and self-expression. This week, we meet Donna Personna, a 79-year-old transgender Chicana artist, activist, and playwright who grew up in San José and now lives in San Francisco. A longtime drag performer and advocate, Donna has devoted decades to uplifting the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, she was named Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade. She also co-wrote Compton's Cafeteria Riot, an immersive play that brings to life a 1966 uprising in San Francisco's Tenderloin District — when trans women and drag queens stood up to police harassment, three years before Stonewall. In this episode, Donna speaks with Quetzali (who also goes by “Q”), a 23-year-old Latinx nonbinary organizer from Sacramento who uses they/them/elle pronouns and who is using only their first name to protect their identity. Together, they reflect on how Latinx gender-expansive identities have evolved across generations, from quiet survival in the shadows to living freely. Donna also shares how she continues to cultivate self-love and resilience in a world that still tests both — grounding today's struggles in a lifetime of resistance, care, and optimism. Read the transcript of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Puerto Rico is the oldest colony in the world, something that must change, says Ed Morales. Today Ed drops in to talk about the history of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican diaspora, and how colonialism has hurt the island over the last 500 years.About our guest:Ed Morales is an author and journalist who has written for The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and the Guardian. He was staff writer at The Village Voice and columnist at Newsday. He is the author of Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation, and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico (Bold Type Books), Latinx: The New Force in Politics and Culture (Verso Books 2018), The Latin Beat (Da Capo Press 2003) and Living in Spanglish (St. Martins 2002). In 2019 Latinx was shortlisted for the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding by the British Academy in London. In 2009, while a Columbia University Revson Fellow, Morales wrote and directed Whose Barrio? (2009) an award-winning documentary about the gentrification of East Harlem. The film was inspired by “Spanish Harlem on His Mind,” an essay published in The Best of the City Section of the New York Times (NYU Press 2005). Morales is also a 2022-23 Mellon Bridging the Divides Fellow at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies in New York.

Bio: Jenny - Co-Host Podcast (er):I am Jenny! (She/Her) MACP, LMHCI am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, Certified Yoga Teacher, and an Approved Supervisor in the state of Washington.I have spent over a decade researching the ways in which the body can heal from trauma through movement and connection. I have come to see that our bodies know what they need. By approaching our body with curiosity we can begin to listen to the innate wisdom our body has to teach us. And that is where the magic happens!I was raised within fundamentalist Christianity. I have been, and am still on my own journey of healing from religious trauma and religious sexual shame (as well as consistently engaging my entanglement with white saviorism). I am a white, straight, able-bodied, cis woman. I recognize the power and privilege this affords me socially, and I am committed to understanding my bias' and privilege in the work that I do. I am LGBTQIA+ affirming and actively engage critical race theory and consultation to see a better way forward that honors all bodies of various sizes, races, ability, religion, gender, and sexuality.I am immensely grateful for the teachers, healers, therapists, and friends (and of course my husband and dog!) for the healing I have been offered. I strive to pay it forward with my clients and students. Few things make me happier than seeing people live freely in their bodies from the inside out!Danielle (00:10):Welcome to the Arise Podcast with my colleague Jenny McGrath and I today Jenny's going to read a part of a presentation she's giving in a week, and I hope you really listen in The political times are heavy and the news about Epstein has been triggering for so many, including Jenny and myself. I hope as you listen, you find yourself somewhere in the conversation and if you don't, I hope that you can find yourself with someone else in your close sphere of influence. These conversations aren't perfect. We can't resolve it at the end. We don't often know what we need, so I hope as you listen along that you join us, you join us and you reach out for connection in your community with friends, people that you trust, people that you know can hold your story. And if you don't have any of those people that maybe you can find the energy and the time and the internal resources to reach out. You also may find yourself activated during this conversation. You may find yourself triggered and so this is a notice that if you feel that that is a possibility and you need to take a break and not listen to this episode, that's okay. Be gentle and kind with yourself and if you feel like you want to keep listening, have some self-care and some ways of connecting with others in place, go ahead and listen in. Hey Jenny, I'd love to hear a bit about your presentation if you don't even mind giving us what you got.Jenny (01:41):Yeah, absolutely. I am very honored. I am going to be on a panel entitled Beyond Abstinence Only Purity Culture in Today's Political Moment, and this is for the American Academy of Religion. And so I am talking about, well, yeah, I think I'll just read a very rough draft version of my remarks. I will give a disclaimer, I've only gone over it once so far, maybe twice, so it will shift before I present it, but I'm actually looking forward to talking about it with you because I think that will help me figure out how I want to change it. I think it'll probably just be a three to five minute read if that evenOkay. Alright. I to look at the current political moment in the US and try to extract meaning and orientation from purity culture is essential, but if we only focus on purity culture in the us, we are naval gazing and missing a vital aspect of the project that is purity culture. It is no doubt an imperialist project. White women serving as missionaries have been foot soldiers for since Manifest Destiny and the creation of residential schools in North America and even before this, yet the wave of white women as a force of white Christian nationalism reached its white cap in the early two thousands manifest by the power of purity culture. In the early 1990s, a generation of young white women were groomed to be agents of empire unwittingly. We were told that our value and worth was in our good pure motives and responsibility to others.(03:31):We were trained that our racial and gender roles were pivotal in upholding the white, straight, heteronormative, capitalistic family that God designed and we understood that this would come at us martyring our own body. White women therefore learned to transmute the healthy erotic vitality that comes from an awakening body into forms of service. The transnational cast of white Christian supremacy taught us that there were none more deserving more in need than black and brown bodies in the global south pay no attention to black and brown bodies suffering within the us. We were told they could pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but not in the bodies of color. Outside the membrane of the US white women believed ourselves to be called and furthermore trusted that God would qualify us for the professional roles of philanthropists, medical service providers, nonprofit starters and adoptive mothers of black and brown children in the global south.(04:30):We did not blanc that often. We did not actually have the proper training, much less accountability for such tasks and neither did our white Christian communities. We were taking on roles of power we would have never been given in white spaces in the US and in doing so we were remaining compliant to our racial and gendered expectations. This meant among many other things, giving tacit approval to international states that were being used as pawns by the US Christian. Right among these states, the most prominent could arguably be Uganda. Uganda was in the zeitgeist of white Christian youth, the same white Christian youth that experienced life altering commitments given in emotionally evocative abstinence rituals. We were primed for the documentary style film turned organization invisible Children, which found its way into colleges, youth groups, and worship services all over the country. Many young white women watched these erotically charged films, felt a compulsion to do something without recognizing that compulsion came from the same tendrils of expectations, purity, culture placed on our bodies.(05:43):Invisible children's film was first released in 2004 and in their release of Kony 2012 reached an audience of a hundred million in its first week of release. Within these same eight years, Ugandan President Veni who had a long entangled relationship with the US Christian right signed into law a bill that made homosexuality the death penalty in certain cases, which was later overturned. He also had been responsible for the forced removal of primarily acho people in Northern Uganda from their lands and placed them into internally displaced people's camps where their death T tolls far exceeded those lost by Coney who musevini claimed to be fighting against as justification for the violent displacement of Acho people. Muny Musevini also changed the Ugandan constitution to get reelected despite concerns that these elections were not truly democratic and has remained president of Uganda for the last 39 years. Uganda was the Petri dish of American conservative laboratory of Christo fascism where whiteness and heteronormative racialized systems of purity culture were embalmed. On November 5th, 2, 20, 24, we experienced what am termed the boomerang of imperialism. Those who have had an eye on purity cultures influence in countries like Uganda are not surprised by this political moment. In fact, this political moment is not new. The only thing new about it is that perhaps for the first time the effects are starting to come more thoroughly to white bodies and white communities. The snake has begun to eat its own tail.Scary. Okay. It feels like poking an already very angry hornet's nest and speaking to things that are very alive and well in our country right now. So I feel that and I also feel a sense of resolve, you might say that I feel like because of that it feels imperative to speak to my experience and my research and this current political moment. Do you mind if I ask what it was like to hear it?Danielle (08:30):It is interesting. Right before I hopped on this call, I was doing mobility at my gym and at the end when my dear friend and I were looking at our DNA, and so I guess I'm thinking of it through the context of my body, so I was thinking about that as you're reading it, Jenny, you said poking the bear and before we shift too fast to what I think, what's the bear you believe you're poking?Jenny (09:08):I see it as the far right Christian nationalist ideology and talking about these things in the way that I'm talking about them, I am stepping out of my gender and racial expectations as a white cis woman where I am meant to be demure and compliant and submissive and not calling out abuse of power. And so I see that as concerning and how the religious right, the alt religious right Christian, religious right in the US and thankfully it was not taken on, but even this week was the potential of the Supreme Court seeing a case that would overturn the legalization of gay marriage federally and that comes out of the nuclear focus of the family that James stops and heralded was supposed to be the family. It's one man and it's one woman and you have very specific roles that you're supposed to play in those families.Danielle (10:35):Yeah, I mean my mind is just going a thousand miles a minute. I keep thinking of the frame. It's interesting, the frame of the election was built on economy, but after that it feels like there are a few other things like the border, which I'm including immigration and migrants and thoughts about how to work with that issue, not issue, I don't want to say it's an issue, but with that part of the picture of what makes up our country. The second thing that comes to mind after those two things is there was a huge push by MAGA podcasters and church leaders across the country, and I know I've read Cat Armas and a bunch of other people, I've heard you talking about it. There's this juxtaposition of these people talking about returning to some purity, the fantasy of purity, which you're saying you're talking about past and present in your talk while also saying, Hey, let's release the Epstein files while voting for this particular person, Donald Trump, and I am caught. If you look at the statistics, the amount of folks perpetrating violent crime that are so-called migrants or immigrants is so low compared to white men.(12:16):I am caught in all those swirling things and I'm also aware that there's been so many things that have happened in the last presidency. There was January 6th and now we have, we've watched ICE in some cases they've killed people in detention centers and I keep thinking, is sexual purity or the idea of the fantasy that this is actually a value of the Christian? Right? Is that going to be something that moves people? I don't know. What do you think?Jenny (12:54):I think it's a fair question. I think it is what moved bodies like mine to be complicit in the systems of white supremacy without knowing that's what I was doing. And at the same time that I myself went to Uganda as a missionary and spent the better part of four years there while saying and hearing very hateful and derogatory things about migrants and the fact that signs in Walmart were in Spanish in Colorado, and these things that I was taught like, no, we need to remain pure IE white and heteronormative in here, and then we take our good deeds to other countries. People from Mexico shouldn't be coming up here. We should go on Christmas break and build houses for them there, which I did and it's this weird, we talk a lot about reality. It is this weird pseudo reality where it's like everything is upside down and makes sense within its own system.(14:13):I had a therapist at one point say, it's like you had the opposite of a psychotic break when I decided to step out of these worlds and do a lot of work to come into reality because it is hard to explain how does talking about sexual purity lead to what we're seeing with ice and what we're seeing with detention. And I think in reality part of that is the ideology that the body of the US is supposed to primarily be white, straight Christian heteronormative. And so if we have other bodies coming in, you don't see that cry of immigrants in the same way for people that came over from Ukraine. And I don't mean that anything disparagingly about people that needed to come over from Ukraine, but you see that it's a very different mindset from white bodies entering the US than it is black and brown bodies within this ideological framework of what the family or the body of individuals and the country is supposed to look like.I've been pretty dissociated lately. I think yesterday was very tough as we're seeing just trickles of emails from Epstein and that world and confirmation of what any of us who listened to and believed any of the women that came forward already knew. But it just exposes the falseness that it's actually about protecting anyone because these are stories of young children, of youth being sexually exploited and yet the machine keeps powering on and just keeps trying to ignore that the man they elected to fight the rapists that were coming into our country or the liberals that were sex child trafficking. It turns out every accusation was just a confession.Danielle (16:43):Oh man. Every accusation was a confession. In psychological terms, I think of it as projection, like the bad parts I hate about me, the story that criminals are just entering our country nonstop. Well, the truth is we elected criminals. Why are we surprised that by the behavior of our government when we voted for criminality and I say we because I'm a participant in this democracy or what I like to think of as a democracy and I'm a participant in the political system and capitalism and I'm a participant here. How do you participate then from that abstinence, from that purity aspect that you see? The thread just goes all the way through? Yeah,Jenny (17:48):I see it as a lifelong untangling. I don't think I'm ever going to be untangled unfortunately from purity culture and white supremacy and heteronormative supremacy and the ways in which these doctrines have formed the way that I have seen the world and that I'm constantly needing to try to unlearn and relearn and underwrite and rewrite these ways that I have internalized. And I think what's hard is I, a lot of times I think even in good intentions to undo these things in activist spaces, we tend to recreate whiteness and we tend to go, okay, I've got it now I'm going to charge ahead and everyone follow me. And part of what I think we need to deconstruct is this idea of a savior or even that an idea is going to save us. How do we actually slow down even when things are so perilous and so immediate? How do we kind of disentangle the way whiteness and capitalism have taught us to just constantly be churning and going and get clearer and clearer about how we got here and where we are now so that hopefully we can figure out how to leave less people behind as we move towards whatever it looks like to move out of this whiteness thing that I don't even honestly have yet an imagination for.(19:26):I have a hope for it, but I can't say this is what I think it's going to look like.Danielle (20:10):I'm just really struck by, well, maybe it was just after you spoke, I can't remember if it was part of your talk or part of your elaboration on it, but you were talking about Well, I think it was afterwards it was about Mexicans can't come here, but we can take this to Mexico.Yeah. And I wonder if that, do you feel like that was the same for Uganda?Jenny (20:45):Absolutely. Yeah. Which I think it allows that cast to remain in place. One of the professors that I've been deeply influenced by is Ose Manji, and he's a Kenyan professor who lives in Canada who's spent many years researching development work. And he challenges the idea that saviors need victims and the privilege that I had to live in communities where I could fundraise thousands of dollars for a two week or a two month trip is not separate from a world where I'm stepping into communities that have been exploited because of the privileges that I have,(21:33):But I can launder my conscience by going and saying I helped people that needed it rather than how are the things that I am benefiting from causing the oppression and how is the government that I'm a part of that has been meddling with countries in Central America and Africa and all over the globe creating a refugee crisis? And how do I deal with that and figure out how to look up, not that I want to ignore people that are suffering or struggling, but I don't want to get tunnel vision on all these little projects I could do at some point. I think we need to look up and say, well, why are these people struggling?Speaker 1 (22:26):Yeah, I don't know. I don't have fully formed thoughts. So just in the back, I was thinking, what if you reversed that and you said, well, why is the American church struggling?(22:55):I was just thinking about what if you reversed it and I think why is the American church struggling? And we have to look up, we have to look at what are the causes? What systems have we put in place? What corruption have we traded in? How have we laundered our own conscience? I mean, dude, I don't know what's going on with my internet. I need a portable one. I just dunno. I think that comment about laundering your own conscience is really beautiful and brilliant. And I mean, it was no secret that Epstein had done this. It's not a secret. I mean, they're release the list, but they know. And clearly those senators that are releasing those emails drip by drip, they've already seen them. So why did they hang onto them?Jenny (24:04):Yeah. Yeah. I am sad, I can't remember who this was. Sean was having me listen to a podcast the other day, just a part of it talking about billionaires. But I think it could be the same for politicians or presidents or the people that are at the top of these systems we've created. That's like in any other sphere, if we look at someone that has an unsatiable need for something, we would probably call that an addiction and say that that person needs help. And actually we need to tend to that and not just keep feeding it. And I think that's been a helpful framework for me to think about these people that are addicted to power that will do anything to try to keep climbing that ladder or get the next ring that's just like, that is an unwell person. That's a very unwell person.Speaker DanielleI mean, I'm not surprised, I think, did you say you felt very dissociated this past week? I think I've felt the same way because there's no way to take in that someone, this person is one of the kings of human trafficking. The all time, I mean great at their job. And we're hearing Ghislaine Maxwell is at this minimum security prison and trading for favors and all of these details that are just really gross. And then to hear the Republican senator or the speaker of the house say, well, we haven't done this because we're thinking of the victims. And literally the victims are putting out statements saying, get the damn files out. So the gaslighting is so intense to stay present to all of that gaslighting to stay present to not just the first harm that's happened, but to stay present to the constant gaslighting of victims in real time is just, it is a level of madness. I don't think we can rightfully stay present in all of it.(26:47):I don't know. I don't know what we can do, but Well, if anybody's seen the Handmaid's Tale, she is like, I can't remember how you say it in Latin, but she always says, don't let the bastards grind you down. I keep thinking of that line. I think of it all the time. I think connecting to people in your community keep speaking truth, it matters. Keep telling the truth, keep affirming that it is a real thing. Whether it was something at church or like you talked about, it was a missionary experience or abstinence experience, or whether you've been on the end of conversion therapy or you've been a witness to that and the harm it's done in your community. All of that truth telling matters, even if you're not saying Epstein's name, it all matters because there's been such an environment created in our country where we've normalized all of this harm. I mean, for Pete's sake, this man made it all the way to the presidency of the United States, and he's the effing best friend of Epstein. It's like, that was okay. That was okay. And even getting out the emails. So we have to find some way to just keep telling truth in our own communities. That's my opinion. What about yours?Jenny (28:17):Yeah, I love that telling The truth matters. I feel that, and I think trying to stay committed to being a safe person for others to tell the truth too, because I think the level, as you use the word gaslighting, the level of gaslighting and denial and dismissal is so huge. And I think, I can't speak for every survivor, but I think I take a guess to say at least most survivors know what it's like to not be believed, to be minimized, to be dismissed. And so I get it when people are like, I'm not going to tell the truth because I'm not going to be believed, or I'm just going to get gaslit again and I can respect that. And so I think for me, it's also how do I keep trying to posture myself as someone that listens and believes people when they tell of the harm that they've experienced? How do I grow my capacity to believe myself for the harm that I've experienced? And who are the people that are safe for me to go to say, do you think I'm crazy? And they say, no, you're not. I need those checkpoints still.First, I would just want to validate how shit that is and unfortunately how common that is. I think that it's actually, in my experience, both personally and professionally, it is way more rare to have safe places to go than not. And so I would just say, yeah, that makes sense for me. Memoirs have been a safe place. Even though I'm not putting something in the memoir, if I read someone sharing their story, that helps me feel empowered to be like, I believe what they went through. And so maybe that can help me believe what I've gone through. And then don't give up looking, even if that's an online community, even if that's a community you see once a month, it's worth investing in people that you can trust and that can trust you.Danielle (30:59):I agree. A thousand percent don't give up because I think a lot of us go through the experience of when we first talk about it, we get alienated from friends or family or people that we thought were close to us, and if that's happened to you, you didn't do anything wrong. That sadly is something very common when you start telling the truth. So just one to know that that's common. It doesn't make it any less painful. And two, to not give up, to keep searching, keep trying, keep trying to connect, and it is not a perfect path. Anyway. Jenny, if we want to hear your talk when you give it, how could we hear it or how could we access it?Jenny (31:52):That's a great question. I dunno, I'm not sure if it's live streamed or not. I think it's just in person. So if you can come to Boston next week, it's at the American Academy of Religion. If not, you basically heard it. I will be tweaking things. But this is essentially what I'm talking about is that I think in order to understand what's going on in this current political moment, it is so essential that we understand the socialization of young white women in purity culture and what we're talking about with Epstein, it pulls back the veil that it's really never about purity. It's about using white women as tropes for Empire. And that doesn't mean, and we weren't given immense privilege and power in this world because of our proximity to white men, but it also means that we were harmed. We did both. We were harmed and we caused harm in our own complicity to these systems. I think it is just as important to hold and grow responsibility for how we caused harm as it is to work on the healing of the harm that was caused to us.   Kitsap County & Washington State Crisis and Mental Health ResourcesIf you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911.This resource list provides crisis and mental health contacts for Kitsap County and across Washington State.Kitsap County / Local ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They OfferSalish Regional Crisis Line / Kitsap Mental Health 24/7 Crisis Call LinePhone: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/24/7 emotional support for suicide or mental health crises; mobile crisis outreach; connection to services.KMHS Youth Mobile Crisis Outreach TeamEmergencies via Salish Crisis Line: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://sync.salishbehavioralhealth.org/youth-mobile-crisis-outreach-team/Crisis outreach for minors and youth experiencing behavioral health emergencies.Kitsap Mental Health Services (KMHS)Main: 360‑373‑5031; Toll‑free: 888‑816‑0488; TDD: 360‑478‑2715Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/Outpatient, inpatient, crisis triage, substance use treatment, stabilization, behavioral health services.Kitsap County Suicide Prevention / “Need Help Now”Call the Salish Regional Crisis Line at 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/Suicide-Prevention-Website.aspx24/7/365 emotional support; connects people to resources; suicide prevention assistance.Crisis Clinic of the PeninsulasPhone: 360‑479‑3033 or 1‑800‑843‑4793Website: https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/607/Mental-Health-ResourcesLocal crisis intervention services, referrals, and emotional support.NAMI Kitsap CountyWebsite: https://namikitsap.org/Peer support groups, education, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness.Statewide & National Crisis ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They Offer988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (WA‑988)Call or text 988; Website: https://wa988.org/Free, 24/7 support for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, relationship problems, and substance concerns.Washington Recovery Help Line1‑866‑789‑1511Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesHelp for mental health, substance use, and problem gambling; 24/7 statewide support.WA Warm Line877‑500‑9276Website: https://www.crisisconnections.org/wa-warm-line/Peer-support line for emotional or mental health distress; support outside of crisis moments.Native & Strong Crisis LifelineDial 988 then press 4Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesCulturally relevant crisis counseling by Indigenous counselors.Additional Helpful Tools & Tips• Behavioral Health Services Access: Request assessments and access to outpatient, residential, or inpatient care through the Salish Behavioral Health Organization. Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/SBHO-Get-Behaviroal-Health-Services.aspx• Deaf / Hard of Hearing: Use your preferred relay service (for example dial 711 then the appropriate number) to access crisis services.• Warning Signs & Risk Factors: If someone is talking about harming themselves, giving away possessions, expressing hopelessness, or showing extreme behavior changes, contact crisis resources immediately.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that. Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

Episode 77 Your Hands on the Wheel: Rose Cano Teaches Us How Stories Drive Healthcare On this episode host Raj Sundar explores the powerful intersection of healthcare and the arts with guest, Rose Cano—a Spanish medical interpreter, playwright, and cultural mediator specializing in type 2 diabetes care for Spanish-speaking patients. They dive into Rose's journey from theater to medicine, her advocacy for narrative medicine, and her experiences working in Harborview Medical Center's clinics serving diverse communities, including those in Pioneer Square. The conversation unpacks terminology used for Spanish-speaking communities ("Hispanic," "Latino," "Latinx"), emphasizes the importance of understanding patient backgrounds, and shines a light on communication barriers in healthcare. Rose shares creative metaphors and practical strategies for empowering patients and improving self-management for chronic diseases, all while highlighting equity, prevention, and the lived realities of those navigating both healthcare and cultural systems. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

This week on The Commercial Break, Bryan and Krissy sink their fangs into the delightful chaos that is Harvey Guillén—actor, comedian, voice of Perrito in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and the world's most endearing vampire familiar, Guillermo from What We Do in the Shadows. Harvey stops by to talk about how he went from recycling cans to fund acting classes to becoming the first queer Latinx actor nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Between Hollywood hustle stories, body-positivity truths, and a few questionable vampire jokes, Harvey proves that kindness, talent, and a little absurdity go a long way in showbiz. He might even convince Bryan that bloodsuckers deserve union benefits. FOLLOW US: Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thecommercialbreak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/thecommercialbreak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tcbpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.tcbpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CREDITS: Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bryan Green⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Krissy Hoadley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Executive Producer: Bryan Green Producer: Astrid B. Green Voice Over: Rachel McGrath TCBits & TCB Tunes: Written, Voiced and Produced by Bryan Green. Rights Reserved To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing the All Def SquADD Cast show “Versus". It's a podcast with the OG SquADD! Each week, the SquADD will debate topics and vote at the end to see what wins. Versus airs every Monday and you can download and listen wherever podcasts are found. Special Guest Roxxy Haze Dion Lack Brent Taylor  This Week We Discuss Skyscraper Window Cleaner vs Light House Worker  Be A Professional Stripper At Assisted Living Homes vs A Roaster At The Special Olympics  Monthly Eating Contest Of Your Most Hated Food vs Only Have Hotdog Water As A Drink Again S/o To Our Sponsors Cash App Download Cash App And Use The Code CASHAPP10 At Sign Up At Receive $10 When You Send A Friend $5. Terms Apply

On this episode of Tamarindo, we discuss how we're micro-doseing on joy to get through these challenging times, giving us the energy to stay focused on what matters for us and our community.Next, you'll hear a conversation about The Economic Status of Latinas. We speak to Dr. Elsa Macias, the lead researcher on the new report on the economic well being of Latinas, produced by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, HOPE. (HOPE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to ensuring political and economic parity for Latinas through leadership, advocacy, and education to benefit all communities and the status of women. Read the full report here: https://www.latinas.org/eslrnational/Elsa Macias, Ph.D., consults on research, evaluation, and policy projects related to education  policy, information technology, and STEM policy, as well as issues relevant to the Latinx community. Dr. Macias has briefed elected  officials at the federal, state, and local levels, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, on  research and policy issues related to education and information technology. Tamarindo is a lighthearted show hosted by Brenda Gonzalez and Delsy Sandoval talking about politics, culture, and self-development. We're here to uplift our community through powerful conversations with changemakers, creatives, and healers. Join us as we delve into discussions on race, gender, representation, and life! You can get in touch with us at www.tamarindopodcast.comBrenda Gonzalez and Delsy Sandoval are executive producers of Tamarindo podcast with production support by Karina Riveroll of Sonoro Media. Jeff Ricards produced our theme song. If you want to support our work, please rate and review our show here. SUPPORT OUR SHOWContribute to the show: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/tamarindopodcast1Follow Tamarindo on instagram @tamarindopodcast and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TamarindoPodcast-143 Tamarindo's mission is to use laughter and conversation to inform, inspire and positively impact our community. Learn more at tamarindopodcast.com

In this episode, Brad Onishi sits down with Rev. Alba Onofrio—executive director of Soulforce and host of Teología Sin Vergüenza—for a powerful exploration of faith, queerness, and resistance. Together, they unpack how white Christian nationalism and institutions like ICE perpetuate spiritual violence against marginalized communities, and how Soulforce responds through nonviolent resistance and liberative theology. Rev. Alba shares their own remarkable story—from growing up in Appalachia and coming out, to embracing the name “Reverend Sex” and reclaiming spirituality as a site of freedom rather than shame. The conversation dives into the roots and mission of Soulforce, highlighting its Spirit Resource Library and the movement's commitment to equipping activists with tools for justice and healing. Rev. Alba reflects on the power of queer and trans ancestors, the complexity of belonging for Latinx and mixed-race individuals, and the importance of creating inclusive, full-bodied faith communities. Through Teología Sin Vergüenza, they continue to cultivate space for unapologetic conversations about faith, identity, and justice—challenging listeners to imagine a world where love and liberation guide our spiritual lives. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza Subscribe to American Exceptionalism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing a new show from Axis Mundi Media. Teología Sin Vergüenza: Navigating Faith, Activism, and Identity. Teología Sin Vergüenza is a digital platform originally in Spanish, created in response to the far-right's dominance over religious media. The platform serves as a space for people at the intersections of queer or trans feminist theology, faith, and activism to engage in conversations about taboo topics like divorce, sex, gender identity, and abortion. It aims to bridge divides between academic, religious, and activist silos, involving diverse voices from various Christian denominations and beyond. The first English season seeks to make these critical conversations accessible to the Latin American diaspora in the U.S., focusing on real-life experiences and decolonizing faith by separating political agendas from genuine religious traditions. Subscribe here: https://redcircle.com/shows/bb8f7ce2-d8f0-4859-bbac-c33c48e3ccb6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Sibling Rivalry, Bob talks about his suspicious Russian neighbors while he and Monét disagree over their recent hangout plans. Monét shares how Spanish class has reignited her love of school, her goals with learning the language, and how pronoun use differs across Spanish-speaking countries. They explore shifts in pronoun conversations, the rejection of “Latinx,” and whether being Black connects to identifying with African American heritage, including Raven-Symoné's perspective. Then, they get into the kinds of cringe content Bob likes, the kind they make themselves, and what types cross the line. They debate whether posting a baptism is cringe, look back at early social media days, and talk about God Warrior's transformation. Plus, Bob reviews Mo'Nique's Las Vegas show and reiterates his distaste for mustard. Want to see exclusive Sibling Rivalry Bonus Content? Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/siblingrivalrypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be the first to see our latest Sibling Rivalry Podcast Videos! @BobTheDragQueen @MonetXChange Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices