
Latino USA
677 episodes — Page 11 of 14

At Odds With Cuba’s 'Myth'
In July, massive protests erupted in Cuba against the one-party government that has ruled for over 60 years. One protester died and thousands were detained. In this Latino USA episode, we look at the root causes behind the protests and how the left is being redefined in a conversation with Carolina Barrero, an art historian based in Havana who is part of a movement of dissident artists, and who has been in house arrest for more than three months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latina Powerlifters On Owning Your Power
Lifting weights and being physically strong has long been culturally associated with men. But within strength sports, there’s a category that’s become increasingly popular among women too: powerlifting. Powerlifting, which consists of lifting the heaviest weight possible in the squat, the bench press and the deadlift exercises, has exploded onto the regimens of beginner to experienced gym goers. Women are making a big impact in the sport and challenging all notions of what it means to be strong. In this episode of Latino USA, we follow Denise Juarez and Jasmine Idrogo, two elite Latina powerlifters who take us on their journey to qualify for the 2021 national powerlifting competition – and show us how they break stereotypes, battle machismo, and own your power, all while lifting some serious weight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We Imagine… Us: The Long Way Around
Latino USA is proud to present a preview of a new podcast by Futuro Unidad Hinojosa, the newest editorial division from Maria Hinojosa and Futuro Media. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Karrueche Tran, We Imagine… Us: The Long Way Around is Futuro's first-ever fiction podcast series. It tells the story of a Black American father and his Black Vietnamese American daughter who set out across the United States in hope of rebuilding their lives. Offering a clear-eyed look at real-world struggles many communities in our country face today, its core message is that through solidarity we can make change. In this episode, Albert "Bumpy" Watkins, after serving three years in prison, is released into a post-Covid America, where he has to navigate his new status as a formerly incarcerated person and his new role as a single parent to teenager Mercy Watkins. We Imagine... Us: The Long Way Around premieres October 27. Subscribe here to enjoy full episodes, a companion factual series and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mississippi Rising
August 7, 2019 forever changed the lives of many immigrants in Mississippi. Almost 700 people were taken by ICE that day in the largest single state immigration raid in the country. Latino USA continues its reporting in Mississippi and heads back to the state to follow-up with some of the people we met in last year’s episode, After the Mississippi Raids, to see what’s changed and what hasn’t in their lives and their communities. We also dive into the racial history behind the chicken processing business in the South and the vicious cycle of an industry that continues to exploit the most vulnerable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Locatora Radio: Faketinas
Throughout the year, Latino USA will begin to feature podcasts from independent Latino and Latina creators as a way to shine a light on the work they do by passing the mic on to them. The first show we are featuring on our feed is Locatora Radio—an independent podcast based out of Los Angeles that blends humor, pop culture analysis and interviews with artists to engage listeners in nuanced discussions about feminism, sexual wellness, arts and culture for a modern Latinx audience. In this episode of Locatora, hosts Mala and Diosa dive into the topic of “Faketinas,” or a person without roots in Latin America who masquerades as Latinx in order to obtain jobs, scholarships, titles and opportunities meant for people of Latin American descent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Mississippi Raids
August 7th, 2019 was the day that tore apart an unlikely community of Guatemalan immigrants in central Mississippi. A year ago, hundreds of ICE agents arrived at seven chicken processing plants and arrested 680 workers. Many of them were fathers and mothers whose kids were left behind for days, weeks, or even months. Today, many families are still dealing with the consequences of those arrests, many remain unable to work, as they grapple with the traumatic psychological repercussions. Latino USA traveled to the heart of Mississippi to hear about the long term effects of the largest single-state immigration raid in U.S. history. This episode originally aired in August of 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Amy Collado, Skate Advocate
Roller skating has experienced a resurgence during the pandemic with videos of people dancing on roller skates blowing up on tik tok, but many do not know where these moves come from, and the role that Black skaters and skaters of color have played in keeping roller skating alive and accessible for their communities. For Amy Collado, founder of Butter Roll- a New York based social enterprise focused on Black, Indigenous and POC wellness through roller skating & the arts- the history of roller skating is personal. Amy recalls her mother’s memories of coming of age on the roller rinks back in 1970’s Brooklyn- memories that connect her to a legacy of joy, resistance, and community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are ICE Detention Centers Necessary?
This week, we report on the origins of privately-run immigration detention centers and ask: “Are these places actually necessary?” The unprecedented health crisis created by the coronavirus forced the release of thousands of migrants across the country, plunging the number of people detained in immigration facilities to a historic low. And despite the dwindling detention numbers, the immigration court system never collapsed. So this begs the question: did we ever need detention facilities in the first place?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cross-Border Abortion Care
In this episode of In The Thick, Maria and Maria and guest co-host Jamilah King, deputy inequality editor at BuzzFeed News, are joined by Lina-Maria Murillo, assistant professor of gender, women’s and sexuality studies, and history, at the University of Iowa, and Veronica Martinez, journalist covering gender and immigration, for a conversation about reproductive justice. They unpack the latest on the Texas abortion ban and Mexico’s Supreme Court ruling that decriminalizes abortion, and also get into how people historically have crossed these borders for abortion care. To subscribe to In The Thick, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She Migrates
In a new migration reality, women and children are requesting asylum in Mexico at higher rates than men. But even as more women are crossing borders in long and dangerous journeys, many hoping to ultimately reach the United States, we rarely hear about their stories and what it’s like to migrate undocumented when you’re a woman. For women, their body takes a central role when they’re in transit, regardless of their age. Some are forced to disguise their gender for protection, others end up using it for survival, and many are victimized because of it. Many are also mothers and carry their children with them. In this episode of Latino USA, we travel to Mexico’s southern border and meet several migrant women in different stages of their journey north–from a teenage Honduran traveling alone to a Cuban woman who was sexually abused and a Guatemalan single mother who survived domestic violence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandy’s Pandemic Diaries
Sandy Fleurimond, a first generation Haitian-American student at Temple university in Philadelphia, was looking forward to her senior year of college. She dreamed of studying abroad and graduating on a field full of friends and family. But being a college student in 2020, meant that many of these long-awaited milestones didn't go according to plan. In collaboration with Philly Audio Diaries, Sandy shares her story of loss and growth after the pandemic flipped her senior year of college upside down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LOUD: The Nueva York Connection
LOUD is a new podcast from Futuro Studios that tells the story behind Reggaeton. In this episode, El General arrives in Brooklyn in the mid-80s to find a booming dancehall scene underway and links up with Jamaican producers who start recording and promoting Panamanian artists. Around the same time, a Spanish-language hip-hop revolution is taking place as mixtapes fly back and forth from NYC and Puerto Rico, led by legendary rapper Vico C.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ray Suarez Story
Going for Broke is about Americans on the edge. They’ve lost jobs, lost their homes and sometimes lost the narrative thread of their lives. It’s hard stuff but you’ll find hope in the people themselves. And later in each episode, you’ll hear solutions that come from lived experience rather than conventional experts. In this special preview episode exclusive to Latino USA, famed reporter Ray Suarez tells the shocking story of how his illustrious career fell apart in middle age. It revealed to him firsthand the crisis facing older workers. It also gave him insights into how to fix our condition. Going for Broke is a new podcast series premiering in October from the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and The Nation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9/11’s Immigration Legacy
The September 11th attacks left nearly 3,000 dead, many more injured and an entire nation traumatized. The 24-hour news cycle that followed focused endlessly on the identity of the terrorists: non-citizens who had been able to exploit “vulnerabilities” in the system. The United States government responded with harsh policy changes in the name of national security, including the Patriot Act, but it also focused the weight of policy making on curving immigration, funding astronomical budgets to further tighten borders, and toughening enforcement against non-citizens — including Muslims, Latinos, and others with zero ties to terrorism. In this episode, we explore major changes and events over the past 20 years that forever changed the U.S. immigration system through the lens of this one catastrophic day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America's Farmworkers
Latino USA is proud to present another Futuro Media show that Maria Hinojosa co-hosts: In The Thick, a podcast about politics, race and culture from a POC perspective. In this episode of In The Thick, Maria and co-host Julio Ricardo Varela are joined by Norma Flores López, Chief Programs Officer at Justice for Migrant Women, and Reyna Lopez, Executive Director of Oregon’s largest farmworker union. They dive into how the record heat waves are affecting farmworkers, how the history of farming is rooted in slavery and what is needed to provide protection as well as a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers. To subscribe to In The Thick, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Moving Border: Part Two, The South
In Part 2 of “The Moving Border,” our award-winning series from 2020, we visit Tapachula, Mexico in search of a young man whose life is in danger. And we find a new frontier where refugees trying to make it to the U.S. are increasingly stuck, thanks to an international effort to make Mexico a destination state for asylum. The Moving Border series was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, with additional support provided by the Ford Foundation. This episode was first broadcast on May 27, 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: From Med School Student To Cimafunk
It was only a few years ago that Erik Rodriguez was attending medical school in his native Cuba, following his family of careerists’ footsteps. But when he heard James Brown’s "I Feel Good," he realized that he was meant for a different path. In this 2020 segment of “How I Made It,” Erik takes us through his transformation into Afro-Cuban artist Cimafunk (a Billboard “Top 10 Latin Artists to Watch”) and explains how someone who had never studied music before found the confidence to listen to himself and be listened to by others. This episode was first broadcast on December 20, 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Moving Border: Part One, The North
In this award-winning two-part investigation from 2020, "The Moving Border" from Latino USA, we delve into the increasing pressure put on refugees seeking safety in the United States via its southern border. It reveals the surprising support the former Trump administration received to create an impenetrable policy wall that pushes asylum seekers south, away from the U.S. In episode one, "The North," we visit Juárez and tell the story of a mother and daughter who are mired in a web of changing policy and subjected to ongoing violence. And we find evidence of how Mexican authorities are working hand-in-hand with the U.S. at the border. “The Moving Border” series was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, with additional support provided by the Ford Foundation. This episode was first broadcast on May 20, 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mezcal: From Farms To Bars
For some years now, mezcal, Mexico’s other national spirit, has been in a cultural spotlight outside of the country, but its unseen devastating consequences have had a profound impact on the people making it. In this episode of Latino USA, we take a journey to understand mezcal’s production process and how to become a better consumer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside The Writers' Room Of 'Pose' And 'Gentefied'
Steven Canals of 'Pose' and Linda Yvette Chavez of 'Gentefied' are making waves in Hollywood, an industry in which Latinos are disproportionately absent. In this episode, the two series creators break down their on-screen portrayals of Latino individuals and communities. They dissect notable scenes from their shows, discuss the goals that laid the foundation for their characters and storylines, while sharing the fears and questions they reckoned with along the way. As they dive into their creative processes, we learn about some of the origins of each show’s most defining elements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biden's Broken Promise?
Latino USA visits one family in south Texas who is dreading something that President Joe Biden said they should no longer fear: border wall construction. Advocates and land owners on the border have called on the Biden administration to withdraw and cancel several land condemnation lawsuits against property owners for the border wall that were initiated before Biden took office, but have spilled over into his presidency and are still making their way through the courts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Choice But To Fight
This October marks 15 years since the Secure Fence Act of 2006 was passed. This act paved the way for hundreds of miles of border wall to be built along the U.S.-Mexico border. Latino USA looks back at one case from south Texas where a pioneering Latina took on the federal government to stop border wall construction on her university campus. This case is a reminder of the fights that some continue to wage against an opponent almost impossible to defeat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vaccine Inequity Pandemic
While the United States and other wealthy countries have secured enough COVID-19 vaccines for their citizens, other nations haven't been so fortunate. Latin America specifically has seen a lackluster vaccine rollout. And while global initiatives aim to get doses to everyone who needs them, a vaccine inequity crisis still looms over the world. In this episode, we hear from Latin Americans who traveled to the U.S. to get vaccinated and from experts on how the country can contribute to fix this crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The History Of Reggaeton
This is the true story of the young people from Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico and beyond who beat the odds, refused to be quiet and created an irresistible musical culture that has kept the world dancing. Join Ivy Queen, one of the founders of the genre, for an incredible musical story about sex, race, drugs, censorship, and of course, perreo. First: stop Panama. LOUD: The History Of Reggaeton is a new podcast from Spotify Studios and Futuro Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trapped In Diplomatic Limbo
When diplomats, ambassadors, and other international officials take a post in the United States, they often bring along personal staff and domestic workers from their home countries with a special visa. The problem is, once they arrive in the U.S., some of them learn that the promises made back home aren’t real and end up facing exploitation and abuse—with very little protection available for them in the U.S. In this episode of Latino USA, we speak with human rights journalist Noy Thrupkaew about her upcoming investigation on the abuses faced by diplomatic domestic workers for The Washington Post Magazine, and we meet Germania, an Ecuadorian woman who experienced it firsthand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Ada Limón
Ada Limón spent almost her whole life dreaming about poetry. Today, she has five successful poetry titles under her belt, including “Bright Dead Things,” a National Book Award finalist, and her most recent book, “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry. Ada’s debut poetry collection, “Lucky Wreck,” was published in 2006. In honor of its 15th anniversary, the collection was re-released in spring 2021. “Lucky Wreck” explores themes of life and death, along with bicoastal living in California and New York City. In this episode of our "How I Made It" series, Ada Limón tells her story of a young woman falling in love with poetry and reflects on the making of “Lucky Wreck” 15 years later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Million More Immigrant Voters
On this episode of Latino USA, we look at the attacks against voting rights taking place throughout the country and how New York City is trying to move in the other direction—extending municipal voting rights to up to one million non-citizen residents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Portrait Of: Carmen Maria Machado
Carmen Maria Machado is a modern-day literary phenomenon. From horror to speculative fiction to comic books, her writing defies genre. She’s a bestselling author, a National Book Award finalist, and a Guggenhein Fellow. Her experimental memoir “In the Dream House,” about a past abusive queer relationship, was named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, the New Yorker and TIME Magazine, among others. In this “Portrait Of,” Maria Hinojosa talks to Carmen about navigating mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, writing horror, and confronting her Latinx identity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Other Side
President Joe Biden made a lot of promises on the campaign trail related to immigration. He even promised to reverse several Trump-era policies. Biden has now been in office more than six months, so what’s changed and what hasn’t in terms of immigration? Latino USA looks at two Trump-era policies —the Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42 expulsions— and where they’re at under the Biden administration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: El Peso Hero
By day, Héctor Rodríguez III is a school teacher; by night, he’s creating the world of “El Peso Hero”, a comic book superhero based on the border that is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In this episode of our "How I Made It" series, Héctor talks about growing up loving superheroes, but not feeling represented by them. Something he’d eventually deal with by building his own comic world centered on the border.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unsafe In Foster Care, Part 2
We continue our investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). While looking into what happened the night Joseph Chacón died, reporter Deepa Fernandes finds out that another baby, Draco Ford, had passed away in the same foster home two months earlier. Why weren’t the foster children, including Joseph, immediately removed after Draco died? We also delve into the difficult decisions social workers have to make and the systemic problems of the foster care system in the U.S. as a whole. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Francisca Valenzuela
Chilean-American singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela has always forged her own path in music. Born and raised in California, Francisca began her career after moving to Chile with her family. Even when major labels and venues wouldn’t open their doors for her, Francisca recorded and performed on her own terms until she became one of Chile’s biggest stars. Francisca went on to release four studio albums, start her own music label, and create Ruidosa, a Latinx feminist collective for women and non-binary voices in music. In this episode of our "How I Made It" series, Francisca Valenzuela revisits her early days as a young woman building a music career in Latin America, and takes us down the road that led to her latest album, La Fortaleza.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unsafe In Foster Care, Part 1
After a domestic violence incident, Leah Garcia called the police looking for safety for her and her two children. But her calls triggered the involvement of LA’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the largest child welfare agency in the country. Leah’s 5-month-old baby, Joseph, the son she had with her abusive partner, was placed with a foster care family. What happened after became a mother’s worst nightmare: the same system that was supposed to keep her child safe proved to be the biggest threat to his well-being.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Kichwa Hatari
In this segment of our “How I Made It” series, Charlie Uruchima shares his journey with his ancestral language and tells us how he created "Kichwa Hatari," the first Kichwa-language radio station in the U.S. From a bedroom-turned-radio studio, to building an entire community of radio hosts and language activists, Charlie tells us how he discovered the power of radio to build solidarity that defies borders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Puerto Crypto
In 2018, just months after Hurricane Maria, an eccentric group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts arrived in Puerto Rico. They came with big plans for the island—to help rebuild after the hurricane, and in the process create a high-tech cryptocurrency paradise in the Caribbean. They also came to take advantage of Puerto Rico’s favorable tax laws. But not everyone in Puerto Rico was onboard with their vision to change everything on the island. Latino USA follows the often-bizarre story of these Bitcoin pirates of the Caribbean, from crypto boom to crypto bust.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fight For Abortion Rights In The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has one of the harshest anti-abortion laws in the Americas, but a legal reform might be closer than ever before. In recent months, women’s rights activists have taken the streets to protest in favor of the “three causales”—three circumstances under which abortion would be allowed: when the fetus is nonviable, when the woman’s life is at risk, or when the pregnancy is the result of a rape or incest. The approval of these three ‘causales’ has been a decades-long battle, because conservatives and the Catholic church still have a big influence in the country. In this episode, we speak with Dominican journalist Amanda Alcántara to learn more about how women are fighting for their reproductive rights on the island.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You Want To Talk About Hot Cheetos?
We tackle the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos controversy and dive into why this story is so much more than just about a processed snack food but a story about race, culture, identity, and the stories that we choose to believe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Fluxus Foto
After a historic clash between Ecuadorians and their national government in 2019, one photo of an Andean woman mid-protest became an iconic symbol of resistance around the world. The image was taken by a member of Fluxus Foto, a collective of Ecuadorian photojournalists. Their mission is to document indigenous peoples’ long-lasting struggles to have their rights guaranteed, and the collective has only continued to grow over the past few years. The 12 photographers in Fluxus have risked their lives to capture political demonstrations and social movements. More recently, they’ve immersed themselves in local indigenous communities to document their lives amid a global pandemic. In this episode of our “How I Made It” series, Fluxus members take us behind the scenes of photographing the fight for social justice throughout the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon M. Chu On Film And Belonging
As “In the Heights” hits theaters one year after its original release date, we talk to director Jon M. Chu about why he thinks immigrant narratives deserve to be summer blockbusters. Chu tells us about his youth as a child of Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants, and the role that TV and film played in his family’s sense of belonging. After a successful career directing large budget franchise movies for over a decade, Chu talks about the reckoning that led him to fight for movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” and now, the movie adaptation of “In the Heights.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Family Conversation On Race And Latinidad
Two Afrolatinx cousins have an intimate conversation about race and Latinidad a year after George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white cop. Umar Williams, a musician and radio host living in the Twin Cities, discusses with his younger cousin, Alexander Newton, who lives in Washington, D.C. In this episode, they talk about growing up ‘Black is beautiful,’ their Panamanian heritage and how they rediscovered Latinidad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm A Cholo
In the United States, the word “cholo” invokes images of gang members, lowriders, and tattoos. But in South America, cholo or “cholito” can either be a term of endearment or a racial slur used against people of indigenous ancestry. How come one word is used to describe two very different groups of people on opposite sides of the world? We take a journey, from the streets of California to the Andes of Peru, to find the roots of an ancient and harmful term that some people are, nonetheless, reclaiming as an element of pride and identity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Maná
The rock en español group, Maná, is one of the most successful Spanish-language rock bands of this generation. They've sold over 40 million records worldwide. But the band didn’t start out playing stadiums. It all began when one member started an English-speaking band three decades ago in Guadalajara, Mexico. Latino USA sits down with drummer Alex Gonzalez, who tells us how they got their start and became Maná.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shrimp Who Falls Asleep
Writer Yesica Balderrama immigrated from Morelos, Mexico to New York City with her family over two decades ago. Since then, they’ve been living in Queens as undocumented immigrants. While Yesica eventually was able to become a DACA-recipient, her mother and uncle are still undocumented. She has since moved out, gone to college and become a writer. But as she’s drifted away and created her own independent life, Yesica has started to become increasingly worried about how little her family has changed. In this intimate story, Yesica decides to confront her relatives with tough questions about their lack of progress, and how they try to stay afloat in this country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crossing The Border For More Affordable Insulin
From KPBS and PRX, “Port of Entry” tells personal stories, stories of love, hope, struggle and survival, from fronterizas and fronterizos and other people whose lives are shaped by the wall. Despite the pandemic and travel restrictions, people are still crossing into Tijuana for medical procedures and medications. They’re looking to save money on everything from discount dental work and weight-loss surgery to more affordable insulin. People like Liz Salcido, who has Type 2 diabetes. She needs insulin daily, just to survive. But sometimes, when money is tight, she’s had to ration the life-saving drug. In this episode of “Port of Entry,” we follow Salcido and another San Diego woman who went on a journey to find more affordable insulin across the border in Tijuana.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lorena's 'Alcance'
When pioneering trans activist Lorena Borjas first arrived in the U.S. in late May of 1981, she found both community and an epidemic. Through her experiences on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, NY, Lorena developed a personal approach to connect trans Latinas and trans sex workers to critical medical and legal resources. Decades later, it would be another massive health crisis — COVID-19 — that would take the life of this beloved community leader, putting into stark relief her vast legacy. Now, her closest friends paint an intergenerational portrait of Lorena, as a trailblazer, a mentor, and a mother.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I Made It: Kali Uchis
Artist and singer Kali Uchis is known for genre-defying music inspired by the wide range of songs she loved as a child, from doo-wop and soul to latin pop and reggaetón. In this How I Made It segment, Kali Uchis talks about growing up between Colombia and Virginia, how she broke into the music industry, and why, after years of singing primarily in English, she decided to drop a Spanish-language Latin album in late 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Masks Off With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
After a year with historic implications, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sits for an intimate, in-person interview with Maria Hinojosa. AOC opens up about the January 6th Capitol riot and the lasting impact of living through a global pandemic. She also talks about how she’s recognizing and processing trauma, her role as a young, influential Latina in U.S. politics, and what she’s doing to support her district — New York’s District 14 in the Bronx and Queens, which has a large Black, brown, and immigrant population and was one of the hardest hit during the peak of COVID-19.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latinos Persevering
On today’s episode of Latino USA, we meet some of the Latinas and Latinos involved with the recent and historic mission to Mars. The Perseverance rover traveled almost 300 million miles to Mars and landed on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021 in hopes of finding traces of previous life on the planet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Padilla, From California To Capitol Hill
It was an anti-immigrant initiative in his home state of California that pushed Alex Padilla into politics, now he is making history as the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate. In an extended interview with Padilla, Maria Hinojosa asks the senator about Prop 187, the controversial 1994 ballot measure that politicized Padilla, and many other Latinos of his generation. They also discuss the Senator’s career-long focus on voting rights, and the threats they face today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not Always About The Money
From KPBS and PRX, “Port of Entry” tells personal stories, stories of love, hope, struggle and survival, from border crossers and other people whose lives are shaped by the wall. Despite the pandemic and travel restrictions, people are still crossing into Tijuana for medical procedures and medications. And, in fact, over the past decade, the urban landscape south of the San Ysidro Port of Entry has transformed as investors build big, new medical centers and pharmacies. Filling up those new medical facilities at the border are people from the U.S. and other parts of the world who cross south to take advantage of more affordable medical procedures and medications. They’re looking to save money on everything from discount dental work and weight-loss surgery to more affordable insulin. But, not every single medical tourist is crossing the border to save money. People like Maria Davis-Cherry are crossing the border in hopes of saving their own lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.