Latino USA
467 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 3.6K ratingsLatino USA offers insight into the lived experiences of Latino communities and is a window on the current and merging cultural, political and social ideas impacting Latinos and the nation.
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Episodes
The Constant Evolution of Shea Serrano
June 09, 2024 06:00 - 21 minutes - 19.2 MBShea Serrano’s prolific writing career started unexpectedly when his wife, pregnant with twins, had to stop working. With not many options that could fit his full-time job as middle school teacher, Shea started hunting for writing gigs that eventually lead to him becoming a New York Times bestselling author, a showrunner, and a movie writer. In this episode, we talk to the San Antonio-born and raised author whose work spans from the movie “Miguel Wants to Fight,” to the Netflix ser...
What Inspires Latino Solidarity With Gaza?
June 07, 2024 06:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBIn this episode of Latino USA, we hear from three Latino voices around the country on what informs their solidarity with Palestinians as the war on Gaza continues. From Pro-Palestinian organizers, to Jewish Latinos, to Latino evangelicals, they help us understand how different Latino communities are responding to this moment, and how this political activism will impact the presidential election in November.
Dreaming With Luna Luna
June 04, 2024 06:00 - 19 minutes - 18 MBLuna Luna is a rising four-member band from different walks of life. They’re known for mixing nostalgic sounds of the past and fusing them with elements of funk and dream-like pop. In this episode of Latino USA, we learn more about the people behind Luna Luna and hear how they say the universe and destiny has brought them together to live out their wildest dreams. This episode originally aired in 2022.
Robert Santos Counts the Future
May 31, 2024 06:00 - 44 minutes - 40.3 MBIn November 2021, Robert Santos became the first Latino to be confirmed as the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau. Santos is no stranger to the federal agency. Before his nomination and confirmation, Santos had warned that former President Donald Trump’s interference of the census count would result in one of the most flawed census counts in U.S. history. Census counts are important because they help determine congressional representation and how billions of federal dollars are dis...
So Far From Care
May 28, 2024 06:00 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBThis week Latino USA shares an episode from the podcast "So Far From Care," produced by Marfa Public Radio. Living in a small town in West Texas can feel magical. And part of that magic is how isolated we are: hours and hours down a desert highway from everything else. But when it comes to accessing reproductive healthcare, that remoteness can also be terrifying. In the Big Bend, the idea of “choice” was complicated long before Roe v. Wade was overturned. Out here, you can’t lega...
A Presidenta Will Lead Femicide-Plagued Mexico
May 24, 2024 06:00 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBOn June 2nd 2024, Mexico will elect a woman as its president for the first time in the country’s history. But a paradox prevails: while women rise to the highest positions of government in Mexico, the nation is still marked by a violent culture against women with 10 femicides every day. Latino USA travels to Mexico ahead of the historic election to document women protesting the pervasive violence in the country and interview both presidential frontrunners —Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóc...
What Happened to Edward?
May 17, 2024 06:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MBLast year, a 65-year-old grandfather was attacked and fell onto the New York City subway tracks—which eventually led to his death. He was punched from behind by a young man with schizophrenia who shouted that he was the devil. This isn't the first time this has happened, a similar situation played out 19 years earlier. So why does the cycle continue? Latino USA examines how and why someone with serious mental illness falls through the cracks of the nation's mental health system. Th...
A Mother's Endless Search for Her Missing Son
May 14, 2024 06:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBLucía Díaz Genao’s son, Luis Guillermo, disappeared in 2013 in Veracruz, Mexico, as drug-related violence increased across the country. Amid the inaction of local authorities, Lucía started to look for Luis Guillermo herself, becoming one of today’s fiercest activists in Mexico searching for disappeared people. In this episode, Lucía shares how she managed to get over her depression to form Colectivo Solecito, a group of hundreds of other mothers with missing children who have join...
Andrea Elliott: Documenting Life on the Margins of Power
May 10, 2024 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBJournalist Andrea Elliott won her first Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for Feature Writing. 15 years later, she won her second Pulitzer for her book “Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City” under the General Nonfiction category. “Invisible Child” follows the life of a young Black girl named Dasani Coates, whom Andrea followed and reported on for more than eight years, exploring the intergenerational impact of poverty and race in one of the richest cities in the wor...
Cecilia Gentili’s Revolutionary Ask
May 07, 2024 06:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBTrans activist, actress and author, Cecilia Gentili, knows the power of stories. Whether she is working at her company Trans Equity Consulting, writing an op-ed for the New York Times, or portraying a character on television—Cecilia believes that sharing her story is a way to advocate for the change she hopes to see. On this episode of Latino USA, Cecilia shares about her new memoir, “Faltas,” which is written as a series of letters to people in her hometown in Argentina. Cecilia ta...
Into Natalia Lafourcade’s Inner Garden
May 03, 2024 06:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBMexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade embraces contrasts in her music. Look no further than her latest album, “De Todas las Flores,” where Natalia found herself both processing death and celebrating life. Prior to this, Natalia released a number of critically acclaimed albums that drew from Latin American musical history. Her journey led her to Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she premiered her latest music in a special live performance late 2022. Just days before this...
'Desinformación': Fighting Disinformation in Spanish
April 30, 2024 06:00 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBAs part of “The Latino Factor: How We Vote,” our 2024 election year series, we bring you a look at how disinformation affects Latino communities. We talk with Tamoa Calzadilla, editor-in-chief of Factchequeado, an initiative that combats disinformation specifically in Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. In this episode, Tamoa shares insights into the special skills journalists need to serve Latino and Spanish-speaking communities, and offers step-by-step advice on ho...
Melissa Barrera, From Mexican Telenovelas to Hollywood Hits
April 26, 2024 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBMelissa Barrera has been consistently making a name for herself in recent years. The Mexican actress is probably most recognizable in the U.S. for her horror roles, namely in the legacy franchise “Scream.” But in her more than a decade-long career that has taken her from Monterrey to Hollywood, she’s done it all—telenovelas, musicals, drama, romance and even comedy. In this episode of Latino USA, Melissa talks about her journey into acting, the importance of using her platform, an...
The Burden
April 23, 2024 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBThis week, Latino USA brings you an episode of The Burden podcast. In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers (who all say they are innocent!) turned jailhouse-lawyers. In prison they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away. They set out to turn the tables on...
Toxic Labor
April 19, 2024 06:00 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBThis is a special episode by Futuro Investigates, in collaboration with The Center For Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations. In the absence of federal or state data showing how many disaster restoration workers get sick every year because of their labor, we document for the first time how prolonged exposure to dangerous toxins affects the health of workers who clean and rebuild American cities after natural disasters.
How I Made It: Flor De Toloache
April 16, 2024 06:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBWhen Mireya Ramos found herself subject to scrutiny and machismo as the only woman mariachi singer in the male-dominated mariachi circles, she decided to do something about it. So she founded Flor De Toloache in 2008, the first all-female mariachi in New York City. The Latin Grammy winning group's new album, 'Indestructible' features beautiful harmonies and creative fusions that go beyond traditional mariachi. Today, we hear from core members of the group who describe how they came ...
Nikole Hannah-Jones: Beyond the 1619 Project
April 12, 2024 06:00 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones rose to instant recognition when she published the 1619 Project in 2019. Since then she’s received countless praise, awards and recognition, but the project also engulfed her into a media firestorm with many on the far-right going after her and her work, with some states even banning the teaching of the 1619 Project. In this conversation with Maria Hinojosa, Nikole Hannah-Jones reflects on how she’s pushed ahead despite controve...
Mimy and Tony Succar: Music Is Better With Family
April 02, 2024 06:00 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBMimy Succar arrived with her family in Miami over three decades ago, she had three kids and a dream. A talented singer and performer from a young age, she was born in Peru to a Japanese family and maintained the traditions of her grandparents. Together with her husband Antonio, they had a band who played throughout Lima. But in the late 80s, they didn’t see a future for their family and moved to Miami with their children, Claudia, Tony and Kenji. The children began showing interest ...
Will Abortion Rights Energize the Latino Vote?
March 29, 2024 06:00 - 38 minutes - 35 MBTwo years ago, the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, creating a cascade of harmful abortion bans and restrictions. But from Colorado to Florida, Latinas are fighting back for their bodily autonomy and a chance to reframe abortion as a human rights issue. In this episode, we speak with three Latinas on the front lines of reproductive justice: Lourdes Rivera, President of Pregnancy Justice, Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro, Executive Director at the Florida A...
Sandy's Pandemic Diaries
March 26, 2024 06:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBSandy 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 in 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 coll...
She Migrates
March 22, 2024 06:00 - 55 minutes - 101 MBIn 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...
Alex Padilla, From California to Capitol Hill
March 15, 2024 06:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBIt 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 tod...
Samanta Schweblin’s Unsettling Normality
March 12, 2024 06:00 - 17 minutes - 31.3 MBIn her work, Argentine author Samanta Schweblin explores the feeling of eeriness that accompanied her childhood. Samanta was born in Buenos Aires in 1978, just after the start of a violent dictatorship. But, while violence surrounded her growing up, there was also art: her grandfather was a famous artist who began to train her as a writer when she was six years old. Together they took trips, stole books, rode the train without tickets and went to plays and museums—all in the name of...
Toñita's Club Fights Erasure
March 08, 2024 07:00 - 42 minutes - 77.1 MBWhen you enter the Caribbean Social Club, or Toñita’s, it feels like you could be in your grandmother’s living room. And that’s exactly what its owner, Maria Antonia Cay —better known as Toñita— was aiming for when she opened the club in the 1970s as a gathering place for the local baseball team. 50 years later, Toñita’s is still standing in Los Sures, the south side of Williamsburg—the most gentrified neighborhood in New York City. Yet over the years, Toñita has faced ever greater ...
The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island
March 05, 2024 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBThis week, Latino USA shares an episode of The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island podcast. When Annette Vega was in elementary school, she found out the man she called “dad” wasn’t her biological father. But all she knew was that her mom had had a teenage romance with a guy named Angel Garcia. Annette has searched for Angel for more than 30 years, a search that is finally coming to the end. “The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island" is a new series from Radio Di...
Latino Hustle: Oscars 2024
March 01, 2024 07:00 - 54 minutes - 49.3 MBThe 96th Oscars ceremony is a new opportunity for Latinos and Latin Americans in the moviemaking business to be recognized for excellence in cinema. America Ferrera has earned her first Oscar nomination and Colman Domingo has become the first Afro-Latino nominated for best actor. And yet, representation of Latinos on the big screen has remained stagnant. But there are several Latinos and Latin Americans nominated who you may not have heard anything about yet. We spoke to Andes sur...
Myriam Gurba Unmasks the Creeps
February 27, 2024 07:00 - 26 minutes - 47.7 MBMyriam Gurba is a writer and artist from California. Her most recent work is a collection of essays named “Creep: Accusations and Confessions.” In her book “Creep,” Myriam examines individual creeps, as well as how creeps exist in the larger systems and environments that protect them. In this episode of Latino USA, we hear author Myriam Gurba read from “Creep: Accusations and Confessions” and talk about why it’s important to unmask the creeps.
Javier Zamora on the Role of a Writer in Today’s World.
February 23, 2024 07:00 - 39 minutes - 72.8 MBJavier Zamora is a writer who believes he has a particular responsibility: to understand and also change the world through words. He comes from a tradition of poets in El Salvador who used poetry to denounce injustices, the “Generación Comprometida,” and his personal experience of migrating as a child alone to the United States has shaped his worldview. In his work, Javier has shared some of the most intimate and difficult moments of his own history, first in the award-winning poetr...
The Matter of Castro Tum
February 16, 2024 07:00 - 41 minutes - 75.1 MBIn 2018, a young Guatemalan man named Reynaldo Castro Tum was ordered deported even though no one in the U.S. government knew where he was, or how to find him. Now, his unusual journey through the United States' immigration system has sucked another man back into a legal quagmire he thought that he'd escaped. This episode follows both of their stories and the fateful moment they collided. This episode originally aired in October 2020.
Finding Legitimacy With Aida Rodriguez
February 06, 2024 07:00 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBIf you’ve ever been to an Aida Rodriguez comedy show you’ve probably heard Aida crack jokes about her family, her upbringing, race, politics, everyday life and Latinos. She recently published a memoir called “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir.” In this episode of Latino USA, we hear Aida Rodriguez talk about, and read from her memoir and we get a front row seat to one of her recent comedy shows in New York City.
Sec. Xavier Becerra on Health, Immigration and Latino Representation
February 02, 2024 07:00 - 39 minutes - 35.7 MBThe Department of Health and Human Services oversees several agencies: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement are just a few of them. But since its founding in 1953, HHS had never been led by a Latino, until now. Maria Hinojosa sits down with the first Latino to lead the department, Xavier Becerra. They discuss mental health, Latino representation in the Biden-Harris White House, immigration, and more...
Portrait Of: Sandra Cisneros LIVE in Chicago
January 30, 2024 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MBSandra Cisneros doesn't need an introduction. Her coming-of-age novel, "The House on Mango Street," has sold over six million copies and has turned the Chicago native into a household name. Earlier this year, the Mexican-American author joined Maria Hinojosa for a live conversation at the Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The conversation was part of WBEZ's Podcast Passport series, in partnership with Vocalo Radio. In this live and intimate conversation, Sandra Cisneros reflects on ...
A Conversation With Jeh Johnson
January 26, 2024 07:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBSince the beginning of the Trump administration, the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policy have been front and center in public conversation. However, a humanitarian crisis at the border is nothing new. Jeh Johnson was the Secretary of Homeland Security during President Obama’s second term, from late 2013 to 2017. He ran the agency during a tense period—when tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children and families were arriving at the border to claim asylum. Latino USA’s...
Pepón Osorio’s Accumulation of Memory
January 23, 2024 07:00 - 26 minutes - 47.7 MBGrowing up in Puerto Rico, Pepón Osorio never thought that decorating the wedding cakes his mother made would spark his passion for art and his signature big installations full of tiny objects, sounds and memories. In 2023, the New Museum in New York City hosted Osorio’s most comprehensive exhibition to date. In this episode of Latino USA, we tour the exhibition with Pepón, and we learn about how he found a home in the Bronx, switched careers from social worker to full-time artist, ...
Eugenio Derbez Gets Serious
January 19, 2024 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBEugenio Derbez is a Mexican actor, writer, director and producer who got his start at the forefront of many comedy series in his home country. After decades of making families laugh across Latin America, Eugenio reinvented himself in Hollywood. In recent years he played the role of a music teacher in the movie “CODA,” which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2022. In 2023, Eugenio returned to Mexico to star in “Radical,” his first leading dramatic role. In this episode of ...
Monumental
January 16, 2024 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBThis week Latino USA shares an episode of the Monumental podcast, from PRX. For generations, Christopher Columbus has been glorified in monument after monument across the United States. And while Columbus statues have recently started coming down, including in cities like Columbus, Ohio, the largest one in the world is standing tall —very, very tall… in a U.S. territory— the beach town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. In this episode, reporter and journalism professor Gisele Regatão travel...
Maria Martin, With Love and Light
January 12, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBA special episode remembering Latino USA founder and pioneer public radio journalist Maria Emilia Martin, who passed away on December 2nd, 2023. After a career in public media of almost 50 years, Maria left a mark as a journalist, educator, and tireless advocate for Latinos, Latinas, and Indigenous voices in journalism in the United States and Latin America. In this hour, we hear from journalists who knew and were mentored by Maria Martin and we present some of the extraordinary a...
How I Made It: El Peso Hero
January 02, 2024 07:00 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBBy 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. This episode originally aired in July of 2021.
Unsafe In Foster Care, Part 1
December 22, 2023 07:00 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBAfter 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...
Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes
December 19, 2023 07:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBThis week Latino USA shares an episode of the podcast, Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes, from LAist Studios. Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes tells the story of the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history. A secret recording leaked online in 2022 exposed then-LA City Council President Nury Martinez making racist and derogatory remarks. A year after the scandal, host Antonia Cereijido challenges Nury on her racist comments and the deeper systemi...
Still Hopeful: Immigration Over 30 Years
December 15, 2023 07:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBLatino USA continues to mark its 30th anniversary and look back at its reporting throughout the last three decades. On today’s show we look at immigration, then and now. Maria Hinojosa is joined by Camilo Montoya-Galvez, immigration and politics reporter for CBS; Natalia Aristizabal, Deputy Director of Make the Road New York; and Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. Together, they discuss immigration policies from the last 30 years.
The Gun Machine
December 12, 2023 07:00 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBThe Gun Machine is a new podcast from WBUR in partnership with The Trace, exploring the 250-year history of one of the most tragic and confounding forms of addiction in America: guns. Listen to all eight episodes wherever you get your podcasts. You can subscribe to The Gun Machine here.
A Night With Monsieur Periné
December 05, 2023 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBAs part of our 30th anniversary celebrations, we bring you a taste of a very special evening with the Colombian band Monsieur Periné—hosted at the Greene Space at WNYC and WQXR. Catalina García and Santiago Prieto play songs from their latest award-winning album, “Bolero Apocalíptico”, and chat with Latino USA’s senior producer Marta Martinez about how they mix classic and modern influences, their love for their Colombian roots and how they found inspiration in the pandemic.
The Archivists: The Unseen Fight to Preserve Our Stories
December 01, 2023 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBAfter months of working closely with the archivists and librarians of the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas in Austin, the Latino USA team wanted to dig deeper into the history and treasures in the library. The Benson has been around for more than a hundred years, and it’s one of the most important institutions in the world collecting the history and stories of Latin America and U.S Latinas and Latinos. But, that history comes with some baggage. ...
United Stateless Podcast
November 28, 2023 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBThis week Latino USA brings you an episode of the United Stateless Podcast. United Stateless Podcast documents the stories of "returnees", people who immigrated to the US, largely as children, and have since returned to their home country. In the first season, we focus on Mexico. It's a story of life, love, Spanglish, culture shock, missing bagels, and figuring out where home really is. In this episode, what, exactly, is Mexico? And what's it like to actually grow up there? And wh...
By Right of Discovery
November 24, 2023 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBOn Thanksgiving Day, hundreds of people gather on Alcatraz Island, the famous former prison and one of the largest tourist attractions in San Francisco, for a sunrise ceremony to honor Indigenous culture and history. Fifty years ago, an intertribal group of students and activists took over the island for over 16 months in an act of political resistance. Richard Oakes, a young Mohawk from New York, was one of the leaders in this movement dubbed the "Red Power Movement." Latino USA te...
Bad Mexicans: Borderland History that Resonates Today
November 21, 2023 07:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBAt the turn of the 20th century, revolution was starting to brew in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. A group of Mexican revolutionaries had fled to the United States and were working to overthrow a dictator in their home country. They were called Los Magonistas, and both the U.S. and Mexican governments put all of their efforts to spy on them and suppress their revolution. In this episode, historian Kelly Lytle Hernandez tells the story of this cross-border insurgency that has been lef...
Dolores Huerta: Don’t Let the Haters Divide Us
November 17, 2023 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBLatino USA continues to celebrate 30 years of being on the air, as well as bringing you important conversations as part of our ongoing political coverage. For this episode, Maria Hinojosa sits down with legendary labor leader and civil rights activist, Dolores Huerta. They speak about politics, the current state of organizing, sex and passion, and much more. Editorial note: This interview was recorded in September of 2023 before the current crisis in Gaza began.
Gustavo Dudamel’s Harmony in Times of Crisis
November 10, 2023 07:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBGustavo Dudamel is one of the most famous and acclaimed conductors in the world. He’s been the Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2009, when he was just 27 years old. El maestro is the best-known graduate of El Sistema, Venezuela’s national youth music education program. In the years since, Dudamel made a name for himself conducting world-famous orchestras, running his own arts charity — The Gustavo Dudamel Foundation — and founding the Youth Orchestra...
Classy with Jonathan Menjivar
November 07, 2023 07:00 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBThis week Latino USA brings you an episode of the podcast, Classy with Jonathan Menjivar. In this episode, we can’t talk about class without talking about race. Through eye-opening conversations with two people of color in the fashion industry, Jonathan realizes some hard truths about the ways he’s adapted in order to blend in. And he reveals how one small, but bold act is helping him to reclaim his cultural identity. You can subscribe to Classy with Jonathan Menjivar here.