OBSCENE
37 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★ - 19 ratingsOBSCENE is a new podcast hosted by Maya Contreras (EMMY winning Brewed in NY, PBS, ) discussing systemic inequalities that have allowed discrimination to flourish in the United States. We’ll examine discriminatory policies while discussing the history, influences, and future of those policies that directly impact womxn and marginalized groups. Through stories and interviews with experts, you'll be given new insights into the challenges facing womxn and marginalized communities. Through an intersectional approach, the podcast introduces new frameworks to improve your civic participation. As an informed constituency, we can influence our elected legislators to dismantle structural oppressions by drafting inclusive policy that create equity, equal access, and inclusion.
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Episodes
Gun Violence Is A Public Health Issue
June 15, 2021 22:00 - 48 minutesToday's interview with Shaina Harrison with NYAGV Shaina on grief and trauma communities deal with due to gun violence: "I think you know when I think about trauma, and especially working in the communities that I serve, I understand that the young folks that I'm working with don't want, they don't have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, right? They, nothing is "post" with them. They're living through this every single day. They lose folks so much that they don't even know that it's traumatizi...
What about the Children? What America owes to Children and Families.
April 02, 2021 15:42 - 1 hourIn this Episode of Obscene, I spoke with Julia Davis, Director of Youth Justice and Child Welfare for Children’s defense fund in New York. She helped me break down what’s in the American Rescue Act, whom it helps, and who it leaves out. We also examine what policies could truly protect and aid children and their families, not just to recover, but to flourish. Julia Davis joined New York’s Children’s Defense Fund in 2018 as the Director of Youth Justice and Child Welfare. In her role, she wo...
Voting in 2020: Absentee Ballot vs. Vote-by-Mail
August 05, 2020 23:49 - 47 minutesHost Maya Contreras discuss voting by Absentee Ballot, Vote-by-Mail, what the difference is, and how difficult it will be to obtain, mail, and have your vote counted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Your Vote is Your Voice: Voter Mobilization in the Trans Community #2020Election
July 29, 2020 17:16 - 17 minutesAshlee Marie Preston is a Trans Rights Advocate, Cultural Creative & Founder of You “Are Essential”. Ashlee is the first trans woman to become editor-in-chief of a national publication, Wear Your Voice Magazine, and she has just launched a voter mobilization initiative with Human Rights Campaign President, Alphonso David called My Vote is My Voice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Everything is on the Ballot: Gun Violence Prevention Policy #2020Election
July 29, 2020 16:53 - 35 minutesShannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America—the nation’s largest grassroots gun violence prevention group, with chapters in all 50 states effecting change at the local, state and national level. Her book, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World, was released in May of 2019. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, once said she “had to do more than just cry,” after her son was murdered in two-thou...
Latinx 2020 Voting Outreach And Puerto Rico Statehood #2020Election
July 29, 2020 05:48 - 33 minutesDenise Oliver-Velez has been a political activist and community organizer, was in the Civil Rights movement, women's movement, and AIDS activism movement, and was a member of both the Young Lords Party and the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Denise is currently a Contributing Editor for the progressive political blog Daily Kos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Language Barriers At The Polls With A Focus On The AAPI Community #2020Election
July 29, 2020 05:47 - 27 minutesDr. Merseth discusses language barrier obstacles are still in place for eligible voters even with the language provision in the Voting Rights Act. Dr. Julie Lee Merseth's interests are situated in the field of American political behavior with a dual and overlapping focus on race and immigration. Her research is especially animated by questions of how racial and ethnic politics in the United States are changing as a result of fast-growing populations of immigrants, largely from Latin America, ...
Black Voters Matter: History Of Voter Suppression #2020Election
July 29, 2020 05:27 - 1 hourDr. Carol Anderson is a Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Nation's Divide, a New York Times Bestseller, Washington Post Notable Book of 2016, and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner. She is also the author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, which was long-listed for the National Book Award and a finalist for the PEN/Galbraith Award in non-fiction. Learn more about your a...
Equal Access: Disability Community And Voting #2020Election
July 29, 2020 05:23 - 47 minutesRebecca Cokley is the director of the Disability Justice Initiative at American Progress, where her work focuses on disability policy. Most recently, she served as the executive director of the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent agency charged with advising Congress and the White House on issues of national disability public policy. She joined the NCD in 2013 after serving in the Obama administration for four years, including time at the Department of Education and the Depar...
The Barriers Native American Voters Face #2020Election
July 29, 2020 05:13 - 39 minutesA discussion with the NARF Staff Attorney Jacqueline De León on Native American Rights Fund's (NARF) comprehensive study entitled, “Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation Faced by Native American Voters.” Jacqueline De León is an enrolled member of the Isleta Pueblo. As a staff attorney at Native American Rights Fund better known as NARF, she helps lead field hearings across Indian Country on Native American voting rights and practices ongoing voter rights litigation. Le...
The Myth Of Voter Fraud And The Reality Of Voter Suppression #2020Election
July 29, 2020 05:06 - 41 minutesPerry Grossman, is Voting Rights Attorney. He focuses on litigation and advocacy efforts concerning voting rights and election law issues. Perry’s cases include New York Immigration Coalition v. U.S. Department of Commerce, the successful challenge to the Trump Administration’s efforts to put a citizenship question on the 2020 Census; League of Women Voters v. New York State Board of Elections; an ongoing state constitutional challenge to a statute requiring voters to register at least 25 day...
The Turnout Gap: An Analysis Race and Voter Turnout Outside of Voter Suppression #2020Election
July 28, 2020 22:20 - 37 minutesWhile Voter Suppression and Disenfranchisement have a deep impact on elections, Dr. Bernard L. Fraga research found that there still a gap in voter participation amongst marginalized groups even if voting barriers were removed. We discuss this and his book "The Turnout Gap" in this interview. Dr. Bernard L. Fraga is a political scientist who studies American elections, focusing on racial/ethnic politics, voter turnout, and the impact of election laws on voters and politicians. He is an assoc...
Some Clarity During the Corona Crisis
March 17, 2020 22:45 - 38 minutesOn December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization’s office in China heard the first reports of a previously-unknown virus behind a number of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan. On March 11, 2020 that virus, now named COVID-19 better knowing as the Coronavirus outbreak was now characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Today the NYTimes wrote: The number of known corona virus cases in the United States continues to surge. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least 5,002 peopl...
Recapping the 2020 South Carolina Primary, and what comes next.
March 01, 2020 22:46 - 1 hourMaya Contreras interviews political wonk Stephen Robinson. Stephan is a writer and social kibbitzer based in Portland, Oregon. He's on the board of the Portland Playhouse theater and writes for the immersive theater Cafe Nordo in Seattle. "Wonkette is an American online magazine of topical satire and political gossip, established in 2004 by Gawker Media and founding editor Ana Marie Cox. The editor since 2012 is Rebecca Schoenkopf, formerly of OC Weekly. Wonkette covers U.S. politics from Was...
2020 Democratic Candidates Policies on Children's Education and Poverty
December 02, 2019 23:14 - 51 minutesHello, I’m your host Maya Contreras and welcome to a new season of obscene. This is a special holiday episode, the official new season of Obscene will start the first week of January 2020 were I’ll be talking to candidates running for office, voting rights, and policy issues you should be on the lookout for at the ballot box and so much more. Before I get into the interview today I first want to bring your attention to an article published last month by StoryBench, a news division of Northe...
A 'Question' Finally Answered: The 2020 Census and Gerrymandering
July 19, 2019 00:36 - 52 minutesExcept from the Episode: "Hello everyone! It’s me, Maya Contreras, host of Obscene podcast! On the last episode, you heard an excerpt of my interview with Ben Williams of the Princeton Gerrymandering project. Here is the full episode. I hope you’ll enjoy it. On June 27th, The Supreme Court essentially blocked the citizenship question from being added to the Census. On July 3rd, it was determined that the Census would be printed without it. I wanted to post this episode about Gerrymandering...
4th of July Special Episode: What's Patriotism Got to Do with It?
July 04, 2019 23:33 - 1 hourExcerpt from this episode: "It’s the 4th of July, and I know a lot of folks out there aren’t feeling very patriotic, and I completely empathize. It’s difficult to feel patriotic given what is happening at the border, with reproductive rights, and when there are military tanks rolling down the streets of DC that took over $2.5 million dollars away from protecting our parks, but I digress. One of the reasons I wanted to do a fourth of July podcast episode is because I wanted to touch on a few ...
Ask About Abortion: The Importance of Discussing Abortion in Public Spaces and on Film & TV.
May 28, 2019 18:02 - 1 hourOn Episode 11 of Obscene, Host Maya Contreras interviews Reproductive Justice Advocate, Renee Bracey Sherman on the importance of Abortion Storytelling, Abortion Funds, and Abortion Access. "Renee Bracey Sherman is a Chicago-born, Midwest-raised activist, writer and reproductive justice activist committed to the visibility and representation of people who have had abortions in media and pop culture. She is among the most vital voices in the United States elevating the conversation about abort...
Reproductive Justice: The Intersectional Movement We All Need Now
May 28, 2019 17:22 - 43 minutesEpisode 11 is with Jalessah Jackson. What is Reproductive Justice? Host Maya Contreras takes a deep dive on this subject with Jalessah Jackson, Georgia Coordinator at SisterSong. "Jalessah Jackson is a mother, womanist, and interdisciplinary scholar of training whose research explores the connections between popular culture and critical theories of race, gender, sexualities, and social inequity. She is the Georgia Coordinator at SisterSong, and in this role, Jalessah marries her lived exper...
Vote Her Into The White House #2020
May 11, 2019 04:15 - 45 minutesExcerpt from Episode: What we need in 2020 is something that we’ve never had in the history of this country, a Women President and a Women Vice President. Its clearer than ever that we need a woman at the top of the ticket, and you won’t find anyone who agrees with that notion more than Rebecca Sive. Rebecca Sive is a speaker and commentator on women’s political leadership and power, a past lecturer at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and the author of two books, Vot...
The Press Playbook: "Game-Framing" and The Media’s Influence on our Presidential Elections
April 26, 2019 01:07 - 47 minutesExcerpt from episode: "I want to look at the media’s playbook. I want to know why the media crafts or goes with a script, I wanted to know how the media influences our elections, their biases, and their “game framing” of political news and media coverage. Luckily I got to speak with Dr. Regina Lawrence, Associate Dean, SOJC-Portland, and Director of Agora Journalism Center at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon who is a nationally recognized expert in politi...
Sexism, Stereotypes, and Negativity in the Media’s Coverage of Female Presidential Candidates
April 10, 2019 21:34 - 57 minutesFrom Obscene podcast host Maya Contreras: "In this episode, I want to talk about the impact the media is having when they are missing the frames to see the big picture of women in politics and women in power. For the interview today, I speak with Dr. Valerie Sperling, Professor of Political Science at Clark University. Dr. Sperling teaches a variety of courses in comparative politics, including Russian politics; revolution and political violence; globalization and democracy; and introductio...
Defying The Odds: Women Reentrants and Entrepreneurship
March 25, 2019 00:54 - 46 minutesExcerpt from this episode: "Today I want to highlight one program that has had a positive impact on incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, called Defy Ventures. Defy’s vision 'is to end mass incarceration and cycles of recidivism by using entrepreneurship as a tool to transform legacies and human potential'. Before I speak to Defy Ventures’ Director Jeanette Pineiro. I am going to speak with Susan Brag, who was formerly incarcerated, and who went through the Defy Ventures' program. Sus...
Replaced: The Media and Entertainment Industries' Fear of Inclusion
March 17, 2019 22:06 - 2 minutesOn March 31st OBSCENE podcast will air the first of a three-part series about inclusion or lack there of in the entertainment and media industries. It's clear there are many leading actors and producers worried about being 'replaced' by actors of color and more inclusive stories. Take a look at what Pat Sajak said about it: I remember a time when you could enjoy - or not enjoy - a movie based on its merits. Now we have to worry about the social implications of the film and even the validit...
Access Violations: The Disability Community's Fight for Equity, Equality, and Equal Access
March 04, 2019 00:59 - 1 hourInterviews with Dustin Jones, board member for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY) and Rebecca Cokley, a leading disability rights activist in the United States. Rebecca is the Director for Disability Policy at the Center for American Progress policy institute in DC. She previously served as the Executive Director of the National Council on Disability and served as an appointee in the Obama administration. In this episode, we remember disability rights activist Carrie A...
Policy is Personal
February 18, 2019 03:08 - 48 minutesThere are people who don’t always think about the policies that are protecting or not protecting them. For many people policy can feel like a dull hum in that background that they’ve mostly tuned out; and of course, many you might be a bit too busy to contempt what role policies have played and continue to play in your life, but in this episode, I want you to think about it. I want you to exam the policies that are protecting you, that are an obstacle for you, or that are hurting you, your fa...
Why Are Black Women Disproportionately Dying During Childbirth?
February 03, 2019 08:27 - 50 minutesOn the last episode of Obscene my guests and I touched upon a policy that could have assist generations of Americans in poverty. That vetoed policy was the Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1971, was designed to establish a comprehensive domestic system of child care. In this episode we discuss why Black women are 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth, and their children are 2 times more likely to die during child birth then white women and their children retrospectively. OBSC...
Why Nixon Killed A Childcare Policy That Could Have Upended Poverty In America
January 27, 2019 07:43 - 45 minutesOBSCENE Host Maya Contreras talks about childcare and poverty with the following experts: DR. JILL QUADAGNO (F.S.U.) SHIMICA GASKINS (CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND) SUKI GRAVES M.Ed. DR. JESSICA YOUNG (AMERICAN UNIVERSITY) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pandora to Yoko: Mythology and Contempt
January 20, 2019 05:01 - 33 minutesMyths are very revealing. They reveal who we as a society based on the stories we are telling; well, it depends on who is telling the story, doesn’t it? For better or worse, many mythologies act as instructional guide books of do's and don't. I revisit destructive and helpful myths currently influencing our society and policy. On this first season of OBSCENE. I speak to a team of credentialed experts to discuss how past and current domestic policy have allowed racism and misogyny to flourish...
Phone Call with Aristotle
January 13, 2019 22:45 - 2 minutesHere is the last sneak preview before the first Season of OBSCENE premieres January 20, 2019. Aristotle played by Bobby Crace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Excerpt from Ep. 1: Pandora to Yoko: Mythology and Contempt
January 06, 2019 03:34 - 2 minutesA short excerpt from Episode One premiering January 20, 2019 Episode One (excerpt): Pandora to Yoko: Mythology and Contempt Maya Contreras reading: “When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions!” - Hamlet, Act IV, Scene V. (Press conference with Yoko Ono) That was Yoko Ono in 1971 speaking in front of small group of reporters. She was in the middle of a stressful custody battle with her ex-husband, facing possible deportation due to drug charges leveled against current ...
A Reading List and New Year Wish!
December 30, 2018 22:52 - 2 minutesHere are seven books that I read this year that expanded my understanding of American history that is often white washed, pun intended. I hope these books not only broaden your horizons, but empower you, and your advocacy work. Happy New Year. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated Americaby Richard Rothstein Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in Americaby Dr. Ibram X. Kendi The Price for Their Pound of Flesh: The Value of th...
An Ode to Advocates, Happy Holidays!
December 21, 2018 04:47 - 1 minuteHi It's Maya Contreras, your host of Obscene. Since it’s about to be a holiday weekend I thought instead of my regular weekly preview I would dedicate this weekly spot to all of the activists and advocates that never seem to have a day off. "‘Twas a few nights before Christmas, through many cities and townsMany advocates were quietly workingSurviving on coffee grounds When not marching or wheeling though streets They’re educating others telling bigots to have several seats You see the life ...
Jessica
December 16, 2018 19:17 - 5 minutesOBSCENE podcast host spoke with Dr. Jessica Young this week. Jessica Young is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Studies at American University. Her work broadly focuses on health in economically distressed and under-resourced communities. Dr. Young’s research centers on investments and policies that improve health through community and economic development and the roles race and racism play in shaping these investments and policies. She has been published in a variety of pee...
Christine
December 09, 2018 10:00 - 5 minutesObscene podcast host Maya Contreras (Brewed In NY, PBS) speaks with Christine Platt in this preview clip. Christine A. Platt, JD is a historian and storyteller of the African diaspora. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African Studies from The Ohio State University and received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. Her debut novel, The Truth About Awiti, was published under the penname CP Patrick and won the 2016 Independent Publis...
Hazel
December 03, 2018 03:36 - 3 minutesThis quick preview clip is from an interview with Dr. Hazel Levy. Dr. Levy is one of the guests throughout this 7-part podcast series premiering January 20, 2019. Preview clips and teasers every Sunday night. Dr. Hazel Levy is a professor of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and embryology at the University of Florida (UF). She is the first African American woman to have a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research laboratory at the UF COM. In addition to researching cu...
Maya
November 08, 2018 16:11 - 2 minutesLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices