Vanguard Elements: An MASM Podcast

Episode 22: The Problem With Heather Wilson

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, we are joined by Dr. Oscar Martinez and Dr. Carlos Morton to discuss the problem with Heather Wilson.

Episode 21: Two Years Later

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, we discuss concerns about the narrative surrounding the El Paso Walmart Shooting and whether the truth about why this tragic incident occurred will ultimately prevail.

Episode 20: Gone But Not Forgotten

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, our very own Ruby Montana discusses the tragic losses she has personally endured as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Episode 19: The Life and Legacy of Ruben Sandoval

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, Ruben Sandoval, Jr. and Dr. Carlos Morton discuss the life and legacy of Mexican American activist and attorney Ruben Sandoval, Sr.

Episode 18: A Conversation With Claudia Tristan

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, Claudia Tristan discusses her multifaceted career as a journalist and activist, her thoughts on the end of the Trump presidency, and the future of Trumpism.

Episode 17: A Conversation with Jackie Barragan

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, Jackie Barragan discusses the Femme Frontera Film Collective, her latest documentary, and her multifaceted work as an artist and political activist.

Episode 16: A Conversation With Veronica Carbajal

On the latest edition of Vanguard Elements, local attorney and proud fronteriza, Veronica Carbajal, discusses her historic mayoral campaign, El Paso’s upcoming mayoral runoff election, her plans for the future, and much more.

Episode 15: Adios Trump

Despite Trump’s apparent defeat, the existential threat posed by Trumpism to the Mexican American community remains as tangible as ever.

Episode 14: The Fight of Our Lives

On the latest episode of Vanguard Elements, the panel discusses Mexican American support for Trump and other issues related to what can only be described as the most important election in modern American history for Mexican Americans.

Episode 13: One Year Later

It’s been a year since a Trump-inspired white supremacist from Allen, Texas drove to El Paso and perpetrated what can only be described as the worst massacre of ethnic Mexicans in modern American history. One year later, however, it’s still not clear if the right people are being held accountable for this brazen attack on Mexican Americans.

Episode 12: The Last Throes of the Confederacy

In the last two months, more than 60 statues of historical figures who fought for the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War have been removed, toppled, banned, and, in some cases, defaced and destroyed. But, is the removal of symbols and monuments relating to the Confederacy erasing history, as some contend, or is the removal of these symbols and monuments a long overdue reckoning with the ongoing legacy of racism and oppression in the United States?

Episode 11: A Time of Reckoning

On the latest episode of Vanguard Elements, Ruby, Hazael, and Aldo discuss George Floyd’s tragic death under the knee of a police officer. This brutal incident has sparked the most widespread, sustained civil unrest experienced in the United States since the late 1960s, but the question remains. Will this incident finally lead to the meaningful law enforcement reform America so desperately needs?

Episode 10: A Pandemic of Ignorance

Jaime Abeytia, the editor of the Lionstar Blog, joins Ruby, Hazael, and Aldo to discuss the anti-lockdown protests that have broken out throughout the country including the one right here in El Paso. We are confronting a pandemic of ignorance that not even a concentrated dose of disinfectants can cure.

Episode 09: Don't Stand So Close To Me

Ruby, Hazael, and Aldo get together in the virtual sense of the word to discuss the Trump Administration's response, or perhaps more accurately, lack of response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the implications of the deadly pandemic on the United States, Mexico and the larger border region.

Episode 08: Focus on Femicides: ¡NI UNA MÁS!

The number of femicides which occurred in 2019 in Mexico increased by 10 percent from 2018, and, according to statistics provided by the Mexico office of U.N. Women, the overall number of women who have died violently in Mexico has also steadily increased from seven killings per day in 2017 to 10 killings per day in 2019. On Episode 8, Ruby, Hazael, and Aldo discuss the alarming increase in femicides occurring in Mexico.

Episode 07: The Delicate Art of Othering

On Episode 7, Aldo and Hazael are joined once again by Prof. Ruby Montana to discuss the delicate art of othering, and the controversy surrounding the publication of "American Dirt."

Episode 6: Birds of a Feather

On Episode 6, Aldo and Hazael are joined by Prof. Ruby Montana of the University of Texas at El Paso to discuss the troubling implications of Heather Wilson's controversial appointment as the president of the University of Texas at El Paso.

EPISODE 06: BIRDS OF A FEATHER

On Episode 6, Aldo and Hazael are joined by Prof. Ruby Montana of the University of Texas at El Paso to discuss the troubling implications of Heather Wilson's controversial appointment as the president of the University of Texas at El Paso.

EPISODE 05: WHERE THE EAGLE FLIES

On the night of September 27, 2019, the wife of a Clint Independent School District trustee directed a crude verbal attack at a group of students waving the Mexican flag at a high school football game in Clint, Texas. In Episode 05 of Vanguard Elements, Hazael and Aldo discuss the incident with Jennifer Prieto, the educator who directly confronted those responsible for this shameful display of anti-Mexican sentiment.

VE S01 E04: THE ENEMY WITHIN

On the latest episode of Vanguard Elements, Hazael and Aldo discuss the confounding issue of Mexican American Trump supporters, and review the latest developments in Mexico's increasingly bloody drug war.

EPISODE 04: THE ENEMY WITHIN

On the latest episode of Vanguard Elements, Hazael and Aldo discuss the confounding issue of Mexican American Trump supporters, and review the latest developments in Mexico's increasingly bloody drug war.

EPISODE 03: HYSTERIA AND CAPITULATION

In the latest episode of Vanguard Elements, your intrepid hosts discuss the latest attacks on the Mexican flag and review some troubling developments in Mexico's intractable drug war.

VE S01 E03: HYSTERIA AND CAPITULATION

In the latest episode of Vanguard Elements, your intrepid hosts discuss the latest attacks on the Mexican flag and review some troubling developments in Mexico's intractable drug war.

EPISODE 02: I SMELL A DOUBLE STANDARD

In Episode 2 of Vanguard Elements, Aldo Nicolas Mena and Hazael Anaya revisit the El Paso Shooting and discuss the double standard that Mexican Americans are subject to when it comes to appraising their loyalty to the United States.

VE S01 E02: I SMELL A DOUBLE STANDARD

In Episode 2 of Vanguard Elements, Aldo Nicolas Mena and Hazael Anaya revisit the El Paso Shooting and discuss the double standard that Mexican Americans are subject to when it comes to appraising their loyalty to the United States.

EPISODE 01: THE EAGLE AND THE SERPENT HAVE LANDED

EPISODE 01: THE AFTERMATH