Ep 99: The Young Lords w/ Cha Cha Jiménez & Jacqueline Lazú, PhD
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Ep 99: The Young Lords w/ Cha Cha Jiménez & Jacqueline Lazú, PhD

Political activist, José Cha Cha Jiménez, who also held the positions of President & Chairman of the Young Lords, joins us for this episode along with Young Lords Scholar, Jacqueline Lazú, PhD. In this episode, we sit down for a rare, uninterrupted long-form interview about the The Young Lords, also known as the Young Lords Organization.

Read More
Ep 84: Chicago Boricua History: The 1966 Division Street Riots + Princess Nokia Drops PR Music Video, Puerto Rico’s Power Grid, San Juan PRIDE, Puerto Rico Status Act & More!
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Ep 84: Chicago Boricua History: The 1966 Division Street Riots + Princess Nokia Drops PR Music Video, Puerto Rico’s Power Grid, San Juan PRIDE, Puerto Rico Status Act & More!

It's time for some Puerto Rican history! Long time listeners know these are some of our favorite episodes to do because they give us a chance to learn alongside you. This time, we’re focusing on the 1966 Division Street Riots in Chicago - the first riot in the United States attributed to Puerto Ricans.

Read More
Episode 72: What Does Elevating Puerto Rican Cuisine Look Like in Practice? - with Executive Chef Yari Vargas
Small Business Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Small Business Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 72: What Does Elevating Puerto Rican Cuisine Look Like in Practice? - with Executive Chef Yari Vargas

We’re going to talk about Puerto Rican food in this episode. The underlying theme in our conversation surrounds the question - Is Puerto Rican food healthy? And by that we mean...how do we think about our food? Do we only look at it as fast food? Why do we eat the food we eat today? Are we ignoring other parts of our ancestral history in trying to maintain what we feel is the “right way” to make Puerto Rican food today? And - are we challenging ourselves enough to think of different ways that elevate the way Puerto Rican cuisine is presented without losing that same great flavor?

Today we welcome Yari Vargas - executive chef and owner of Casa Yari in Chicago - to discuss these questions and more. We’re also going to hear about her journey to becoming a small business owner, what being Puerto Rican and Honduran means to her, and her Puerto Rican food recommendations for people who want to be a bit more health conscious ahead of the holiday dinner season.

Read More
Episode 71: The Honeycomb Network Creates a BIPOC Collective Care Sanctuary + PC1003 Becomes Law - What That Means For Puerto Rico’s Pensions, Education & Public Services
Small Business Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Small Business Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 71: The Honeycomb Network Creates a BIPOC Collective Care Sanctuary + PC1003 Becomes Law - What That Means For Puerto Rico’s Pensions, Education & Public Services

It's a packed episode today! First, we welcome Denise Ruiz and Cristina Guitirrez to the show. They are the founders of The Honeycomb Network - a holistic co-working and co-creating collective care sanctuary centered and focused on the BIPOC community. We learn more about their organization, and we cover a lot of ground on things like knowing your worth, opening their space during the pandemic, creating spaces for people to address their generational trauma and personal healing. They also share a story of dealing with people in the neighborhood, who don’t take too kindly to what they do and their mission, which has led to the repeated vandalization of their space. 

Then we welcome returning guest, freelance journalist from Puerto Rico, Carlos Berrios Polanco, to discuss the controversial bill known as PC1003 that recently became law in Puerto Rico. It’s basically a law that takes care of La Junta and vulture capitalists and takes away from pensions, education, and public services that working people benefit from so deeply.

Read More
Episode 68: Chicago’s Puerto Rican Fest & Creating Community Events for Us, By Us
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 68: Chicago’s Puerto Rican Fest & Creating Community Events for Us, By Us

The Puerto Rican Festival begins today through September 26! It’s been going strong for 39 years, but was once at risk of not happening in 2019 due to the unethical stewardship of the committee in charge at the time that ended in the organization filing bankruptcy. The group of community leaders we have on today’s show actually stepped up during that time to organize the fest successfully within less than 2 months.

They had to be scrappy then and they needed to be scrappy this year, not just because of the pandemic, but because they are starting from square one. They're showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, so we're happy to welcome them to the show to talk about how they are elevating the experience for festival gowers compared to previous years, what you should keep in mind if you want to start a community event of your own for your neighborhood, and their thoughts on what it means to be Puerto Rican.

Read More
Episode 63: Multi-Medium Artist, Ali Six
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 63: Multi-Medium Artist, Ali Six

On today’s show, we welcome Ali Six. He is a multi-medium artist from Chicago. Among other things, in today’s episode we’re going to discuss the role Aladdin & Michael Jordan played in his name, his 3 key takeaways for aspiring artists he’s learned in his career, what getting arrested meant for his trajectory in the Chicago art scene and where in the diaspora the Jibarito was first created.

Read More
Episode 57: From Humboldt Park to Grey's Anatomy
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 57: From Humboldt Park to Grey's Anatomy

Melissa DuPrey joins the show this week. She’s a Black Puerto Rican performer, storyteller, & comic. She’s been on shows, such as Empire and Chicago PD, and in films, like Cherry on Apple TV. She’s also had success on stage with shows like SUSHI-frito and currently has a recurring row on Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Sara Ortiz. We’re going to talk about her experience on Grey’s Anatomy, projects she’s worked on and what she has in store for the future, how her life as a live performer was impacted by the pandemic and more. 

Read More
Episode 56: Adam Toledo & The Investments We Have Yet To Make
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 56: Adam Toledo & The Investments We Have Yet To Make

Jessie Fuentes returns to the show! She’s an activist, the Co-Chair of the Puerto Rican Agenda Chicago Chapter and the new Director of Policy and Youth Advocacy for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago. If you want to learn more about Jessie and her work, give episode 4 of the podcast a listen. Today we’re going to discuss the systemic issues facing youth in the Puerto Rican & wider BIPOC community, how these issues relate to the Adam Toledo killing, and what investments need to be made in order to prevent what happened to Adam from happening to others & more. 

Read More
Episode 48: Chicago’s Looming Eviction Crisis & Its Impact on the BIPOC Community
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 48: Chicago’s Looming Eviction Crisis & Its Impact on the BIPOC Community

We welcome back to the show, City Bureau journalist, Justin Agrelo. Justin reports on housing for City Bureau and he and their housing team published a report on Chicago’s looming housing crisis. They spoke with Chicago residents facing eviction to better understand the impacts the pandemic is having on their ability to keep a roof over their heads. We’re going to talk about Chicago’s eviction crisis, who was highlighted in this piece and their testimonials and Justin will share some solutions that can help you or anyone you know who is facing eviction.

Read More
Episode 44: Organizing in Puerto Rico & Chicago, Attack at the Capitol & More w/ Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 44: Organizing in Puerto Rico & Chicago, Attack at the Capitol & More w/ Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez

Alderwoman of the 33rd Ward, Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez, joins the show. We talk about life growing up in Puerto Rico, her experiences and the contrasts she saw in her organizing both on La Isla and in Chicago, the reason why she migrated to the states, policy she is advocating for in the Chicago City Council, her reaction to the coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol last week and a whole lot more.

Read More
Episode 22: Jaiku Neoj + Somos Arte
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 22: Jaiku Neoj + Somos Arte

Sabrina Alicea returns to talk about Somos Arte and the beginning of the road to the Puerto Rican Festival in Chicago. We also welcome Jaiku Neoj to the show. She is a Trans Afro-Taína poet and visual artist here in Chicago. We’re going to talk about her experience speaking at the Protagonistas series, what it’s like to share her story, self-love, Trans Chicago and a bunch more.

Read More
Pilot Episode: Paseo Boricua + Fiesta Boricua
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Pilot Episode: Paseo Boricua + Fiesta Boricua

Highlighting stories by, from, & about the Puerto Rican community. On this episode we learn more about Paseo Boricua and Fiesta Boricua. Guests are Jose Lopez and Luis Rosa Perez.

Read More