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.

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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.

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Ep 78: Migrations, Writing About The Puerto Rican Diaspora, Sofia Jirau, Service Worker Protests Continue
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Ep 78: Migrations, Writing About The Puerto Rican Diaspora, Sofia Jirau, Service Worker Protests Continue

Author J.L. Torres discusses his latest book Migrations, Roberto Clemente being confronted with racism & writing about the Puerto Rican diaspora. Migrations is a collection of stories focused on selected moments in Puerto Rican history & their impact on everyday people. In the second half of the show, we break down the latest Puerto Rican News, including Sofia Jirau becoming the first Victoria's Secret model with Down Syndrome and the continuation of the worker protests on la Isla.

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Ep 77: Puerto Rico’s Black Code Policy, Workers Protest in San Juan, Wepapalooza & More!
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Ep 77: Puerto Rico’s Black Code Policy, Workers Protest in San Juan, Wepapalooza & More!

Have you ever heard of the Black Code policy that passed in the 19th century in Puerto Rico? Educator Nina Vázquez has studied this topic extensively & stops by the show to give us a little history lesson on this awful racist law. You won't want to miss out on the deep dive into a moment of Puerto Rico's history. Stay tuned for the end of the show when Joshua & Kim break down the latest Puerto Rico news, including the massive worker strikes happening on la Isla right now, the anti- privatization protest in Ocean Park known to many as Wepapalooza, and JLo's and Bad Bunny's recent magazine photoshoots.

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Episode 61: 50 years of Promoting Afro-Latin Arts & Culture in Chicago
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 61: 50 years of Promoting Afro-Latin Arts & Culture in Chicago

On today’s show we welcome the Executive Director of the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Omar Torres Kortright. The cultural center is the longest serving Latinx cultural center in Chicago and this year they are celebrating their 50th Anniversary, so we invited Omar on the show to talk about the center’s namesake, what initiated its founding in the 1970s - hint the Young Lords played a role - and how they plan to celebrate and serve Chicago for another 50 years.

We also welcome author and poet, Luis Tubens, as well as dancer and choreographer, María Luisa-Torres. Maria and Luis are the creators of a production called Raíces to Roots, which will have a number of showings in the coming weeks at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. We’re going to talk about their production, what they want people to take away after experiencing it and what partnering with the cultural center today means for them.

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Episode 3: Oscar López Rivera Part 2
Joshua Smyser-DeLeon Joshua Smyser-DeLeon

Episode 3: Oscar López Rivera Part 2

The conversation with Oscar continues! We talk more about the history of US/Puerto Rico relations, the significance of Paseo Boricua & a message to Puerto Rican activists.

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