Brown Enough - podcast cover

Brown Enough

Christopher Rivas•www.christopherrivas.com
Society & Culture
Arts
What is the role of Brownness in a Black/white world? That's the question Dominican-Colombian-American actor, author and storyteller Christopher Rivas has been navigating his whole life. Listen as Chris discusses identity, careers, and taking up space with other Brown activists, creators and change-makers. Brown Enough is the stories between Black and white. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the feed to find Rubirosa, a ten-part documentary series about Porfirio Rubirosa, the Dominican diplomat, playboy, and international polo champion who was the inspiration for James Bond. The show tells the true story of Rubi’s incredible and complicated life and Chris learns what it can teach him about love, success, family, Hollywood, code-switching, white-washing, and the roller coaster of finding himself in a world not made for Brown folks like him.
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Episodes

“What Are You?” with Malaka Gharib

"What are you?" That’s a very tricky question journalist and cartoonist Malaka Gharib is super familiar with as a first generation Filipino-Egyptian-American. Malaka grew up navigating three different cultures and two religions...something Chris can relate to as a Dominican-Colombian-American who grew up in the vibrant city of Queens, New York. Listen to learn more about how Malaka’s thinking about the question "What are you?" evolved and inspired her to write her first graphic memoir I Was Thei...

Nov 16, 2022•29 min

Beware the Donkeys with Kyla Pratt

Listen to this episode to find out exactly who in your life is a donkey and how to pay them no mind. Chris chats with actress and friend of show, Kyla Pratt, about growing up inside the entertainment industry and her long career on groundbreaking shows for Black and Brown folks.

Nov 09, 2022•40 min

Examining the Latin in Latin American with Saudi Garcia

Last time, we started to unpack the complicated history of how Dominicans think about race. Today, we keep that conversation going with Dr. Saudi Garcia, a writer born in the DR who identifies not as white, or latina, or afro-caribbean... but Black. She tells me about the bent towards whiteness she's been trying to fight for most of her life. Did you grow up in Haiti or the DR? Or maybe in another place with a similar history of antiblackness? What have you learned and unlearned? Send your thoug...

Nov 02, 2022•29 min

Decolonizing Hispaniola with France Francois

How can people from two countries in conflict come together? Well that's exactly what today's guest, France Francois, helps facilitate between Haitian- and Dominican-Americans. France's organization runs workshops called Decolonizing Hispaniola, where they deconstruct historical myth and help everyone reimagine a conflict-free future. Today, she chats with Chris about how she got into this work and what Haiti and DR have in common. Plus, producer Baudelaire reports back from one of France's work...

Oct 26, 2022•36 min

The Study of Tacos with Steve Alvarez

This episode is going to make you hungry. Because it's all about tacos! Chris chats with taco expert and professor Steve Alvarez about how cultures mix through their food by looking at one of Chris' favorite cross-cultural tacos: Tacos Arabes. Plus, the best tacos from LA to Queens!

Oct 19, 2022•37 min

Brown(ie) Points with Claudia Forestieri

Scoring all the right points in Hollywood ain't easy -- especially as a Brown person. Claudia Forestieri learned that first hand when creating her hit TV series Gordita Chronicles for HBO. The show was widely acclaimed and popular... but got cancelled after just one season. Chris chats with Claudia about the lessons she learned from pitching and creating Gordita Chronicles, and what Hollywood is failing to do for Brown communities.

Oct 12, 2022•38 min

Steal Brown Enough with Rebekah Borucki

Row House is on a mission to reshape the book publishing world. And its founder, Rebekah Borucki, has made it her business to welcome new authors of various backgrounds into it. Today, she talks to Christopher Rivas about stealing a book that changed her life, and how she infiltrated a white industry with her progressive agenda. Plus, we hear the backstory of how that led her to Chris, who has a new book out October 11th called Brown Enough .

Oct 05, 2022•34 min

¡Comete Ese Miedo! with Maria Hinojosa

Comete ese miedo -- or eat your fear -- is what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa's husband told her to do when imposter syndrome sneaks up on her. But across her decades long career, she's learned to embrace the pressure. Today, she talks to Christopher Rivas about how her parents' experience in the US shaped how she thinks about this country. Plus, what she hopes for the next generation of Brown journalists. Her new young adult book Once I Was You: Finding My Voice and Passing t...

Sep 28, 2022•37 min

Rubirosa Episode 10 | Nos Vemos

In this last episode of the series, I visit the Dominican Republic for the first time ever. A trip I think will be about finding closure with Rubi ends up becoming a family reunion I’ll never forget.

Sep 21, 2022•39 min

Rubirosa Episode 9 | The Last Sprint

The last years of Rubi’s life are as action-packed as the rest. But the mysterious circumstances of his death leave me with some uncomfortable questions.

Sep 14, 2022•35 min

Rubirosa Episode 8 | The Play

Rubi’s story inspires me. It’s also a warning to me. And when I finally share his story onstage, I find that it’s bigger than just Rubi and me.

Sep 07, 2022•34 min

Rubirosa Episode 7 | Please Don't Hate Me

Turns out, most of Rubi’s lovers were white women. Looking at my own life, I realized we had that in common. Things get pretty interesting when I start asking questions out loud.

Aug 31, 2022•38 min

Rubirosa Episode 6 | Big Tíguere Energy

A Tíguere ⁠— a tiger ⁠— is Dominican slang for a smooth-talking ladies' man who gets what he wants. A guy like Rubi. But what does a Tíguere leave in his wake?

Aug 24, 2022•36 min

Rubirosa Episode 5 | The Gap

Forget about the white guy in the tux with the British accent. Imagine it’s Jaime Bond, Javi Bond, Bondissimo. Why haven’t Latin Americans gotten to see ourselves up on the big screen?

Aug 17, 2022•37 min

Rubirosa Episode 4 | What's In My Blood

What does it mean to be Dominican? The good, the bad. I wanna know what’s in my blood. Today, I ask my pops about it. And then I get a lesson on the dark side of Dominican history.

Aug 10, 2022•41 min

Rubirosa Episode 3 | Just a Gigolo?

A lover. A race car driver. A polo player. An international jetsetter. One of Rubi’s best friends tells me all about the playboy’s lifestyle. Plus, I look a little deeper into whether the most famous playboy on the silver screen--James Bond--was based on our Rubi.

Aug 03, 2022•38 min

Rubirosa Episode 2 | Pretenders

Meet Rubi ⁠— a bold and bright young man, raised in Paris, who gets close with one of the most dangerous figures in Dominican history. He learned early the benefits of fitting in and playing pretend…and so did I.

Jul 27, 2022•44 min

Real James Bond Was Dominican - 1 | Haunted

The real James Bond was Dominican. No, really! When I found out about Porfirio Rubirosa from a Vanity Fair article in college, I had no idea he would change my life forever.

Jul 27, 2022•33 min

Introducing: Rubirosa

Imagine instead of James Bond it was…Jaime Bond, Javi Bond, Bondissimo. Well, guess what, y’all? The white, British character at the center of Ian Fleming’s super-successful franchise was actually based on a Dominican man. This podcast is the true story of Porfirio Rubirosa’s life, told by me, Christopher Rivas.

Jul 11, 2022•3 min
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