While we work on more upcoming stories from Feet in 2 Worlds, we want to share some great episodes from other podcasts we think you’ll like. This story comes from our friends at Proof from America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a podcast that dives deep into the unexpected backstories behind food and drinks, while examining the human stories that intersect along the way. This episode follows the journey of the Shinta and Kawahara families — from immigration, to incarceration, to the present day. Proof rep...
Jun 24, 2025•45 min•Ep. 92
While we work on more upcoming stories from Feet in 2 Worlds, we want to share some great episodes from other podcasts we think you’ll like. This episode is from Disrupting Peace from the World Peace Foundation. The show explores why peace hasn’t worked and how it still could. The episode we’re sharing is titled, “Why Addressing the Climate Crisis Will Increase Peace” from their first season. It explores the question: What if the inequalities and exploitation that are destroying the environment ...
Jun 10, 2025•30 min•Ep. 91
In the last episode of the season, host Shaka Tafari speaks with three women who work at the intersection of labor and immigration. They discuss the most pressing threats to immigrant workers, as well as the ways immigrants can resist these threats and support one another. Our guests include: Mary from Mujeres Inspiradas en Sueños, Metas, y Acciones (MISMA); Saba Waheed, director of the UCLA Labor Center, and Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety...
Jun 03, 2025•27 min•Ep. 90
In the early 20th century, Chicago became a city powered by a strong immigrant working class. As U.S. industry grew, immigrant workers demanded a say in their economic, social, and political conditions. Producer Sophia Ramirez revisits the career of Adolph J. Sabath, a Bohemian Jewish immigrant whose constituents elected him into Congress 24 times.
May 27, 2025•33 min•Ep. 89
In 1885, white miners brutally murdered 28 Chinese miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming. In 2025, producer Harrison Vijay Tsui goes to Rock Springs to unearth this dark chapter of U.S. history — and to ask: what does it cost to remember, and what does it cost to forget? We’ll hear from Chinese Americans in Rock Springs today and the descendants of the Massacre scattered across the country.
May 20, 2025•35 min•Ep. 88
Chinese home care workers in New York City are fighting to end an exploitative labor practice known as the 24-hour rule, where they are only paid for 13 out of 24 hours worked. However, they face resistance from officials and non-profits, and insufficient union support. Producers Aria Young and Leina Gabra take us inside the reality of 24-hour work and why it has been so difficult to change this policy.
May 13, 2025•33 min•Ep. 87
When New York State legalized recreational cannabis, officials did so with the promise to give those affected by the War on Drugs the first opportunity to sell cannabis legally. But while the state has celebrated the growth of its newest legal economy, many feel left out — no one more so than non-citizen immigrants. Producer Iggy Monda takes us through the streets of New York City to talk to formerly incarcerated business owners hoping to find a place in the industry, city and state officials wh...
May 06, 2025•34 min•Ep. 86
In 1938, San Antonio was the center of the pecan shelling industry and one man, known as the Pecan King, controlled 50% of pecan production. The shellers were mostly Hispanic women and children. When the Pecan King slashed their pay, they took to the streets to strike against the injustice. Producer Avery Thompson takes us to San Antonio, Texas to tell the story of the 1938 Pecan Shellers’ Strike.
Apr 29, 2025•33 min•Ep. 85
Over the past couple of years, around 40,000 Venezuelans arrived in Denver fleeing political and economic instability, eager to work while their immigration statuses played out. Initially, with help from the city and non-profit organizations, many were able to find stable housing and jobs. However, with all the recent changes in immigration policy, they now face an uncertain future and finding work has become more difficult. Producers Ann Marie Awad and Andrés Pacheco-Girón explore how the rules...
Apr 22, 2025•40 min•Ep. 84
Feet in 2 Worlds is back with our newest podcast series, The Hustle. On The Hustle, we share stories about the ways immigrants navigate a changing economy — today and throughout history. The series premieres on April 22, 2025. Each episode of The Hustle dives into a specific industry or moment in history when immigrant workers demanded changes during economic, social, and political shifts. These stories explore both the triumphs and tragedies of their attempts to stand up to big industries and f...
Apr 09, 2025•1 min
Thousands of New Yorkers rely on an unofficial transit system to get around — a system entirely outside of the MTA. Dollar vans are a DIY immigrant innovation that have served riders for half a century, but their future is unclear. Producer Andrés Pacheco Girón speaks with riders, drivers, and entrepreneurs all navigating what comes next for these dollar vans.
Jan 09, 2025•31 min•Ep. 82
Come November, an estimated 36 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the U.S. presidential election. Across the nation, there are Spanish language radio stations invested in them as an audience — and content on those stations is targeting listeners with disinformation about the candidates, the parties and political issues. In this special episode of WNYC's Notes from America, host Kai Wright sits down with journalist Paulina Velasco from Feet in 2 Worlds to discuss “Frequency of Deception,...
Sep 16, 2024•50 min•Ep. 81
Today we’re sharing a story from Re:Work, a podcast from the UCLA Labor Center. For the past decade, Re:Work has elevated stories of work to humanize and break down economic and racial justice issues. Each episode of Re:Work centers the life story of a worker or activist, with a focus on people of the global majority. This episode asks: Who are the people who make the clothes we wear every day? We’re about to take a journey through “Los Callejones”—Los Angeles’s garment district. Learn more abou...
Jun 11, 2024•29 min•Ep. 80
Today’s episode comes from Living Planet, a podcast bringing you the stories, facts, and debates on the key environmental issues of our time. The story they shared with us is “Deep dive: The hidden toll of roadkill”—a phenomenon so great it’s throwing ecosystems out of balance and even threatening to wipe out whole species. In this episode, the Living Planet team investigates the best ideas out there for how we can make roads safer for wildlife, and even how to cook up roadkill, should you be te...
Jun 05, 2024•38 min•Ep. 79
Today’s episode comes from Subtitle, a podcast series all about language and the people who speak them. Irish is among Europe’s oldest languages. It’s a near miracle that anyone speaks it today. Host Patrick Cox talks with online Irish teacher Mollie Guidera, whose students include a Kentucky farmer who speaks Irish to his horses, and with Irish scholar Jim McCloskey, who developed a love of the language when he spent a summer living with Irish speakers. Irish is changing fast, with far more of ...
May 28, 2024•36 min•Ep. 78
Today’s episode comes from Electric Futures, a podcast series exploring lesser known stories of the energy transition. On the US-Mexican border in California lies the Imperial Valley. It is a mix of deserts and verdant green fields. For centuries, it has been a crossroad for immigrants and Americans searching for opportunities. The Imperial Valley is now participating in an on-going white gold rush – a sprint to extract lithium from brines deep in the earth. This lithium is critical to the produ...
May 21, 2024•42 min•Ep. 77
Your zip code can tell a lot about your health. Studies show that historically redlined neighborhoods can overlap with areas that flood the most, have the worst air quality, and experience the warmest temperatures. Our story takes us to California’s San Fernando Valley and to Newark, NJ, where immigrant families live in or near zones that have been redlined and experience health issues due to extreme heat and pollution.
May 14, 2024•35 min•Ep. 76
In 2023, Illinois’ governor signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act to phase out fossil fuels by 2050 and renovate the state with green infrastructure. Chicago is one of the cities offering communities of color and those most impacted by pollution the chance to lead this energy revolution. Reporter Wendy Wei speaks with Ghanaian American Senyo Ador about how he is bringing his insights from working on energy projects in Ghana to make Chicago a more energy-equitable city for communities of colo...
May 07, 2024•29 min•Ep. 75
Across New York City, workers are tearing out concrete and asphalt from schoolyards and replacing them with rain-absorbing surfaces that are more climate resilient. The redesigning of playgrounds in immigrant neighborhoods offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rethink how kids in the city relate to the outdoors. Producer Aria Young, an immigrant journalist from China, explores the recent transformation of New York City playgrounds in response to the climate crisis and what it means for chil...
Apr 30, 2024•29 min•Ep. 74
In America’s agricultural heartland, a small group of immigrant farmers look to ancient methods to help modern farming respond to the climate crisis. Producer Anja Nilsson reports from Nebraska on Maya farmers from Latin America who employ farming methods that conserve water, increase biodiversity, and reduce carbon emissions.
Apr 22, 2024•35 min•Ep. 73
In July of 2023, Efraín López García died picking fruit on a farm in Homestead, Florida. According to his family, extreme heat caused his death. At the same time, the Florida legislature was considering a bill banning local governments from enacting safety regulations to protect farmworkers. About 75 percent of farmworkers in the United States are immigrants. Allison Salerno reports on community organizations and scientists who are working to protect farmworkers from extreme heat in the absence ...
Apr 16, 2024•25 min•Ep. 72
Over 100,000 people live in New York City basement apartments – most are immigrants. It’s an open secret that, while basement apartments offer cheap rent, they are potential death traps in a city experiencing more frequent and severe flooding due to climate change. Government programs to address the problem have largely failed. Producer Emmy Brett asks where people go when there is nowhere safe or affordable to call home. More info at: fi2w.org...
Apr 09, 2024•32 min•Ep. 71
When Hurricane Otis devastated the resort city of Acapulco in October 2023, Mexican authorities struggled to respond to the disaster. Producer Greta Díaz González Vázquez reports on how families divided by the US-Mexico border faced challenges in surviving Otis.
Apr 02, 2024•32 min•Ep. 70
Feet in 2 Worlds is back with our newest podcast series called Home, Interrupted. The series explores how the climate crisis affects immigrants across the U.S., and how immigrant communities are finding new ways to deal with a warming planet. You’ll hear voices that are often overlooked in the climate crisis, including those who have been forced to make wrenching choices, as well as those who are leading the way to a more sustainable planet. The series premieres on April 2, 2024.
Mar 19, 2024•2 min
Through The Fake Green Cards Project , Philadelphia-based artists Xuan Liu and Youkun Zhou invite us to imagine a world where getting “papers” is not the nerve-wracking process it has become for many immigrants in the U.S. Producer Danya AbdelHameid reports on how their whimsical hand-drawn cards explore the meaning of the green card, spark conversations about the challenges of navigating the immigration system, and raise questions about what it means to belong in America. Visit abetterlifepodca...
Apr 06, 2023•24 min•Ep. 68
Writer and producer Boen Wang and his Chinese-born mom disagree on almost every political issue. Each suspects that the other has been “brainwashed”, because how else could they have such extreme views? In this personal piece, Boen unpacks the epistemology and history of the term brainwashing, and goes on an intimate exploration of his mom’s childhood and experiences in the U.S. to figure out what has actually shaped her political beliefs—and his own. Visit abetterlifepodcast.com for a complete ...
Mar 22, 2023•37 min•Ep. 67
In this podcast we examine the rhetoric and the reality of Latino voting in the U.S. Are Latinos themselves to blame for not voting at the same rate as other groups? Or have the political parties created systems that keep Latino voters on the margins, and discourage them from participating in American democracy? Our guests - Latino analysts, organizers and journalists from around the country - reflect on lessons from the 2022 midterm elections, dive into polling research, and offer suggestions f...
Jan 17, 2023•35 min•Ep. 66
A Better Life? presents four stories from a workshop that Feet in 2 Worlds hosted earlier this year for bilingual journalists. The stories focus on a casino worker in New Hampshire, a chef in Mexico, a radio host in Kansas, and high school students in Arizona. These four audio vignettes were produced in a mixture of English and Spanish, a reflection of how the two languages live side-by-side in communities—and many households—across the U.S.
Sep 20, 2022•17 min•Ep. 65
Feet in 2 Worlds recently hosted a live conversation about the unique role of immigrant journalists in covering the news. It featured Maritza Felix, Von Diaz, and Catalina Jaramillo. The conversation was recorded at Feet in 2 Worlds’ Celebration of Immigrants in Journalism on January 31st, 2022.
Mar 12, 2022•35 min•Ep. 64
In Los Angeles Chinatown, local shops and restaurants eagerly welcome back customers as they return to business after the height of the pandemic shutdown. But the neighborhood’s rebound from Covid has been uneven. The pandemic has shone a light on the divide separating the successful and the struggling, as well as concerns about anti-Asian violence. A Better Life? executive producer Quincy Surasmith explores the starkly different visions for the future of L.A. Chinatown and the organizations pro...
Nov 18, 2021•30 min•Ep. 63
