In late June, Ritchie Torres made history when he took the lead in the Democratic primary to represent New York's 15th Congressional District, which is in the Bronx. While absentee ballots are still being counted, Torres is now poised to become the first openly LGBTQ Afro-Latino member of Congress. Torres was one of 12 candidates, among them a Pentecostal minister who opposes gay marriage and a political newcomer endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In this episode, Latino US...
Jul 17, 2020•24 min
In an interview from before the pandemic, Latino USA visits the home of tattoo artist, entrepreneur, reality star, and goth icon Kat Von D. She first became famous in the early aughts as the first female tattooer on the hit reality television show 'Miami Ink'. Beloved for her artistry and straight shooting banter, she would soon get her own spinoff, 'LA Ink.' She gives us a tour of her baroque home, talks about scaring her Catholic mother, and the backlash she has gotten for her previous relatio...
Jul 14, 2020•24 min
While covering the protests sparked after George Floyd's murder in May, CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez was arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol. He was reporting live on the air at the time, and the video of that moment would go viral, as a symbol of racist comportment by the police. Omar Jimenez, who is Afro-Latino, reflects on that moment and talks about the role of his identity in his reporting. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and...
Jul 10, 2020•27 min
Alejandra Ghersi, the experimental musician from Venezuela known as Arca, has been at the forefront of a movement that has pushed the boundaries of the pop music landscape. Since dropping her first mixtapes in 2011, she has produced album after album of boundary-defying music, and has been tapped as a producer for Kanye West, Bjork and FKA twigs. In this episode Arca talks with Maria Hinojosa about growing up in Venezuela, her philosophies around music, and about finding herself as a trans woman...
Jul 07, 2020•28 min
Growing up as a Nuyorican kid in the Bronx, Bobby Sanabria first watched "West Side Story" in the movie theaters, on the 10th anniversary of the film's release. "I was mesmerized," said the Latin Jazz drummer and composer. In 2017, the Broadway classic celebrated its 60th anniversary and to honor this milestone, Sanabria re-envisioned what Latino New York City actually sounds like. The result was his album, "West Side Story Reimagined." Maria Hinojosa talks to the drummer and composer about what...
Jul 03, 2020•19 min
In the early 70s, Miguel Angel Villavicencio was focused on making his most ambitious dream possible: to become a famous singer in Bolivia and across the world. And he was halfway there—his love songs were on the radio and he was appearing on TV. But to take his singing career truly international, he needed money. So he decided to work for Bolivia's most powerful drug cartel in the 80s—a major supplier for Pablo Escobar. Choosing this path would lead him on a journey of self-destruction, unexpec...
Jun 30, 2020•34 min
Brazil recorded its first death from COVID-19 on March 17th and by mid-June the country was the world leader in daily deaths. Overall, Brazil is only behind the United States both in the number of cases and deaths due to coronavirus. But Jair Bolsonaro, the country's right-wing nationalist president, continues to be dismissive about the threat posed by the virus. In this episode, we find out why Brazil, one of the largest economies in the world and a nation often in the forefront of innovative p...
Jun 26, 2020•26 min
On Thursday, June 18th, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. This comes over two years after the Trump administration moved to eliminate the program. About 700,000 people are currently enrolled in DACA, which grants temporary stays of deportation to undocumented immigrants who moved to the U.S. as children. As DACA recipients and supporters celebrate this win, they're also looking to the future. DACA could still be challenged ...
Jun 24, 2020•30 min
According to Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat, stories are a way of finding inspiration and comfort during the times we're living through. Her award-winning writing portrays the immigrant experience, Haitian American identity, and loss. In conversation with Maria Hinojosa, Danticat dives into the history of resistance to the police violence that was all around her as a young adult in New York City, the loss of her own uncle who died at the hands of immigration authorities, and how she's ...
Jun 19, 2020•29 min
In 1919, an intrepid Texas state representative, José Tomás Canales, decided to lead an investigation into the abuse of power by the Texas Rangers. For several years, residents of South Texas had been reporting that members of the law enforcement agency were going rogue: beating, torturing, and even killing people, in the name of protecting Anglo settlers. The subsequent investigation into these abuses would illustrate the difficulties of reforming and creating oversight over policing on the bor...
Jun 17, 2020•36 min
The killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked worldwide protests against racism and police brutality. To many, this moment seems inevitable — and for the Latinx community, it's bringing up complex conversations on identity, race, and allyship with the Black community. In the first of several conversations we will be having on Latino USA, we're joined by Afro-Puerto Rican activist, organizer, and scholar Rosa Clemente to understand how we got to this crucial moment. We ta...
Jun 12, 2020•22 min
In late February, the government of Puerto Rico was in denial over COVID-19. Top health officials were saying that the coronavirus would not reach the island—but the pandemic did arrive in early March. With hospitals that are still recovering from hurricanes and earthquakes, there was concern that the spread of COVID-19 would overwhelm a fragile health system. To prevent that from happening, a group of Puerto Rican scientists banded together to ramp up testing. In this episode, two scientists sh...
Jun 09, 2020•28 min
In the early 1990s, Willie Perdomo was a teenager growing up in East Harlem. He saw and experienced firsthand a tumultuous moment in New York City, including the crack epidemic and the consequences of the war on drugs. In his latest book of poetry, "The Crazy Bunch," Perdomo wrangles with that history and the ghosts of that time. Latino USA's Antonia Cereijido takes a walk with Perdomo through his old neighborhood of Harlem to discuss his teenage years and how memories of that time inspired his ...
Jun 05, 2020•18 min
It's been over a week since the death of George Floyd – a black man in handcuffs who died after being suffocated under the knee of a white officer in Minneapolis. Since Floyd's death, protests have erupted all over the country, calling for an end to police brutality on black citizens. One of the cities where residents have taken to the streets is Atlanta. The hometown of Martin Luther King, Jr. the city has a long history of protesting and was pivotal in the Civil Rights movement. Julieta Martin...
Jun 03, 2020•13 min
Today we're bringing you an episode from our vault — a love story of student activism. We're taking you back to 1968, when thousands of students participated in a series of protests that helped spark the Chicano Movement, historically known as the East L.A. Walkouts. It's also when high school sweethearts and student organizers Bobby Verdugo and Yoli Ríos danced to a Thee Midniters song and fell in love. This story originally aired in February of 2019. Want to support our independent journalism?...
Jun 02, 2020•33 min
The COVID-19 pandemic is a moment in which our broader food supply chains have been challenged—dairy farmers dumping unused milk, farmers plowing over produce, meatpacking plants closing, and grocery store shelves running empty. In some communities, that means people are now turning to smaller, local farms for their produce. One of those farms is run by the Hernández family in Edinburg, Texas. Amid COVID-19, 26-year-old daughter Civia Hernández has been working to adapt and bring the farm online...
May 29, 2020•9 min
In Part 2 of The Moving Border, we visit Tapachula, Mexico in search of a young man whose life is in danger. And we find a new frontier where refugees trying to make it to the U.S. are increasingly stuck, thanks to an international effort to make Mexico a destination state for asylum. The Moving Border series was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, with additional support provided by the Ford Foundation. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episode...
May 27, 2020•50 min
As the coronavirus spread in New York City and reached its peak in April, some disturbing statistics were revealed: Black and Latino patients were disproportionately affected by the disease, and they were dying at twice the rate of other patients. Even after the peak of the outbreak in New York, intensive care units in hospitals across the city are still busy caring for COVID-19 patients. In this episode of Latino USA, we go inside the frontlines in Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, part of the NYC...
May 22, 2020•14 min
In this two-part investigation, "The Moving Border" from Latino USA, we delve into the increasing pressure put on refugees seeking safety in the United States via its southern border. It reveals the surprising support the Trump administration has received to create an impenetrable policy wall that pushes asylum seekers south, away from the U.S. In episode one, "The North," we visit Juárez and tell the story of a mother and daughter who are mired in a web of changing policy and subjected to ongoi...
May 20, 2020•37 min
For our latest episode of Latino USA, we partnered up with Documented, a nonprofit news site that covers immigrants in New York City, to get a behind the scenes look at the experience of trying to navigate the immigration courts as an asylum-seeker under the Trump Administration. Maria Hinojosa sat down with co-founders of Documented, Max Siegelbaum and Mazin Sidahmed, to talk about what they observed in New York's immigration courts, and how federal policy changes have impacted the people movin...
May 14, 2020•12 min
In this episode of Latino USA we partner up with Documented, a nonprofit news site that covers immigrants in New York City, to get a behind the scenes look at the experience of trying to navigate the immigration courts as an asylum-seeker under the Trump Administration. We follow the story of Wendy and Elvis, Guatemalan newlyweds who flee violent extortion threats only to find themselves in a maddening and punishing U.S. court system that is now the norm for immigrants seeking safety. Want to su...
May 13, 2020•52 min
The COVID-19 shutdown has changed the lives of many across the country, including small business owners who are struggling to pay their rent, meet their payrolls and stay afloat. Texas has one of the highest rates of Latino-owned businesses in the country. Maria Hinojosa checks in with entrepreneurship reporter Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio, who has been covering this story across Texas. He shares the story of two Latino-owned businesses who have been trying to access relief funds and have ...
May 08, 2020•26 min
Felipe Coronel, aka Immortal Technique, is a legendary underground hip-hop artist known for his skills on the mic and his raw, highly political lyrics. Today, Immortal Technique spends his time working on philanthropic causes. Much of his work has been centered in Harlem, especially in the past two months of the coronavirus pandemic. Along with donating to various charity organizations, he is going out in the neighborhood to deliver food and run errands for those unable to go outside due to COVI...
May 06, 2020•30 min
Enrique Bunbury is a rock legend in Spain and Latin America, and he's been touring in the United States for years. A pioneer of the "rock en español" movement, Bunbury's eclectic solo career spans decades. During this time he has taken his loyal fans on a musical journey from cabaret to electronic music, all driven by his rock and roll ethos. In this episode Bunbury sits down with Maria Hinojosa to talk about his most recent album, titled "Posible", his self-described "impossible tour" in the U....
May 01, 2020•28 min
New York City continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, but the state with the third most coronavirus cases —after New York and New Jersey— is Massachusetts. And just across the river from Boston is a city that has the highest per capita rate of infection in that state. It's the city of Chelsea. For generations, its residents have been primarily Latino or newly-arrived immigrants who commute to Boston to work. Maria Hinojosa sits down with Boston-based reporter and co-host of th...
Apr 28, 2020•23 min
The 1970s were a golden age for soccer in Peru, one that producer Janice Llamoca only heard about growing up in Los Angeles in the '90s. The Peruvian soccer team went to three World Cups in that era. But after that, the team did poorly for decades — failing to qualify for the World Cup year after year. Then, in 2017, Peru qualified for the World Cup after 36 years — giving the Llamocas the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Russia to see their team play on soccer's biggest stage. This story ...
Apr 24, 2020•31 min
In recent weeks, many of us have had to adjust to living and working remotely. It's a necessary precaution to keep yourself and your community safe during the coronavirus pandemic — but it's not always easy to do. John Paul Brammer, author of the popular advice column "Hola Papi," gets it. He's been getting lots of questions from readers about how to make it through life in self-quarantine, from navigating romantic relationships to creating your own space in a busy home. On this week's Latino US...
Apr 21, 2020•22 min
The 2020 census is underway, which counts everyone living in the U.S. and its five territories including Puerto Rico. The form consists of questions like name, age, sex and race, but some of these answers are complicated. One example is the race question. In Puerto Rico, residents choose "Puerto Rican" to describe their Hispanic origin, but historically residents have overwhelmingly identified as white on the census, despite the island's rich African history. In this segment, journalist Natasha ...
Apr 17, 2020•28 min
Latinos could play a decisive role in the swing state of Pennsylvania in November's presidential election. In 2016 Trump won the state by about 44,000 votes, and the campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had been courting Latino voters there for months. Now that Sanders has dropped out of the presidential race, many wonder if former Vice-President Joe Biden will be able to win them over. In this episode of Latino USA, Maria Hinojosa speaks with reporter Gisele Regatao, who has been on the g...
Apr 15, 2020•26 min
Light your candles and schedule your limpia because today's episode is all about the power of intuition. Reporter Cindy Rodriguez talks to scientist Galang Lufityanto about his research into intuitive decision-making. Then, we head to the Brooklyn Brujeria festival, and learn about how intuition has been part of a growing Latinx feminist movement. Finally we hear about Cindy's journey to accept her own sense of intuition, through her relationship to her mother. Want to support our independent jo...
Apr 10, 2020•33 min
