Latino USA

Latest Episodes:

The History Of Reggaeton Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

This is the true story of the young people from Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico and beyond who beat the odds, refused to be quiet and created an irresistible musical culture that has kept the world dancing. Join Ivy Queen, one of the founders of the genre, for an incredible musical story about sex, race, drugs, censorship, and of course, perreo. First: stop Panama. LOUD: The History Of Reggaeton is a new podcast from Spotify Studios and Futuro Studios.

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Trapped In Diplomatic Limbo Aug 06, 2021

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When diplomats, ambassadors, and other international officials take a post in the United States, they often bring along personal staff and domestic workers from their home countries with a special visa. The problem is, once they arrive in the U.S., some of them learn that the promises made back home aren’t real and end up facing exploitation and abuse—with very little protection available for them in the U.S. In this episode of Latino USA, we speak with human rights journalist Noy Thrupkaew about her upcoming investigation on the abuses faced by diplomatic domestic workers for The Washington Post Magazine, and we meet Germania, an Ecuadorian woman who experienced it firsthand.

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How I Made It: Ada Limón Aug 03, 2021

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Ada Limón spent almost her whole life dreaming about poetry. Today, she has five successful poetry titles under her belt, including “Bright Dead Things,” a National Book Award finalist, and her most recent book, “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry.

Ada’s debut poetry collection, “Lucky Wreck,” was published in 2006. In honor of its 15th anniversary, the collection was re-released in spring 2021. “Lucky Wreck” explores themes of life and death, along with bicoastal living in California and New York City.

In this episode of our "How I Made It" series, Ada Limón tells her story of a young woman falling in love with poetry and reflects on the making of “Lucky Wreck” 15 years later.

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A Million More Immigrant Voters Jul 30, 2021

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On this episode of Latino USA, we look at the attacks against voting rights taking place throughout the country and how New York City is trying to move in the other direction—extending municipal voting rights to up to one million non-citizen residents.

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Portrait Of: Carmen Maria Machado Jul 27, 2021

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Carmen Maria Machado is a modern-day literary phenomenon. From horror to speculative fiction to comic books, her writing defies genre. She’s a bestselling author, a National Book Award finalist, and a Guggenhein Fellow. Her experimental memoir “In the Dream House,” about a past abusive queer relationship, was named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, the New Yorker and TIME Magazine, among others.

In this “Portrait Of,” Maria Hinojosa talks to Carmen about navigating mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, writing horror, and confronting her Latinx identity.

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On The Other Side Jul 23, 2021

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President Joe Biden made a lot of promises on the campaign trail related to immigration. He even promised to reverse several Trump-era policies. Biden has now been in office more than six months, so what’s changed and what hasn’t in terms of immigration? Latino USA looks at two Trump-era policies —the Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42 expulsions— and where they’re at under the Biden administration.

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How I Made It: El Peso Hero Jul 20, 2021

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By day, Héctor Rodríguez III is a school teacher; by night, he’s creating the world of “El Peso Hero”, a comic book superhero based on the border that is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

In this episode of our "How I Made It" series, Héctor talks about growing up loving superheroes, but not feeling represented by them. Something he’d eventually deal with by building his own comic world centered on the border.

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Unsafe In Foster Care, Part 2 Jul 16, 2021

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We continue our investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). While looking into what happened the night Joseph Chacón died, reporter Deepa Fernandes finds out that another baby, Draco Ford, had passed away in the same foster home two months earlier. Why weren’t the foster children, including Joseph, immediately removed after Draco died? We also delve into the difficult decisions social workers have to make and the systemic problems of the foster care system in the U.S. as a whole.

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How I Made It: Francisca Valenzuela Jul 13, 2021

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Chilean-American singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela has always forged her own path in music. Born and raised in California, Francisca began her career after moving to Chile with her family. Even when major labels and venues wouldn’t open their doors for her, Francisca recorded and performed on her own terms until she became one of Chile’s biggest stars. Francisca went on to release four studio albums, start her own music label, and create Ruidosa, a Latinx feminist collective for women and non-binary voices in music.

In this episode of our "How I Made It" series, Francisca Valenzuela revisits her early days as a young woman building a music career in Latin America, and takes us down the road that led to her latest album, La Fortaleza.

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Unsafe In Foster Care, Part 1 Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

After a domestic violence incident, Leah Garcia called the police looking for safety for her and her two children. But her calls triggered the involvement of LA’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the largest child welfare agency in the country. Leah’s 5-month-old baby, Joseph, the son she had with her abusive partner, was placed with a foster care family. What happened after became a mother’s worst nightmare: the same system that was supposed to keep her child safe proved to be the biggest threat to his well-being.

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