OBSCENE

Gun Violence Is A Public Health Issue Jun 15, 2021

Today's interview with Shaina Harrison with NYAGV

Shaina on grief and trauma communities deal with due to gun violence: "I think you know when I think about trauma, and especially working in the communities that I serve, I understand that the young folks that I'm working with don't want, they don't have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, right? They, nothing is "post" with them. They're living through this every single day. They lose folks so much that they don't even know that it's traumatizing, right. A lot of times this stuff just seems like it's normal. And it's like, what just happens in their community. What I would like folks to understand is that we're talking about real people, we're talking about mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers here. And I know that we can have rights, and we can also be safe. And I need folks to understand that we can have both of those conversations. At the same time. The fact of the matter is, America cannot afford gun violence, like we just can't, right. I remember reading a news article, right after the beginning of COVID-19 hit, it literally said, Please stop shooting, we do not have any more beds, right. Like the hospitals were packed with folks who had COVID, they couldn't even assess like, you know, the people who are coming in the shooting, shooting victims who are coming in right at a moment where every dollar counts, our federal, state, and local governments are spending a combined average of $34 million each day to deal with the aftermath of gun violence across the country. Like the total annual bill for taxpayers, survivors, families, employers, you know, and communities is 20, what $280 billion, right? We're spending so much money on gun violence when we could be taking that money, and actually putting it into resources that can keep our community safe. So I think for me, I really would want people to understand what the real impact is when it comes to gun violence in this country. And also think about this idea of protection. If we have more than half of the people who are dying from gun violence or dying from suicide. It really questions this idea of whether or not guns protect you, right? It's 22 times more likely to be killed someone you love, or yourself when you have a gun in your home, right? You don't like this. These are real statistics, the real facts, the real people, we are losing so much when it comes to, you know, gun violence, and we really need to have that conversation. How much is this actually costing us?"

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What about the Children? What America owes to Children and Families. Apr 02, 2021

In this Episode of Obscene, I spoke with Julia Davis, Director of Youth Justice and Child Welfare for Children’s defense fund in New York. She helped me break down what’s in the American Rescue Act, whom it helps, and who it leaves out. We also examine what policies could truly protect and aid children and their families, not just to recover, but to flourish.

Julia Davis joined New York’s Children’s Defense Fund in 2018 as the Director of Youth Justice and Child Welfare. In her role, she works in partnership with young people, defenders, service providers, and other advocates to advance policies that support children and youth who may have contact with the child welfare or criminal legal system. She has spent two decades working on behalf of young people through civil rights litigation, public policy, research, and public engagement campaigns. Prior to coming to CDF, she was a senior attorney at Children’s Rights, leading reform litigation for system-involved youth across the country.

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Voting in 2020: Absentee Ballot vs. Vote-by-Mail Aug 05, 2020

Host Maya Contreras discuss voting by Absentee Ballot, Vote-by-Mail, what the difference is, and how difficult it will be to obtain, mail, and have your vote counted.

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Your Vote is Your Voice: Voter Mobilization in the Trans Community #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Ashlee Marie Preston is a Trans Rights Advocate, Cultural Creative & Founder of You “Are Essential”. Ashlee is the first trans woman to become editor-in-chief of a national publication, Wear Your Voice Magazine, and she has just launched a voter mobilization initiative with Human Rights Campaign President, Alphonso David called My Vote is My Voice.

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Everything is on the Ballot: Gun Violence Prevention Policy #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Shannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America—the nation’s largest grassroots gun violence prevention group, with chapters in all 50 states effecting change at the local, state and national level. Her book, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World, was released in May of 2019.

Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, once said she “had to do more than just cry,” after her son was murdered in two-thousand-twelve. Since then she has been a passionate advocate against gun violence, and is currently running for Miami-Dade County commissioner.

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Latinx 2020 Voting Outreach And Puerto Rico Statehood #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Denise Oliver-Velez has been a political activist and community organizer, was in the Civil Rights movement, women's movement, and AIDS activism movement, and was a member of both the Young Lords Party and the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Denise is currently a Contributing Editor for the progressive political blog Daily Kos.

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Language Barriers At The Polls With A Focus On The AAPI Community #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Dr. Merseth discusses language barrier obstacles are still in place for eligible voters even with the language provision in the Voting Rights Act.

Dr. Julie Lee Merseth's interests are situated in the field of American political behavior with a dual and overlapping focus on race and immigration. Her research is especially animated by questions of how racial and ethnic politics in the United States are changing as a result of fast-growing populations of immigrants, largely from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

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Black Voters Matter: History Of Voter Suppression #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Dr. Carol Anderson is a Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Nation's Divide, a New York Times Bestseller, Washington Post Notable Book of 2016, and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner. She is also the author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, which was long-listed for the National Book Award and a finalist for the PEN/Galbraith Award in non-fiction.

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Equal Access: Disability Community And Voting #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Rebecca Cokley is the director of the Disability Justice Initiative at American Progress, where her work focuses on disability policy. Most recently, she served as the executive director of the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent agency charged with advising Congress and the White House on issues of national disability public policy. She joined the NCD in 2013 after serving in the Obama administration for four years, including time at the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a successful stint at the White House where she oversaw diversity and inclusion efforts.

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The Barriers Native American Voters Face #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

A discussion with the NARF Staff Attorney Jacqueline De León on Native American Rights Fund's (NARF) comprehensive study entitled, “Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation Faced by Native American Voters.”

Jacqueline De Leónis an enrolled member of the Isleta Pueblo. As a staff attorney at Native American Rights Fund better known as NARF, she helps lead field hearings across Indian Country on Native American voting rights and practices ongoing voter rights litigation.

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The Myth Of Voter Fraud And The Reality Of Voter Suppression #2020Election Jul 29, 2020

Perry Grossman,is Voting Rights Attorney. He focuses on litigation and advocacy efforts concerning voting rights and election law issues.

Perry’s cases include New York Immigration Coalition v. U.S. Department of Commerce, the successful challenge to the Trump Administration’s efforts to put a citizenship question on the 2020 Census; League of Women Voters v. New York State Board of Elections; an ongoing state constitutional challenge to a statute requiring voters to register at least 25 days in advance of an election.

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The Turnout Gap: An Analysis Race and Voter Turnout Outside of Voter Suppression #2020Election Jul 28, 2020

While Voter Suppression and Disenfranchisement have a deep impact on elections, Dr. Bernard L. Fraga research found that there still a gap in voter participation amongst marginalized groups even if voting barriers were removed. We discuss this and his book "The Turnout Gap" in this interview.

Dr. Bernard L. Fraga is a political scientist who studies American elections, focusing on racial/ethnic politics, voter turnout, and the impact of election laws on voters and politicians. He is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University, and received his B.A. in Political Science and Linguistics from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Government and Social Policy from Harvard University.

Prof. Fraga is interested in how group identities and electoral contexts shape political behavior.

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Some Clarity During the Corona Crisis Mar 17, 2020

On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization’s office in China heard the first reports of a previously-unknown virus behind a number of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan.

On March 11, 2020 that virus, now named COVID-19 better knowing as the Coronavirus outbreak was now characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Today the NYTimes wrote: The number of known corona virus cases in the United States continues to surge. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least 5,002 people in 49 states, plus Washington, D.C. and three U.S. territories, have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a New York Times database at least 93 patients with the virus have died. “The pace of diagnosis is expected to quicken as the virus spreads and testing becomes more widely available. More state and private labs have started running tests for the coronavirus in recent days, increasing the capacity to identify new patients after weeks of delays and test kit shortages.”

On twitter Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “The Families First” bill was about many things but first and foremost: testing testing testing. I urge Senators to pass this legislation today, to make testing free and to provide masks, make it available ASAP. Any delay, is a delay, in testing.

While we wait on relief legislation to be passed by our federal government The CDC have advised us:

· To wash are hand often with Soap and water for at least 20 seconds

· Use an alcohol based hand sanitized with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

· Cover you coughs or sneezed with a tissue or cough or sneeze into your elbow not your hand.

· Stay home as much as possible. Social distancing can slow the spread.

These are confusing and scary times and so, like many of you, I wanted a bit more clarity about what this virus is, and why it’s difficult to find a vaccines, so I turned to my friend, Dr. Hazel Levy, is a virologist and a research scholar in the bio-medical sciences, in STEM education, and in higher education policy. She was the first Black American woman to have an independent and National Institutes of Health funded research laboratory in the history of the University of Florida's College of Medicine. Dr. Levy is a social justice community organizer, serving as the vice-Chair of the Women of Color Caucus of National Women’s Liberation's Gainesville, FL chapter, and was the founding faculty advisor to UF's Black Women in Medicine student organization.

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Recapping the 2020 South Carolina Primary, and what comes next. Mar 01, 2020

Maya Contreras interviews political wonk Stephen Robinson. Stephan is a writer and social kibbitzer based in Portland, Oregon. He's on the board of the Portland Playhouse theater and writes for the immersive theater Cafe Nordo in Seattle. "Wonkette is an American online magazine of topical satire and political gossip, established in 2004 by Gawker Media and founding editor Ana Marie Cox. The editor since 2012 is Rebecca Schoenkopf, formerly of OC Weekly. Wonkette covers U.S. politics from Washington, D.C. to local schoolboards. Taking a sarcastic tone, the site focuses heavily on humorous breaking news, rumors, and the downfall of the powerful. It also deals with serious matters of politics and policy, producing in-depth analysis".

Stephen is also a playwright. Last year, he cowrote the world premiere adaptation of Tom Robbin’s JITTERBUG PERFUME for the immersive theater, Cafe Nordo, in Seattle's Pioneer Square. He’s excited to collaborate again with co-artistic directors Erin Brindley and Terry Podgorski for CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER, a modern take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass. This production is an ambitious multi-story, multi-room musical experience with a six-course tasting menu included with admission. Cafe Nordo is not just a great theatre space. It’s also one of Seattle’s best bars and restaurants all in one. He’s thrilled to add his own style of humor to an evening of eat mes and drink mes. The play runs from April 2 to May 31. Go to rabbithole.art for details.

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2020 Democratic Candidates Policies on Children's Education and Poverty Dec 02, 2019

Hello, I’m your host Maya Contreras and welcome to a new season of obscene. This is a special holiday episode, the official new season of Obscene will start the first week of January 2020 were I’ll be talking to candidates running for office, voting rights, and policy issues you should be on the lookout for at the ballot box and so much more.

Before I get into the interview today I first want to bring your attention to an article published last month by StoryBench, a news division of Northeastern University’s School of Journalism. It’s an article that I think deserves more attention, and confirms a lot of underlying frustrations I have expressed on Twitter and that other have also been disheartened with. I talking about how legacy media has handled the coverage of the 2020 Election Cycle thus far.

Here’s a paragraph from the Storybench article titled: How news media are setting the 2020 election agenda: Chasing daily controversies, often burying policy:

"It’s a paradox of examining political coverage. Are news media just reporting what the political candidates are talking about? Or does political journalism really set the agenda by selecting stories around specific news items, scandals and issues du jour?

Our topic analysis of ~10,000 news articles on the 2020 Democratic candidates, published between March and October in an ideological diverse range of 28 news outlets, reveals that political coverage, at least this cycle, tracks with the ebbs and flows of scandals, viral moments and news items.

This tendency, in turn, allows important issues such as health care, climate change and reproductive rights to fall off the agenda every time a Trump-driven media cycle emerges from some new outrage or a flavor-of-the-day controversy pops up."

So, I agree! This is what has been missing from the 2020 Conversation. This is why I asked with Shimica Gaskins Executive Director of the children’s defense fund in California, to have a conversation with me about policy, specifically policy that some of the leading 2020 Candidates have proposed around children and families – everything from Baby Bonds to Universal Pre-K.

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A 'Question' Finally Answered: The 2020 Census and Gerrymandering Jul 19, 2019

Except from the Episode: "Hello everyone! It’s me, Maya Contreras, host of Obscene podcast! On the last episode, you heard an excerpt of my interview with Ben Williams of the Princeton Gerrymandering project.

Here is the full episode. I hope you’ll enjoy it. On June 27th, The Supreme Court essentially blocked the citizenship question from being added to the Census. On July 3rd, it was determined that the Census would be printed without it. I wanted to post this episode about Gerrymandering and the Census, shortly after that, but just as I went to post it, the citizenship question and whether or not it was going to be added to the Census was in limbo yet again."

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4th of July Special Episode: What's Patriotism Got to Do with It? Jul 04, 2019

Excerpt from this episode:

"It’s the 4th of July, and I know a lot of folks out there aren’t feeling very patriotic, and I completely empathize. It’s difficult to feel patriotic given what is happening at the border, with reproductive rights, and when there are military tanks rolling down the streets of DC that took over $2.5 million dollars away from protecting our parks, but I digress. One of the reasons I wanted to do a fourth of July podcast episode is because I wanted to touch on a few issues that are keeping many in our country from fully participating in our democracy, like gerrymander and voter suppression, and how the biases in our political reporting is damaging to our discourse, but I also wanted to this episode to touch upon something that should inspire you just a bit. In 488 days, we have a change once again, set the tone of what we want out of this country. And I don’t know about you, but I’m going to save my sparklers for Nov 3rd, 2020.

In this episode, I speak with Meg Heckman. Meg is an assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University. I also speak with Rebecca Sive, author of Vote Her In: Your Guide to Electing Our First Woman President (2018). But first I speak with Ben Williams. Ben a Legal Analyst and serves as the lead for the Princeton Gerrymandering Project's research and organizational partnerships."

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Ask About Abortion: The Importance of Discussing Abortion in Public Spaces and on Film & TV. May 28, 2019

On Episode 11 of Obscene, Host Maya Contreras interviews Reproductive Justice Advocate, Renee Bracey Sherman on the importance of Abortion Storytelling, Abortion Funds, and Abortion Access.

"Renee Bracey Sherman is a Chicago-born, Midwest-raised activist, writer and reproductive justice activist committed to the visibility and representation of people who have had abortions in media and pop culture. She is among the most vital voices in the United States elevating the conversation about abortion experiences, and using creative and innovative strategies to shift the conversation centering people of color and other marginalized identities. Her work is so influential that the right-wing website Twitchy recognizes her as “the queen of all abortions”.She has trained hundreds of abortion storytellers in the United States and around the world, including elected officials. Renee developed and designed a curriculum for storyteller support and training based on her extensive interviews with abortion storytellers. In 2014, she published the results and recommendations from these interviews in two 20-page guides, Saying Abortion Aloud, which are used and referenced across the reproductive health, rights, and justice field. In 2015, Renee partnered with media critic and author Anita Sarkeesian and anti-rape activist and author Jaclyn Friedman to co-author Speak Up & Stay Safe(r), a multilingual digital guide on handling online harassment.Renee has written for New York Times, the Guardian, EBONY Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Salon, Broadly, Rewire, Bustle, Glamour, and many more. Currently, Renee serves as the Senior Public Affairs Manager at the National Network of Abortion Funds where is the creator of We Testify, the only national and intersectional leadership program for people who’ve had abortions in the United States, created by and for people who’ve had abortions, centering race, class, and gender identity."

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Reproductive Justice: The Intersectional Movement We All Need Now May 28, 2019

Episode 11 is with Jalessah Jackson.

What is Reproductive Justice? Host Maya Contreras takes a deep dive on this subject with Jalessah Jackson, Georgia Coordinator at SisterSong.

"Jalessah Jackson is a mother, womanist, and interdisciplinary scholar of training whose research explores the connections between popular culture and critical theories of race, gender, sexualities, and social inequity. She is the Georgia Coordinator at SisterSong, and in this role, Jalessah marries her lived experiences with her education background to advance reproductive justice work in the state of Georgia. In addition to her role at SisterSong, she has been an educator in both community-based and formal settings and is a Lecturer of Gender and Women's Studies and African and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State University. As an educator, trainer, and public speaker, she has addressed countless audiences at schools, conferences and cultural events.Jalessah was a 2018 Errin J. Vuley Fellow at the Feminist Women’s Health Center, and won the 2018 Distinguished Recent Alumna Award from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts where she earned her master’s degree in Gender and Cultural Studies. Jalessah also holds a bachelor’s degree in African and African Diaspora Studies from Kennesaw State University. She currently serves on the Executive Board for the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association (SEWSA), a major regional arm of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA).Jalessah lives in Atlanta with her partner Jason, and their daughter, Semyra. SisterSong:SisterSong is a Southern based, national membership organization; our purpose is to build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.SisterSong is a Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective was formed in 1997 by 16 organizations of women of color from four mini-communities (Native American, African American, Latina, and Asian American) who recognized that we have the right and responsibility to represent ourselves and our communities, and the equally compelling need to advance the perspectives and needs of women of color."

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Vote Her Into The White House #2020 May 11, 2019

Excerpt from Episode:

What we need in 2020 is something that we’ve never had in the history of this country, a Women President and a Women Vice President. Its clearer than ever that we need a woman at the top of the ticket, and you won’t find anyone who agrees with that notion more than Rebecca Sive. Rebecca Sive is a speaker and commentator on women’s political leadership and power, a past lecturer at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and the author of two books, Vote Her In: Your Guide to Electing Our First Woman President (2018), and Every Day Is Election Day: A Woman’s Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House (2013). As you listen to my conversation with Rebecca she wanted me to remind you all that: There is joy in doing this.There is joy in being a woman running for office. There is joy in supporting women running for office.There is joy in electing women to serve in office.

Books by Rebecca Sive:

Vote Her In : https://www.amazon.com/Vote-Her-Guide-Electing-President-ebook/dp/B07DL86LHN

Every Day Is Election Day: A Women's Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613746628/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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The Press Playbook: "Game-Framing" and The Media’s Influence on our Presidential Elections Apr 26, 2019

Excerpt from episode:

"I want to look at the media’s playbook. I want to know why the media crafts or goes with a script, I wanted to know how the media influences our elections, their biases, and their “game framing” of political news and media coverage. Luckily I got to speak with Dr. Regina Lawrence, Associate Dean, SOJC-Portland, and Director of Agora Journalism Center at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon who is a nationally recognized expert in political communication. She has written two outstanding books: “Hillary Clinton’s Race for the White House: Gender Politics and the Media on the Campaign Trail” and “When the Press Fails: Political Power and The News Media From Iraq to Katrina’.

Take a listen."

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Sexism, Stereotypes, and Negativity in the Media’s Coverage of Female Presidential Candidates Apr 10, 2019

From Obscene podcast host Maya Contreras:

"In this episode, I want to talk about the impact the media is having when they are missing the frames to see the big picture of women in politics and women in power. For the interview today, I speak with Dr. Valerie Sperling, Professor of Political Science at Clark University. Dr. Sperling teaches a variety of courses in comparative politics, including Russian politics; revolution and political violence; globalization and democracy; and introduction to women’s studies. Her research interests include globalization and accountability, social movements, and gender politics."

Articled Referenced in this episode:

"Women on the 2020 campaign trail are being treated more negatively by the media" http://www.storybench.org/women-on-the-2020-campaign-trail-are-being-treated-more-negatively-by-the-media/

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Defying The Odds: Women Reentrants and Entrepreneurship Mar 25, 2019

Excerpt from this episode:

"Today I want to highlight one program that has had a positive impact on incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, called Defy Ventures. Defy’s vision 'is to end mass incarceration and cycles of recidivism by using entrepreneurship as a tool to transform legacies and human potential'. Before I speak to Defy Ventures’ Director Jeanette Pineiro. I am going to speak with Susan Brag, who was formerly incarcerated, and who went through the Defy Ventures' program. Susan is a talented entrepreneur, and writer as well, as I’m sure you could tell from the intro she read the beginning of this podcast. I’m not the only one who thinks so, as she has a chapter coming out from a new book called “You Don’t Know Me: The Incarcerated Women of York Prison Voice Their Truths”; edited by and commentary by Wally Lamb, out on Counterpoint Press this October. Here is Susan."

Some statistics:

80% of women in jail were their children’s primary caregivers prior to their incarceration.

65% of women in state prison have a child under 18.

73% of incarcerated women have symptoms of mental illness.

50% of women in prison are the victims of sexual assault and abuse.

25% of women who are behind bars have not yet had a trial.

60% of women in jail have not been convicted of a crime and are awaiting trial.

Organization and advocates that are working diligently on criminal justice reform:

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/

https://www.sentencingproject.org/

https://www.themarshallproject.org/

https://www.vera.org/

https://famm.org/

https://eji.org/

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/events/women-prison-devastating-impact-rising-incarceration-americas

http://piperkerman.com/justice-reform/justice-reform-organizations/

https://www.nationalcouncil.us/reimagining-communities/

https://www.courtinnovation.org/publications/navigating-bail-payment-system-new-york-city-findings-and-recommendations

Study on Expunging Criminal Records conductedJ.J. Prescott and Sonja B. Starr. Professors Prescott and Starr teach at the University of Michigan Law School. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3353620

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Replaced: The Media and Entertainment Industries' Fear of Inclusion Mar 17, 2019

On March 31st OBSCENE podcast will air the first of a three-part series about inclusion or lack there of in the entertainment and media industries.

It's clear there are many leading actors and producers worried about being 'replaced' by actors of color and more inclusive stories. Take a look at what Pat Sajak said about it:

I remember a time when you could enjoy - or not enjoy - a movie based on its merits. Now we have to worry about the social implications of the film and even the validity of the reviewing process. The joy is being sucked out of pretty much everything.

Pat might feel better if he know that very little has changes in the 40+ years he has been in the entertainment business:

While Marginalized communities currently make up over 40% of our population and 1 in 4 US adults has a disability: Only 1.4 out of 10 lead actors in film are people of colorOnly 1.3 out of 10 film directors are people of colorLess than 1 out of 10 film directors are female92% of shows are created by white people88.7% of the Dominate Agencies are WhiteAnd according to the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in the 900 films released in theaters between 2007-2016, only 2.7 percent of the characters with speaking parts had a disability and a majority of those roles when to non-disabled actors. Feel better Pat? In the next few episodes I’ll be speaking with disability inclusion consultants and casting agents in the entertainment industry. I’ll be speaking with several disabled and non-disabled actors, including a black deaf female director and a Palestinian Muslim comedian who just landed her first comedy show on ABC.

Stay tuned.

If you like what I am doing, feel free to swing by my Patreon page to support the program. Thank you, Maya https://www.patreon.com/ObscenePodcast

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Access Violations: The Disability Community's Fight for Equity, Equality, and Equal Access Mar 04, 2019

Interviews with Dustin Jones, board member for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY) and Rebecca Cokley, a leading disability rights activist in the United States. Rebecca is the Director for Disability Policy at the Center for American Progress policy institute in DC. She previously served as the Executive Director of the National Council on Disability and served as an appointee in the Obama administration.

In this episode, we remember disability rights activist Carrie Ann Lucas. We also discuss transportation accessibility issues, ADA violations, and what’s next for disability rights.

This episode is fully transcribed and available here: https://issuu.com/mayacontreras/docs/episode_5_-_a_day_in_the_life_of_ac

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Policy is Personal Feb 18, 2019

There are people who don’t always think about the policies that are protecting or not protecting them. For many people policy can feel like a dull hum in that background that they’ve mostly tuned out; and of course, many you might be a bit too busy to contempt what role policies have played and continue to play in your life, but in this episode, I want you to think about it. I want you to exam the policies that are protecting you, that are an obstacle for you, or that are hurting you, your family and your community.

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Why Are Black Women Disproportionately Dying During Childbirth? Feb 03, 2019

On the last episode of Obscene my guests and I touched upon a policy that could have assist generations of Americans in poverty. That vetoed policy was the Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1971, was designed to establish a comprehensive domestic system of child care.

In this episode we discuss why Black women are 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth, and their children are 2 times more likely to die during child birth then white women and their children retrospectively.

OBSCENE podcast host Maya Contreras interviews Dr. Jessica Young, Dr. Hazel Levy and Christine Platt, JD about why black women and their children are disproportionately dying during childbirth.

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Why Nixon Killed A Childcare Policy That Could Have Upended Poverty In America Jan 27, 2019

OBSCENE Host Maya Contreras talks about childcare and poverty with the following experts:

DR. JILL QUADAGNO (F.S.U.)

SHIMICA GASKINS (CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND)

SUKI GRAVES M.Ed.

DR. JESSICA YOUNG (AMERICAN UNIVERSITY)

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Pandora to Yoko: Mythology and Contempt Jan 20, 2019

Myths are very revealing. They reveal who we as a society based on the stories we are telling; well, it depends on who is telling the story, doesn’t it? For better or worse, many mythologies act as instructional guide books of do's and don't. I revisit destructive and helpful myths currently influencing our society and policy.

On this first season of OBSCENE. I speak to a team of credentialed experts to discuss how past and current domestic policy have allowed racism and misogyny to flourish.

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Phone Call with Aristotle Jan 13, 2019

Here is the last sneak preview before the first Season of OBSCENE premieres January 20, 2019.

Aristotle played by Bobby Crace.

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Excerpt from Ep. 1: Pandora to Yoko: Mythology and Contempt Jan 06, 2019

A short excerpt from Episode One premiering January 20, 2019

Episode One (excerpt): Pandora to Yoko: Mythology and Contempt

Maya Contreras reading:

“When sorrows come, they come not single spies.

But in battalions!” - Hamlet, Act IV, Scene V.

(Press conference with Yoko Ono)

That was Yoko Ono in 1971 speaking in front of small group of reporters. She was in the middle of a stressful custody battle with her ex-husband, facing possible deportation due to drug charges leveled against current her husband,

and to make matters worse - she was solely being blamed -by the world - for breaking up the most successful musical group up until that point, the Beatles.

This was the mythology ascribed Yoko that would follow her for decades.

Her name was used as the butt of a joke. When a woman seemed to come in between two male friends, she was called ‘a Yoko’.

Many people ignored how racism was intertwined with misogyny in the mythology of Yoko. Yoko was thought of not just as someone who broke up a beloved band, but a home-wrecker, a gold digger, a social climber.

This type of mythology, the kind that creates disdain and contempt for women, is not new, but that’s where I’ll start, with mythology and misogyny, and how the intersection of the two managed to affect our domestic policy.

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A Reading List and New Year Wish! Dec 30, 2018

Here are seven books that I read this year that expanded my understanding of American history that is often white washed, pun intended. I hope these books not only broaden your horizons, but empower you, and your advocacy work. Happy New Year. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated Americaby Richard Rothstein Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in Americaby Dr. Ibram X. Kendi The Price for Their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved, from Womb to Grave, in the Building of a Nationby Dr. Daina Ramey Berry Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger

by Soraya Chemaly The Quest for Environmental Justice: Human Rights, and the Politics of Pollution

by Dr. R.D. BullardA Brief History of Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland Deaf and Disability Studies: Interdisciplinary Perspectivesby Dr. Alison Kafer

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An Ode to Advocates, Happy Holidays! Dec 21, 2018

Hi It's Maya Contreras, your host of Obscene. Since it’s about to be a holiday weekend I thought instead of my regular weekly preview I would dedicate this weekly spot to all of the activists and advocates that never seem to have a day off. "‘Twas a few nights before Christmas, through many cities and townsMany advocates were quietly workingSurviving on coffee grounds When not marching or wheeling though streets They’re educating others telling bigots to have several seats You see the life of an advocate is not glamorousBut without them our country would be quite calamitous Each day they wake with visions of what could beLike free healthcare, equal access, anti-racist policyThe work is not easy, just ask Homer it’s an Odyssey. If you know an advocate thank them todayBecause it’s incredibly taxing always to be in the frayIf it’s you, who always wakes for the fightTo secure your and others rightsThen I say to you don’t not forget about self-careWe think about you and your daily wear and tearWe know you have doubts about if your needed or consequential Please know you and your work are absolutely essentialWe love you very much and all that you doYou may not know it but we are here in our support of you". Regular previews will start again next Sunday until our official premiere on Sunday, Jan 20, 2019. Happy holidays everyone!

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Jessica Dec 16, 2018

OBSCENE podcast host spoke with Dr. Jessica Young this week.

Jessica Young is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Studies at American University. Her work broadly focuses on health in economically distressed and under-resourced communities. Dr. Young’s research centers on investments and policies that improve health through community and economic development and the roles race and racism play in shaping these investments and policies. She has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, such as the American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Journal of Law and Medical Ethics, Epidemiologic Reviews, and Family and Community Health. Dr. Young’s current research projects focus on the intersection of community development and health, including the roles and impacts of philanthropy in designing, scaling, and translating community development and health initiatives into policy. Dr. Young is also examining health in economically distressed communities, especially those communities experiencing economic changes or instability (i.e., evolving from a manufacturing economic base to a knowledge or services economy). Prior to American University, Dr. Young worked as a Program Associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Dr. Young completed her PhD in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, specializing in Health and Public Policy.

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Christine Dec 09, 2018

Obscene podcast host Maya Contreras (Brewed In NY, PBS) speaks with Christine Platt in this preview clip.

Christine A. Platt, JD is a historian and storyteller of the African diaspora. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African Studies from The Ohio State University and received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. Her debut novel, The Truth About Awiti, was published under the penname CP Patrick and won the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal for Multicultural Fiction. The Truth About Awiti is currently used in high schools, colleges and universities to teach the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Christine’s highly anticipated children series, Ana & Andrew, will be published in January 2019 (ABDO Books/Calico Kids). Christine currently serves as the Managing Director of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University under the leadership of National Book Award-winning author, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. She is a proud member of the Association of Black Women Historians and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Additionally, she is an Ambassador for Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. You can follow Christine on Instagram via @theafrominimalist, where she interacts with thousands of friends and fans on minimalism and, of course, books.

Preview clips every Sunday evening until the podcast premieres Sunday, January 20th, 2019.

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Hazel Dec 03, 2018

This quick preview clip is from an interview with Dr. Hazel Levy.

Dr. Levy is one of the guests throughout this 7-part podcast series premiering January 20, 2019. Preview clips and teasers every Sunday night.

Dr. Hazel Levy is a professor of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and embryology at the University of Florida (UF). She is the first African American woman to have a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research laboratory at the UF COM. In addition to researching cures for pediatric cancer and prioritizing the training of women of color in laboratory research practices, Dr. Levy directs an oral history project (in collaboration with UF’s Sam Proctor Oral History Program’s African American History Project) documenting the stories of the 13 (total) black women faculty researchers that have been employed at the UF COM, which has just celebrated its 61st year of existence. Hazel is also a social justice community organizer, serving as the Vice-Chair to the Women of Color Caucus (WOCC) of National Women’s Liberation (NWL) Gainesville, Florida chapter, and was recently a part of the team of grassroots organizers that supported the student-led coalition NoNazisatUF, which organized a 3000-person protest against White Nationalists on the UF campus last November.

The first season of #Obscene centers around policies that disproportionately affect women and womxn in marginalized groups. We’ll have a conversation about how some of those policies (or lack there of) put our lives and livelihoods in jeopardy. I wanted to move away from the format of political punditry and move into a dialogue with credentialed experts in their various fields.

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Maya Nov 08, 2018

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