Community Voz

Several hundred people marched through the streets of Skagit County on Sunday May 1st 2022 in recognition of International Workers Day and in support of Familias Unidas por la Justicia. This episode contains live audio and interviews from the day of the marcha, as well as a recap with organizers Jill Mangaliman and Edgar Franks. Special thanks to volunteer Isabel Lavallee for collecting audio and...

Marcha Campesina is coming up in Skagit Valley to celebrate International Workers Day and the victory of farmworkers in the Tulip Fields here locally. In this episode, Jessica Rojas from International Migrants Alliance, Donna Denina from Gabriela and International Womens Alliance, and Jill Mangaliman from Gabriela talk about worker solidarity and what it means to organize on an international scale...

Farmworker Marches are a long standing tradition in Skagit county, going back to 1987. After several years of the march being on pause, Familias Unidas por la Justicia is teaming up with C2C Promotoras, Bayan Seattle, and other local organizations to bring the tradition back with new reasons to celebrate. In this episode, organizers of the march talk logistics and offer a historical context for fa...

While C2C and FUJ were supporting workers on the strike line in Skagit Valley in late March, the Ag Industry wasted no time weaving new tales about the nefarious reasons for unions and farmworker advocacy. In this episode, Brenda Bentley, Rosalinda Guillen, and Liz Darrow talk about the reasons behind carefully crafted anti-worker propaganda and also offer a sneak peak into their own reasons for o...

On Tuesday March 22nd several workers left work at Washington Bulb over a wage dispute. In this episode, Brenda Bentley and Liz Darrow recap the strike that followed, with live audio from the front lines. Since the recording of this episode, Trabajadores de las Flores, a committee that was elected by flower pickers at Washington Bulb Co. have signed an agreement with the company to ensure worker h...

The Rainbow Coalition was an antiracist, anticlass multicultural movement founded April 4, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois by Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party, along with William "Preacherman" Fesperman of the Young Patriots Organization and José Cha Cha Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords. The Whatcom County chapter was founded in the late 1980s. In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Mau...

In this episode, Aline Prata from the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, Sage Jones with the Whatcom DSA, and Jill Mangaliman with Gabriela Seattle talk with Liz Darrow about the radical roots of International Working Women's Day and all the aspects of sensationalizing imperialism that have been brought to light with the war in Ukraine. As our good friend Jill says, "If you're an ant...

Rudy Madrigal has been incarcerated in the Washington State prison system for the past twelve years. In this episode, we talk with Rudy about his perspectives on the punitive nature of our carceral system, and what he sees as a better path forward. Many thanks to Rudy (who is also married to C2C's own Lucy Madrigal!) for taking the time to share his stories and ideas with us from inside the M...

On President's Day, The US Customs and Immigration Services released a statement announcing and celebrating the president's plan to expand the H2A labor program as an answer to widening calls for immigration reform. The memo is deeply problematic and at the same time not at all surprising. In this episode, Lelo Juarez, Rosalinda Guillen, and David Bacon respond to the memo and discuss th...

This episode begins with a panel discussion with Mateo Nube from Movement Generation, Rosalinda Guillen from C2C, and TraeAnna Holiday from King County Equity Now that took place as part of Front and Centered's Just Transition Summit in December 2021. It's a good reminder of what we are talking about when we talk about a Just Transition, especially as that term is used more and more in p...

Whatcom County officials are at it again, gearing up to propose a new jail to voters for the third time. In this episode, we talk with Josh Cerretti from Imagine No Kages (INK) about our county's obsession with incarceration, punishment, and passing the buck on accountability. Also, valid question: what happened to the funding Whatcom County already got to repair the crumbling county jail? Wa...

On January 19th, 2022, Antonio Acevedo-Mendoza was abducted by ICE while waiting for a ride to work outside a 7-11 in Bellingham. When a close friend of Antonio's notified C2C of his disappearance, we mobilized our supporters and spent hours trying to find him. As is usually the case, more than a day passed and we were finally able to locate Antonio in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma...

When Biden ran for president he promised major immigration reform within the first 100 days of taking office. So far nothing even close to reform is on the table. American Friends Service Committee's Policy Engagement Coordinator, Peniel Ibe, returns to the show and brings with her AFSC Colorado's program director Jennifer Piper, AFSC New Hampshire's program coordinator, Grace Kinde...

Welcome to Season 8! The legislative session just opened in Washington State and already Republicans and Democrats have introduced a bill which would erode overtime for farmworkers, on the first working day that the new overtime law went into effect. Rosalinda Guillen, Edgar Franks, Lelo Juarez and Liz Darrow talk about why this bill must die before it gets a hearing and how you can help make that...

Art is a critical element in movements. It inspires us, informs us, and reminds us to keep going. In this episode, Liz Darrow interviews singer/dancer Sabrina Gomez, visual artist Phoebe Wahl, and C2C's own Artivism Coordinator, Brenda Bentley about their work. Songs in this episode: Como Una Flor by Sabrina Gomez Lady What Do You Do All Day by Peggy Seeger You Don't Own Me by Leslie Gor...

Since C2C discovered an unmarked ICE prison in a business park in Ferndale earlier this year, we have been standing vigil every Monday from 12-1 pm to demand that the facility is shut down. Recently a Homeland Security sector chief reached out to us to offer a tour of the facility and "clear things up". In this episode, Sierra Green, Marciano Sanchez and Liz Darrow discuss the tour, and...

Beginning on November 14th, 2021, Whatcom and Skagit Counties were inundated with days of non stop rain. Many communities were devastated by "atmospheric rivers", a term we wish we weren't so familiar with. In the middle of this disaster the promotora program has been mobilizing alongside allies and volunteer crews to respond with dignity and solidarity. In this episode, Australia T...

This week's podcast is a special presentation of our recent gathering Encuentro Campesino 2021 with live music from Tomas Madrigal and Rosa Martha Zaráte Macías. This program is an opportunity to hear from farmworkers and organizers about the work that is being done on the ground in the face of COVID, labor struggles, and historic flooding. You can watch the video of the Encuentro webinar her...

In our final installment of Crash the Cop, Edgar and Jill talk about takeaways from COP26 and what could come next for climate justice organizing. Many thanks to Front and Centered for producing this podcast series with Jill and Edgar. Songs in this episode: Somos Sur by Ana Tijoux Support the show

Our second installment of Crash the Cop is a series of short podcast interviews produced by Front and Centered with Jill Mangaliman and Edgar Franks. Tune in to hear updates from Glasgow on inclusion, exclusion, gender equity, worker rights, haggis and who's showing up late at the hostel. You can see photos and videos from Edgar's trip on Front and Centered's landing page designed s...

In a busy industrial park just off the freeway in Ferndale exists an unmarked ICE detention facility that has been operating under the radar in Whatcom County since 2018. We first heard about the facility from community members who were held there as part of the Granite Precast ICE raid. In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow talk about how prisons like this are allowed...

Edgar Franks, political director for Familias Unidas por la Justicia, joins the Just Transition Alliance at COP26 in Glasgow this week.  We interviewed Edgar and Jill Mangaliman for context on COP26 before the talks got started. Songs in this episode: Ay Que Bonita es la Vida by Rosa Martha Zárate Macías The Last Trumpet by Lyrics Born & Lateef Stop the Killings by Sendai Era Links from this e...

In this episode we talk all about what it means to have a city council and alliance of businesses publicly express anti-worker sentiment under the guise of caring about the workers. This seems familiar somehow... Songs in this episode: Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen Tear the Fascists Down by Woody Guthrie 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen Support the show

In this episode, Sage Jones, Maya Morales, and Seth Mangold from People First Bellingham talk through the process of initiatives, from writing to signature gathering to campaigning, and the forces of power that predictably push back when workers stand up for themselves. Songs in this episode: Fight Like Ida B and Marsha P by Ric Wilson War on the Workers by Anne Feeney People Have the Power by Pat...

After seventeen years of advocacy and more than three years of direct action, C2C finally pushed the city to establish an Immigration Advisory Board. So far the process has been rocky. Australia Hernandez, Brenda Bentley and Liz Darrow with C2C talk with long time supporters and volunteers Maddi Parvankin and Henry Heeth about progress and obstacles with the Immigration Advisory Board over the pas...