In The Thick

Maria and Julio are joined by ITT All-Stars,  Terrell Jermaine Starr  and  Jamilah King , to discuss the surge in white supremacist and anti-immigrant violence instilled by the current administration, following the recent shootings in Texas, Ohio and California. They also talk about the latest state-sponsored attacks on the immigrant community: last week's largest single-state immigration raid in...

Entirely situated within the 100-mile border zone, Michigan has the second-highest rate of ICE arrests in the country. This has had a huge and detrimental impact on Detroit residents, a city of immigrants. Maria and Julio are joined by  Serena Maria Daniels , immigration reporter and co-founder of Tostada Magazine, and  Sarah Rahal , breaking news and immigration reporter with the Detroit News, to...

There have been over 250 mass shootings in the U.S., averaging to at least one shooting a day, according to the  Gun Violence Archive . After this weekend's two mass shootings, Maria and Julio are joined by award-winning journalist  Bob Moore , and  Cynthia Pompa , Advocacy Manager of the Border Rights Center at ACLU of Texas, to discuss the devastating impact of white supremacy and domestic terro...

Julio and producer,  Nicole Rothwell , traveled to Detroit, MI this week to cover the second round of the Democratic Debates. In this ITT Sound Off #DemDebate edition, Maria and Julio discuss the highlights from how well (or not) the 2020 candidates covered racial justice, immigration and healthcare to what was missed completely.  ITT Staff Picks: The seven things we learned from the Democratic De...

To emphasize the significance of black feminism, Maria and Julio talk with  Feminista Jones  on the release of  her latest book , “Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World From the Tweets to the Streets.” They also talk about the influence of hip hop on women's sexual liberation, the importance of mental and spiritual health, and black women speaking out on their experience...

Maria and Julio discuss this week's news about Puerto Rico. After weeks of massive protests from the people, governor Ricardo Rosselló finally announced his resignation. They also talk about Robert Mueller’s testimony and the Trump Administration’s bringing back the death penalty. ITT Staff Picks: US justice department resumes use of death penalty and schedules five executions, via  The Guardian  ...

More than forty years after the Vietnam war, Vietnamese refugees are being deported under Trump's immigration policies. Maria and Julio are joined by  James Boo , documentary filmmaker and managing producer of the podcast  Self Evident: Asia America's Stories , and  Phi Nguyen , litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice. They discuss the historical context of the Vietnamese immigran...

Maria and Julio discuss the latest about the ongoing manifestations in Puerto Rico, where the people are demanding that Governor Ricardo Rosselló resigns after the leaked text messages scandal. They also talk about Trump’s racist tweets urging “The Squad” to go back to their countries, and the tourist deaths of U.S. Citizens in the Dominican Republic.  ITT Staff Picks: The  Washington Post  explai...

To catch up on the latest in immigration, Julio and guest co-host  Maggie Freleng  of Futuro Media chat with immigration attorney  Amy Maldonado , and the Professor of Law and Migration Studies at the University of San Francisco, Bill Ong Hing. They talk about the threat of ICE raids, the complicity of big corporations supporting detention centers and the current conditions in these facilities.  I...

This week’s sound-off is packed with all the madness going on in Washington. Futuro Media’s very own  Erika Dilday  guest co-hosts with Julio to breakdown the latest on: Alex Acosta’s resignation after facing backlash for Jeffrey Epstein’s secret plea deal, the administration’s insufficient reasoning behind the citizenship question on the Census, and the importance of Kamala Harris as a 2020 candi...

While gun violence has decreased in the city of Chicago over the past two years, the rates of violence are still high and disproportionately so in certain neighborhoods . In the United States as a whole, 2018 marked the deadliest year for gun violence in the past 50 years. But violence is not limited to guns, it takes the form of police brutality, economic injustice, segregation and gentrification...

Julio and guest co-host ITT fellow, Nour Saudi, talk to  Chimene Suleyman , writer and co-editor of  The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on Americ a . They discuss the common immigrant experience, what makes an immigrant “good,” and how literature can be a form of political activism in the age of Trump. ITT Staff Picks: Listen to Chimene and other writers from The Good Immigrant  talk about the...

Maria and Julio talk with Bill Ong Hing, professor of Law and Migration Studies at the University of San Francisco about his  latest book ,  American Presidents, Deportations, and Human Rights Violations from Carter to Trump . They discuss the history of anti-immigrant policies in the United States and why Bill is hopeful for immigration reform come 2021.    ITT Staff Picks: The largest mass depor...

The first 2020 Democratic presidential debates took place in Miami this week, and there were some big moments. Climate change, gun violence, immigration reform and healthcare were the reigning topics of discussion among candidates. In this exciting late-night hot take, In The Thick’s New York Women’s Foundation IGNITE fellow,  Nour Saudi , joins Julio and All-Star  Jamilah King , to talk all thing...

On the brink of Stonewall’s 50th Anniversary, this year's Pride is historic. In the Thick's, New York Women’s Foundation Ignite Fellow,  Nour Saudi , reports on the significance of pride and how the LGBTQ community of color is continuing to organize, in the city where the Stonewall rebellion originally took place. Despite commemorating Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera’s accomplishments for the...

To discuss the Women's World Cup being held in France, Julio is joined by  Shireen Ahmed , writer and co-host of the feminist sports podcast,  Burn It All Down.  They talk about the media coverage, issues of representation and access in the sport including FIFA corruption and pay equity, plus they shout out the Cup's key players and their stellar moments. ITT Staff Picks: Shireen's latest from TIM...

  Maria and Julio are joined by  Cecile Richards , former president of Planned Parenthood and co-founder of  Supermajority , and  Yvonne Gutierrez , head of community engagement at Supermajority, for a conversation about gender equity. They talk about the current state of reproductive rights in our country, their new group that's working to mobilize women to be politically active, and their though...

For this live show from New York City co-hosted with Alianza HBO and SOMOS Viacom Maria and Julio are joined by Doris Casap, senior vice president of HBO film programming and Erika Soto Lamb, vice president of social impact for Comedy Central, Paramount Network and TV Land, as well as Jessica Leonardo, production assistant at HBO. They discuss how immigrants are represented in entertainment and ho...

Maria and Julio are joined by All-Stars  Eddie Glaude Jr. , James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University, and  Christina Greer , Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, to discuss the Mexico-US immigration debate and its impact on migrants. They also talk about the increasing number of black trans women deaths across the co...

Although data on hate crimes is limited and often underreported, we know that hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States since the election of Donald Trump, in particular hate that targets people of color, religious minorities and the LGBT community. Chicago is one of over two dozen cities that experienced a decade-high number of hate crimes in 2018. For this LIVE In The Thick show at...

A new DHS report revealed dangerous overcrowding at a detention center in El Paso, Texas. But for immigration reporters who have been following the issue closely, this wasn’t really a surprise. Julio and guest co-host  Tina Vasquez , senior immigration reporter for Rewire. News, are joined by  Tanvi Misra , immigration reporter for CQ-Roll Call, and  Fernanda Echavarri , immigration reporter for M...

The documentary  “Some Girls”  tackles the issue of mental health in young Latinas in America. Maria and Julio talk to ITT All-Star  Raquel Cepeda , author and documentarian, about her film and how mental health is connected to beauty standards and cultural identity. This episode was mixed by Jeanne Montalvo.   ITT Staff Picks: Watch Raquel’s film “Some Girls”  for a look into mental health of you...

The debate around the specialized high school admissions test in New York City only reflects a greater issue about inclusion and diversity in schools nationwide. Maria and Julio are joined by  Reema Amin , reporter at Chalkbeat NY, and  Maria Bautista , campaigns director at the Alliance for Quality Education, to discuss how schools are leaving out POC students and the role access plays in educati...

Julio is joined by guest co-host Antonia Cereijido of Latino USA to discuss the tragedy and horror of six migrant children who have died in U.S. custody in the last eight months. Meanwhile, most 2020 presidential candidates have no comprehensive immigration reform plan with the exception of Julián Castro. This week, Castro went on Late Night With Seth Meyers to talk about his plan and to call out ...

We’re talking elections! Whether it’s the 2020 candidates or the series finale of Game of Thrones, white males seem to be at the forefront. Maria and Julio are joined by  Astead Herndon , national political reporter with The New York Times, and  Brittany Packnett , activist and co-host of Pod Save The People, to discuss how the candidates approach POC voters, the notion of electability, and how si...