In The Thick

Discrimination and housing segregation in the United States didn't happened by chance. In this episode, our guests  Richard Rothstein , author of the book  The Color of Law , and  Emmanuel Martinez , data reporter for Reveal, explain how redlining still shapes our cities and affects people of color.     ITT Staff Picks: Reveal's award-winning investigative series Kept Out , which Emmanuel co-repor...

While President Trump declares a national emergency, Maria and Julio talk about the truth behind this political move, as well as the situation of the rapper 21 Savage, who was detained by ICE. They also discuss the controversy we've seen around Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.   ITT Staff Picks: - Vox explains  the winners and the losers of Trump's emergency declaration. - From The Nation:  Israeli lobby...

Two leading Democrats in Virginia have acknowledged that they did blackface in the past and a third Democrat has been accused of sexual abuses. Maria and Julio try to understand this mess (and more) with two All-Stars: journalist and Columbia professor  Alexis Clark , and  Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. , James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University.     ITT Staff Picks: Vo...

Maria and Julio talk about Jeff Bezos’ allegations that David Pecker, the owner of the National Enquirer’s parent company, extorted and blackmailed him. They also talk about why the State of the Union address was hard to watch and the City of Nogales vote against the concertina wire on the border fence. ITT Staff Picks: The City of Nogales unanimously votes to  condemn concertina wire on border fe...

Maria and Julio talk with All-Star Jamilah King , race and justice reporter and host of the Mother Jones podcast, and Andrea González-Ramírez , political reporter with Refinery29. They discuss the larger issues at stake in the Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's blackface scandal, the racist and homophobic attack against Jussie Smollett, and the latest 2020 Democratic candidates to announce their ca...

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar is one of the first two Latinas from Texas to win a seat in the U.S. Congress that was sworn in a few weeks ago. In an intimate conversation that took place at her office in Washington D.C., Julio and Rep. Escobar talk about the border community of El Paso, the hospitality that has always characterized its people and what it means for her to be a woman of color in a...

The longest shutdown in U.S. history has ended with the President taking credit for solving a problem that he created and continuing his rhetoric about a non-existent border crisis. Maria and Julio are joined by two All-Stars: Jenni Monet, an independent journalist and tribal member of the Pueblo of Laguna, and Terrell Jermaine Starr, senior reporter at The Root. They talk about what has been miss...

Nathan Phillips, a Native American elder man, sang a prayer song to make peace between a group of MAGA hat-wearing white Catholic high school students and members of the Black Hebrew Israelites. Maria and Julio talk about the aftermath and the context in which the video of the confrontation occurred. They also discuss the arrest and indictment of one of President Trump's top aides, Roger Stone and...

In this special crossover episode with  AnthroPod , Julio moderates a conversation with anthropologist Jason De León and Maria about migration, writing, and teaching.  “(W)Rap on: Immigration” is the second episode of the (W)Rap On series at AnthroPod, which brings anthropologists into conversation with artists, activists, and scholars from other disciplines and perspectives. The series is loosely...

This week William Barr, another immigration hardliner, had his Senate confirmation hearings to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Maria and Julio talk about a new report that shows that thousands more children than originally reported, may have been separated from their relatives under the Trump administration's Zero Tolerance policy and the importance of thoughtful immigration coverage du...

The recent Lifetime documentary series by dream hampton, "Surviving R. Kelly" , brings the R&B legend back to the limelight, now through the testimonies of women of color who survived his abuses and sexual predatory behavior for decades. Maria and Julio are joined by Jamilah Lemieux , writer and media professional who was featured in the docuseries and April Reign , diversity and inclusion adv...

The current government shutdown is about to become the longest in U.S. history and it's not only impacting workers, but also the lives of immigrants and asylum seekers. Maria and Julio talk about the shutdown and the rhetoric that for decades has backed the implementation of anti-immigration policies, supported by leaders of both political parties and the mainstream media.  ITT Staff Picks: A Hous...

The government shutdown that started three weeks ago is on track to become one of the longest in U.S. history, while the 2020 presidential race is already in sight. Maria and Julio are joined by All-Star  Wajahat Ali , a contributor to The New York Times, and ITT's newest All-Star  Vann Newkirk , a staff writer at The Atlantic. They unpack the consequences of the shutdown and discuss if the countr...

In our first episode of the New Year, Maria and Julio discuss the latest in immigration policy: the deaths of two migrant kids detained by U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the southern border. They also talk about the urgency of a more objective —and more humane— media coverage on immigration issues and take a look at the challenges that lay ahead for the new and most diverse Congress to be sworn...

The year 2018 will be remembered for quite a few milestones: migrant children being held in cages, the growth of the #MeToo movement, Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress. Maria and Julio take a look back at the most unforgettable moments of 2018 for In The Thick, and they discuss why POC...

For this LIVE In The Thick in Los Angeles, Maria sat down with Judy Reyes from "Scrubs" and "Claws," USC professor and author Manuel Pastor, and one of our ITT All-Stars, comedian Cristela Alonzo, to discuss California as a leader in promoting immigrant rights, diversity, and social justice.    ITT Staff Picks James Fallows reviews  Manuel Pastor's latest book,  State of Resistance  (NY Times). Cr...

To our In The Thick listeners: We're sending a message of love and appreciation to you all. We wish you all felices fiestas and happy holidays. A special thank you note to all the POC journalists, particularly to women journalists of color, who continue to push forward for truth and democracy. Peace and love, Maria y Julio For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy   See...

Maria and Julio sit down with queer Latinx writer Gabby Rivera, who wrote AMERICA, featuring Marvel's first Latina lesbian superhero, America Chavez. They chat about why representation matters, celebrating POC joy and how Maria may just be Gabby's madrina.  For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Want to supp...

Many times forgotten, black undocumented immigrants from Latin American, Caribbean or African countries are a growing part of the immigrant community. Maria and Julio speak to  Jonathan Jayes-Green , co-founder and director of the  UndocuBlack Network , to understand the complexities of this population and how they are organizing to fight back and support each other.    ITT Staff Picks: The  'Doub...

In 1939, a ship called the SS St. Louis with 900 Jewish refugees arrived to Cuba, fleeing the Nazi regime. Most of them were sent back home to Europe, where many died in concentration camps. In this episode, Maria and Julio talk to Armando Lucas Correa, editor-in-chief of People en Español and author of the book The German Girl , a fictional story based on what happened with those refugees from th...

The Mueller investigation keeps moving forward and the focus is shifting to President Trump. While Individual-1 keeps tweeting, Maria and Julio talk to  Amanda Terkel , Washington Bureau Chief at  HuffPost  and call up All-Star and ITT Russia expert,  Terrell Jermaine Starr , senior reporter at  The Root .    ITT Staff Picks The  story of the undocumented workers  at Trump's golf club in New Jerse...

In the United States, deadly violence against the transgender community —in particular, against trans people of color— has been increasing since 2016. To talk about this issue, and to get wonky about politics too, Maria and Julio are joined by All-Star  Imara Jones , founder and president of Oria Media, host of  The Last Sip  and a  Voqal  fellow.  ITT Staff Picks How crimes against transgender wo...

Very few people get access into the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, and even fewer journalists of color do. In spite of the systematic attacks journalists of color—and in particular, black women journalists— receive from government officials and the President himself, they have a responsibility to report for their communities. Maria and Julio are joined by two journalists wh...

Seven women are murdered in Mexico each day. Impunity, narco and state-sponsored violence, plus everyday machismo, are at the root of this. However, Mexican women are mobilizing to fight for their lives and each other. Maria and Julio discuss if Mexico can change its culture to end this gender violence. For this live show, they're joined by  Gabriela Warkentin , host for W Radio and contributing w...

Over the weekend, U.S. Border Patrol agents tear gassed hundreds of migrant children, women and men seeking asylum at the San Ysidro port of entry. In part one, Maria and Julio talk with Buzzfeed News' Adolfo Flores , reporting on the ground at the border. In part two, we talk about about the racially charged senate runoff in Mississippi with Chellese Hall , co-host of the Red Flag  podcast. ITT S...