In The Thick

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history this November, when she became the youngest woman ever elected to the United States Congress. In this episode, Maria and Julio are joined the 29-year old Latina from the Bronx for whom “community is a priority.”    ITT Staff Picks: How some Democrats are rethinking their  own party . Learn more about what Alexandria mentioned:  that 60% Puerto Ricans were deni...

On this All-Star roundtable, we talk about the midterms (still!) in Florida and Georgia, the latest in immigration news and we take a look at the tragic California wildfires. Maria and Julio are joined by two In The Thick All-Stars: independent journalist  Jenni Monet  and contributor to The New York Times  Wajahat Ali .   ITT Staff Picks California is using slave labor to fight the fires, accordi...

This is a bonus ITT in Spanish.    They investigate narcos, they deal with the pressures of the Mexican government and often face death threats just for doing their jobs. What is it like to be a journalist (and a woman journalist) in Mexico? In our first episode in Spanish, Julio and Maria talked to reporters  Nayeli Roldán  from Animal Político and  Peniley Ramírez  from Univision, in Mexico City...

In the aftermath of 2018’s key midterm elections, Florida and Georgia are still fighting over decisive recounts, while Donald Trump has again slammed members of the press. Maria and Julio call up all-star Terrell Jermaine Starr, senior reporter at The Root, to talk about the need of a collective response to address the President’s repeated attacks targeting women and journalists of color.  ITT Sta...

Often Mexico is seen as just a passage route for migrants on their way to the United States, but in this episode, ITT looks at immigration through the eyes of Mexico. This country is becoming a host for migrants and for years has followed the lead of militarized immigration policy of its neighbor to the North. For the LIVE In The Thick from Mexico City, Maria and Julio talk about immigration in Me...

From the historic triumph of women candidates across the country to issues of voter suppression, we talk Midterms ITT style. Maria and Julio are joined by ITT All-Star and award-winning journalist  Imara Jones,  founder of Oria Media and host of The Last Sip.    ITT Staff Picks A night of firsts:  The Guardian details  all the historic victories of the midterm election. How  three Black governor n...

Just days ahead of the midterms, birthright citizenship is challenged and white supremacist rhetoric continues to plague the country. Maria and Julio talk to Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. , a James S. McDonnell Distinguished University professor at Princeton University. They discuss the role POC communities will have in the upcoming election. ITT Staff Picks This Washington Post article explains the meani...

After a week marked by the threat of pipe bombs, a synagogue in Pittsburgh was attacked by an antisemitic domestic terrorist who murdered 11 worshippers. Maria and Julio talk about this tragedy and the role of hate with  Brentin Mock , Pittsburgher and staff writer for CityLab and  Mike German , fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program.   ITT Staff Picks B...

Pipe bombs sent in the mail to journalists and high profile Democrats, the migrant caravan and what this all means for the midterms elections that are rapidly approaching. It's been another intense week and Maria and Julio talk all about it with one of our ITT All-Stars,  Terrell Jermaine Starr , senior reporter for The Root.   ITT Staff Picks How the caravan became a key piece of Trump's electora...

We start our ITT midterm elections countdown with a focus on the younger generation. Julio speaks to  Sarah Audelo , executive director of the  Alliance for Youth Action  and two youth organizers that have been organizing in their communities and are raising their voices this election season:  Yatziri Tovar , from  Make The Road Action , and Gariyana Williams, from  YO Save Our Streets .   ITT Sta...

After another chaotic week of U.S. politics, Maria and Julio catch up on the latest. They talk about the Central American migrant caravan, Senator Elizabeth Warren's DNA test to prove her Native American heritage and the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the dangers that journalists are facing worldwide.   ITT Staff Picks:    Check out the  Democracy Now! roundtable  with Native American com...

We have 12 years left to reverse the effect of climate change, according to the  latest report  from the United Nations. Maria and Julio talk with  Justine Calma  from Grist and award-winning writer  Meera Subramanian  about this new data and the consequences of climate change for communities of color.   ITT Staff Picks Which countries are doing well (and which are failing) to control their emissi...

In the book  Enemies in Love , journalist and Columbia University professor  Alexis Clark  narrates the romance between an African-American nurse and a German prisoner of war during WWII. Maria and Julio talk to Alexis about how the challenges of this era are still relevant today.   ITT Staff Picks From the  Smithsonian.com : How Black nurses in World War II were relegated to take care of Nazis. ...

Maria and Julio talk about the aftermath of the Kavanaugh SCOTUS confirmation, the rise of a populist in Brazil and the conviction of a Chicago police officer for shooting and killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald four years ago.   ITT Staff Picks An analysis of why many white women didn't believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, from  Rewire. News . This is the tent city  built in Texas for the migrant c...

Maria and Julio talk to In The Thick All-Star Jose Antonio Vargas in this unique, live episode as part of the PEN Out Loud series in New York City. In a very intimate conversation about mental health and the immigrant community, Maria, Julio and Jose Antonio get personal. The live audience also shared their experiences, anxieties and advice. This show was possible thanks to collaboration with PEN...

By confronting Senator Jeff Flake and telling her story of sexual assault, Ana María Archila has become an icon in the midst of the Kavanaugh nomination debate. Maria and Julio talk to Archila about the behind the scenes of her action in Capitol Hill and discuss her next steps. ITT Staff Picks “It was the elevator pitch that altered the trajectory of American history.”  Read this op-ed from Philly...

During the nomination process for the next Supreme Court Justice, on Thursday we witnessed courage when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford gave her testimony against Brett Kavanaugh. Maria and Julio reflect on what this moment meant for women and all victims of sexual abuse in the country.   ITT Staff Picks Check out  this thread of tweets  by sociologist Nicole Bedera on adolescent sexual violence. From V...

One of the most contentious issues has been determining the number of the people who died because of Hurricane Maria. Julio traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the anniversary of the tragedy to speak with  Omaya Sosa,  investigative reporter and co-founder of the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, the media institution that has been leading the reporting on the death count on the ground for the...

A year ago, Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico. The past 12 months have brought disorganized recovery efforts, an estimated thousands of deaths and an island that refuses to let go of its resiliency. In The Thick is dedicating a two-part special series to honor this tragic anniversary. In Part 1, Maria and Julio talk to two Puerto Rican journalists:  Arelis Hernández , from The Washington Post,...

The #MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) movement has been gaining momentum in the U.S. and Canada, as Indigenous women call for an end to targeted violence. Maria and Julio speak about this widespread issue with  Annita Lucchesi , a Southern Cheyenne cartographer who has built  the largest database  of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and  Jenni Monet , an independent jo...

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). Cristel...

Algorithms, social media and technology are increasingly becoming a risk for communities of color. Maria and Julio talk about zeroes and ones with  Surya Mattu , researcher with The MIT Center for Civic Media, and  Jazmine Ulloa , reporter for the Los Angeles Times.   ITT Staff Picks   How online trolls are using immigration as political wedge for midterms,  Jazmine's latest  for the Los Angeles T...

It's another intense week in Washington, D.C., and Maria and Julio are back to break down the latest. They talk about the chaotic Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, what the end of the Flores Agreement means for minors crossing the border and, of course, the New York Times op-ed on resistance within the White House.   ITT Staff Picks Of course, here it is in case you haven't...

Julio and Maria talk with  Arjun Singh Sethi , a civil rights lawyer, writer and law professor who interviewed 13 survivors of hate crimes and edited their testimonies for his new book  American Hate: Survivors Speak Out .   ITT Staff Picks Why does the U.S. fail at gathering hate crime stats?  ProPublica explains. HuffPost's story  on the tragedy of the Jabara family and the rise of Islamophobia....

In this rebroadcast episode from earlier this year, Maria and Julio are joined by Shelby Chestnut, National Organizing and Policy Strategist with Transgender Law Center, and Verónica Bayetti Flores, freelance writer and co-host of Radio Menea. They discuss the LGBT rights movement and how the media can do a better job of covering the LGBT community.     ITT Staff Picks: Check out  Latino USA's Int...