Paseo Podcast: Sharing Puerto Rican Stories

The hosts of Triad of The Force, a Star Wars podcast, join the show to talk about representation in Star Wars, Puerto Rican actors that have played a part in various Star Wars properties and the parallels the crew sees in the Star Wars Universe compared to the realities Puerto Rico faces today. Host, Joshua Smyser-DeLeon's Twitter ★ https://twitter.com/jsdeleon Podcast Website ★ https://www.paseom...

Alderwoman of the 33rd Ward, Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez, joins the show. We talk about life growing up in Puerto Rico, her experiences and the contrasts she saw in her organizing both on La Isla and in Chicago, the reason why she migrated to the states, policy she is advocating for in the Chicago City Council, her reaction to the coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol last week and a whole lot more. Host...

Yoga teacher and founder of Embody Inclusivity, Constanza Eliana Chinea, joins the show to talk about wellness and decolonizing it. Her practice centers on social justice in wellness + offers decolonization and anti-racism education to people from all walks of life. Host, Joshua Smyser-DeLeon's Twitter ★ https://twitter.com/jsdeleon Podcast Website ★ https://www.paseomedia.org Like us on Facebook...

We welcome novelist, Marisel Vera, to the show! We talk about growing up in Chicago, specifically in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, the white-dominated publishing industry, and, among other things, her latest novel, The Taste of Sugar. Without giving too much away, the story takes place just shortly after Puerto Rico came under U.S. rule in 1898. It follows newlyweds Valentina Sánchez's and Vicen...

Visual artist and children's book author, Adrián Román, joins the show to discuss his revolutionary roots, his art, the importance of educating the next generations of Boricuas on the historical figures in Puerto Rican history and how his family inspired him to create the children’s book series, Caras Lindas. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter...

Researcher and filmmaker, Andrew J. Padilla, joins the show! We talk about filmmaking, his project El Barrio Tours: Gentrification in East Harlem, the expansion of political parties in Puerto Rico and a whole lot more. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram Sound Editor: Richie Requena, Twitter @RichieRequena Publicist: Ambar Colón, Twi...

In case you missed it, the United States wasn’t the only place on earth with an election 2 weeks ago on November 3rd. Puerto Rico had an election that same day too, so we’re going to discuss the results of the election and take a quick run through the history of Puerto Rico political parties. Both of these topics are rich with information, so we’ve invited Michael Rodríguez, assistant professor of...

In case you were living under a rock, the U.S. Presidential Election took place last week. To help us understand the Puerto Rican Electorate in this election, Erica González, Director of #Power4PuertoRico & Founding Editor of IDAR/E, is with us today. In addition to insights on how Puerto Ricans voted and issues that resonate most with our community, we'll discuss the organizing work Power4PuertoR...

Our guest this episode is 8-year old Puerto Rican cook, Genesis Rodriguez! We’re going to talk about her love of cooking, being autistic, her show, Cooking with Genesis, virtual learning and a whole lot more! Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram Sound Editor: Richie Requena, Twitter @RichieRequena Publicist: Ambar Colón, Twitter @MeDi...

Our guest is journalist Justin Agrelo. He's currently covering housing for local Chicago media outlet, City Bureau, and some of you may know him for his piece in Mother Jones on the history of the Puerto Rican flag. We’re going to talk about his experience as a Puerto Rican journalist, representation in journalism, the history of the Puerto Rican flag and the importance of reporting on housing. Ke...

For this bonus episode, we're sharing audio from a Press Conference on Sunday, October 25, announcing the release of a nationwide Latinx LGBTQ Get Out the Vote commercial developed by the Immigration Reform Fund founded by former Congressman, Luis Gutiérrez. We’re going to play the commercial for you during this episode and stick around for the end when we will share never before heard candid thou...

Our guest today is the first Democratic Socialist elected to Chicago’s City Council - Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward). We talk about his Puerto Rican roots, what drew him to public office, his identity as a gay man, the Latinx vote this presidential election, Puerto Rico’s Governor endorsing Donald Trump for president and a whole lot more. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Pas...

Marina Del Rios, MD, MS is with us today. We talk about what her experience has been teaching medical students, Covid-19’s impact on the Latinx community, her personal story of trying to avoid bringing the virus home to her husband and children, and a whole lot more. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram Sound Editor: Richie Requena, T...

Small Business Development Center Director at the PRCC, Carlos Bosques joins the show today to talk about the Puerto Rican Cultural Center's business initiatives. Plus, we share a few thoughts on this week's presidential debate. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram Sound Editor: Richie Requena, Twitter @RichieRequena Sounds: Notificat...

Short show today. We take a trip back in time to a revolutionary moment in Puerto Rico's history, El Grito de Lares, and share our thoughts on the indictment in the Breonna Taylor case along with audio from the protests afterward. #SayHerName Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram Sound Editor: Richie Requena, Twitter @RichieRequena Sou...

American contemporary visual artist Carlos Rolón is on the show today. We’re going to talk about his beginnings in the art world, the NBA season, using art as a form of social advocacy and more. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Paseo Podcast Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram Sound Editor: Richie Requena, Twitter @RichieRequena Sounds: Notification Sounds + Flor Meléndez Ramos C...

Artist Alli Arochi joins the show. We talk about vejigantes, the tradition of making vejigante masks, her transition from the tech world to making her art full-time and her experience as an artist amidst Covid-19. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Site: paseomedia.org Facebook +  Twitter +  Instagram : @paseopodcast Sound Editor: Richie Requena, Twitter @RichieRequena Sounds: Notificat...

We talk a lot about the importance of knowing our history as Puerto Ricans on this show, including the ways in which our history is kept from us. Some people recommend watching documentaries and reading books, but what about seeing and reading our history in the form of a graphic novel? Storyteller, artist and art teacher, John Vasquez Mejias, joins the show to talk about the Puerto Rican War - a...

We spoke with Rosa Clemente, the 1st Black Puerto Rican/Afro-Latina to run for Vice-President for the Green Party. Soon to be Dr. Clemente, she is an organizer, lecturer, and independent journalist. We covered a lot of topics - the younger generation fighting for racial justice, George Floyd motivating people to take action from the streets to the suites, speaking to family around issues of race,...

Afro-Puerto Rican comic book writer, Vita Ayala, joins the show to discuss their work, how they fell in love with comics, the comic industry, dealing with trolls online and more. Keep in mind this episode was recorded just before the pandemic made us all quarantine, so some references and insights - while worth listening to - may be dated. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon Site: paseom...

Dr. Yadira Nieves Pizarro, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Communications Department in the Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Bayamón Campus), joins the show to discuss media activism in Puerto Rico. We talk about the media's role in Afro-Latinx representation, the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, protests, how people and the news are covered on la Isla and more. Keep in mind this episod...

Vanessa Torres thought she would be celebrating her birthday solo in quarantine, but she was surprised by a Boricua Birthday Parade on her block just for her with cars filled with family and friends. We invited Vanessa Torres, Anais Zayas, and Mary Santana from the Miracle Center to talk about this moment, why it mattered and what their work at TMC looks like during the COVID-19 quarantine. Host:...

This bonus episode is dedicated to the Census. We had a discussion with leaders from the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership. Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz, Rose Ocampo, and Rosette Mumboleo join the show to discuss why the Census is important, address misconceptions, and share what you should consider when completing your Census questionnaire. Host: Joshua Smyser-DeLeon, Twitter @jsdeleon We...

COVID-19 has impacted our daily lives significantly. There is a lot of information out there on what the virus is and the preventative measures you can take, so make sure you are accessing information from trustworthy news sources. It is very contagious and we all need to do our part in social distancing in order to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the virus. This will also help prevent ou...

It's an election-themed episode of the Paseo Podcast, so we invited a number of guests running for local office here in Illinois on Tuesday, March 17. We welcome State Senator and candidate for Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, Iris Martinez . We're going to discuss her campaign, what inspired her to run for elected office, & how she has navigated the male-dominated world of politics. After...