Radio Cachimbona

On this episode, Yvette interviews Yaneli, a No More Deaths humanitarian aid volunteer who shares the frightening militarized raids that Border Patrol engaged in this summer and a few weeks ago when targeting and destroying the NMD desert medical camp. They discuss the history of mutual aid at the border, how the attack on humanitarian aid workers reflects an escalating hatred of migrants, and the...

On this episode, Yvette and Pedro Rolón, Puerto Rican academic and longtime friend discuss his dissertation research exploring how Puerto Ricans have utilized literature as a means of political identity building dating back to the 19th century. They unpack the ways in which Eugenio María Hostos’ novel “La Peregrinación de Bayoan” perpetuates a mythical origin story of a “new man” that parallels th...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Stefanie Arteaga, a Salvi activist who fought to end ICE collaboration with Sheriffs’ departments in North Carolina. They discussed the ripple effects of deportations, historicized Department of Homeland Security agents usage of unmarked cars for enforcement actions as seen in Portland, and emphasized that community power is the true agent of change. Support Radi...

On this *UNLOCKED* #litreview episode, Yvette dissects “Zigzagger” Manuel Munoz’s collection of short stories with her friend and law student Yesenia. They discuss the ways in which Munoz challenges stereotypical depictions of queerness, debate over the paranormal (or not?) aspects of the stories, and critique the influence of Catholicism in promoting homophobia. To get first access to new #litrev...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Afro-Salvadoreña Danny Parada about her research into her own family's history and surrounding anti-Blackness in El Salvador generally. They discuss the ways in which anti-Blackness has shown up in government policies surveilling and criminalizing MS-13 gang members, the historical efforts of the nation-state to erasure the presence of Afro-descendientes in El Sa...

On this episode, Yvette interviews good friend, former housemate and Latinx academic Chris Rodelo on his dissertation research focusing on 19th century Latinidad and performance. They discuss the impossibility of the archive that scholars must always contend with in attempting to reconstruct marginalized histories, why analyzing performance gives us particular insight into BIPOC experiences, and t...

On this *UNLOCKED LIT REVIEW * episode, Yvette brings back Denise Rebeil (of the criminalized for defending education episode) to chat about the poetry of Roque Dalton. Dalton was a revolutionary Salvadoran poet. They share their gratitude for having been exposed to Central American poets, explain how creative endeavors are always political, and praise Dalton for putting his body on the line to ex...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Professor and OBGYN Carolyn Sufrin about her book “Jailcare: Finding the Safety Net for Women Behind Bars,” an ethnographic study of the healthcare experiences of incarcerated women at San Francisco County jail. Sufrin outlines society’s over-reliance on prison and jails to serve healthcare needs of women of color who are mentally-ill, poor, or addicted to a subs...

This special episode is a recording of the #AZFreeThemAll virtual teach-in hosted by the #Arizona3 coalition and Gloria Negrete-Lopez. Yvette, Ale Pablos and Tiera Rainey joined for a roundtable discussion featuring some of the most vibrant abolitionist organizing in Arizona--work that challenges the hegemonic narrative of Arizona as solely a red, conservative state. Importantly centering the voic...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Alicia Ivonne Estrada, Karina Alvarado and Ester Hernandez about their anthology “US Central Americans: Reconstructing Memories, Struggles, and Communities of Resistance.” The three Central American scholars share the 19th century US imperialist presence in the isthmus, break down the categorization of Salvadoran and Guatemalan asylum seekers as “economic migrant...

On this episode, Yvette brings back friend of the podcast and deportation defense lawyer Jehan Laner Romero to discuss the SCOTUS oral arguments in US v. Sineneng Smith. They discuss the ways in which SCOTUS would be unable to rewrite the INA "encouraging or inducing" provision without reaching beyond the court's authority, explain the canons of statutory interpretation and constitutional avoidanc...

On this episode, Yvette interviews her former Stanford Law professor, Jim Cavallaro, who now runs the University Human Rights Network, about his 2010 report on the Salvadoran response to gangs and organized crime “No Place to Hide.” They discuss the thread of US imperialism that connects 1980’s Northern Triangle civil wars, 1996 expansion of crimes that make individuals deportable, and early 2000’...

On this *UNLOCKED* #LitReview from Season 1, Yvette discusses the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston with deportation defense attorney Laura. They reflect on how notions of “womanhood” are imposed on young girls of color, praise the lineage of black scholars who re-elevated Hurston’s work after her death, and discuss why women of color need to create their own intellectual...

*PATRON-ONLY LIT REVIEW PREVIEW* On this episode, Yvette interviews UCLA Professor of Chicano/a Studies Leisy Abrego to discuss her book “Sacrificing Families: Navigating Laws, Labor, and Love Across Borders," where she unpacks emotional and economic inequalities between transnational families. As a Salvadoreña herself, Leisy shares how focusing on Salvadoran migration disrupts the narrative of si...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Anna and Gisela-- two Central American #lawtina family law attorneys who discuss their journeys to the law and the uptick in domestic violence amidst the covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis.  They share the benefits of working at a firm with all women partners, tips for standing up to judges as a young woman of color attorney, and the advice they would giv...

On this *UNLOCKED* lit review, Yvette discusses the literary non-fiction book "Evicted" by Matthew Desmond with her dear friend Yaneli. They share their own family's experiences with eviction, the importance of Desmond's work showcasing that poverty is a relationship between the wealthy and the poor, and criticize sociology for not centering exploitation and extraction as a discipline. Loved this...

On this public #litreview, Yvette and fellow first-generation Salvi Yale alumna Jencey Paz discuss Rigoberta Menchú's memoir. They discussed the oppressive relationship between ladinos and indigenous communities in Guatemala, critiqued the US imperialist interests that collaborated with the genocidal Guatemalan government during the 36 year Civil War, and emphasized the importance of white and lig...

*PATREON-ONLY EPISODE PREVIEW* On this episode, Yvette interviews Geoff Boyce, the academic director of the Earlham College Border Studies Program. They discuss Border Patrol's 100 mile jurisdiction, the intermeshing of local law enforcement and immigration enforcement in Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York, and the bullshit behind the "reasonable suspicion" articulation that Border Patrol age...

IT’S HERE! The live show recording where Yvette interviewed Kala and Vane about intersectional feminism, matriarchy, and unlearning white supremacist beauty standards to love themselves as women of color. They analyzed “Pussy Kills” and “Brown Babies” by rapper Rocky Rivera and discussed the importance of the reproductive justice framework, how radical and revolutionary it is for women of color to...

*PREVIEW* On this #litreview, Yvette and her Yale sorority sister Maria digest the first 150 pages of Gioconda Belli's memoir "El Pais Bajo Mi Piel". They discuss whether Belli is sufficiently honest about her class positionality and the privileges that brought her in the revolution, critique how the most prominent figures from Latin American literature and art tend to have some proximity to white...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Maya-- a fellow Yalie and member of the Tohono Oodham nation. Maya shares the inspiration behind her book draft "Journey to the Heart of the Desert," why she believes story-telling preserves culture, and her writing process that led to her to choose literary non-fiction as the book's genre. Journey to the Heart of the desert tells the story of Maya's grandmother-...

On this episode, Yvette and Jehan break down “United States v. Sineneng-Smith,” a case that was up before the Supreme Court this past week for oral arguments regarding a statute that criminalizes encouraging or inducing a migrant to stay in the United States without authorization.  They outline the reasons the statute at issue is problematically vague and overbroad, how it could potentially b...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Lola Rainhey, former-prosecutor-turned-abolitionist and Executive Director of the Tucson Second Chance Bail Fund. ⁠ ⁠Lola sheds light on the disproportionate sentence lengths for black folks who are incarcerated for marijuana offenses in Arizona, shares how she navigates leadership roles within a predominantly white legal field, and calls out lawyers for being fi...

*LIT REVIEW UNLOCKED* Radio Cachimbona is showing some love and releasing an unlocked Lit Review for all our listeners!  On this *UNLOCKED SEASON 1 LIT REVIEW* Yvette interviews Maya-- a fellow Yalie and member of the Tohono Oodham nation. Maya shares the inspiration behind her book draft "Journey to the Heart of the Desert," why she believes story-telling preserves culture, and her writing p...

On this episode, Yvette interviews Steph Zamora, the advocacy director at the Colibri Center for Human Rights, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping family members and loved ones of people who disappeared in the desert reunite or bury their loved one.  Steph and Yvette outline the importance of naming the violence enacted by the Mexican government against Central American migrants.&n...