Vanguardia America with James E. Garcia: Recent Episodes
Vanguardia America Editor & Publisher James E. Garcia
Vanguardia America's James Garcia speaks with Luis Miranda about his book, RELENTLESS: My Story of the Latino Spirit that is Transforming America. Miranda shares the poignant narrative of his life and career—from his early days as a radically-minded Puerto Rican activist, to his decades of political consulting, problem solving, and life as the father of one of the most playwrights in the world, Lin Manuel Miranda, author of Hamiliton. Amid the triumphs, challenges, and ongoing hard work, Miranda discusses what his experience reveals about our ever-changing politics and democracy, demographics, and society, and the critical role that his family has played in his life.
Vanguardia host James Garcia interviews Richard Ochoa of Motorsport Showcase Events. The company hosts Lowrider car shows across the nation. Ochoa is the 10-city tour manager for Lowrider Magazine, which caps off a year of shows in Las Vegas in October. We talk about this weekend's show in Superior, AZ, the national tour he manages, and the history and continuing popularity of the lowrider car scene.
Roberto Reveles is running for AZ Legislative District 7 against ultra-right Republican Wendy Rogers. A longtime Democratic activist and civil rights leader, Reveles, who is 91, is a former president of the ACLU of Arizona. He was the founding president of Somos America, an immigrants rights coalition that organized a massive march in Phoenix by protestors in support of immigration reform in 2006. Born to Mexican immigrants in Miami, Ariz., Reveles served in the Air Force during the Korean War, and as a staffer for five members of Congress before taking a job in the mining industry. Vanguardia America recently sat with Mr. Reveles for this exclusive interview about his candidacy. Read an extended print version of this interview here. To learn more about his candidacy, visit www.revelesforarizona.com.
The University of Arizona has ceded ownership of a historic home in Nogales that once served as the residence of the state's only ever Latino governor, Raul H. Castro, and his wife Pat. The home is now back in possession of the late governor's family. Host James E. Garcia speaks to Beth Castro, daughter of the former governor, and Nogales attorney Briana Ortega about the Castro family's claim in a recent lawsuit that the university had breached its contract with them when it accepted the home as a donation but failed to follow through on its public pledge to turn the property into a border studies center. (13 mins)
Photo courtesy of Tom Story.
In this episode, we remember a leading figure in American politics, someone regarded as a giant in the Latino community, the late Bill Richardson, who died at 75 on Sept. 1 at his summer home in Chatham Massachusetts. Among his many achievements, Mr. Richardson served as a member of Congress, governor of New Mexico, Ambassador to the United Nations, and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton. Our guests include Arturo Vargas, CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO); Domingo Garcia, president and CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Rafael Collazo, executive director of UnidosUS Action Fund;l and Francisco Pedraza, a political scientist at Arizona State University's School of Politics and Global Studies and associate Director of the Center for Latinas/os and American Politics Research. (25 mins)
A new report by UnidosUS finds hundreds of thousands of Latino families have lost Medicaid coverage since the end of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration. Medicaid is the national health insurance program, funded jointly by the state and federal governments, for low-income families and individuals. Vanguardia America's James E. Garcia's speaks to Stan Dorn, Senior Health Policy Director for UnidosUS, about the confusing and cumbersome bureaucratic "redetermination" process that’s led tomore than 400,000 Florida families, including many Latinos, losing their benefits and how the situation there is being replicated nationwide.
Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia talks to LULAC Interim-CEO Juan Proaño about the organization's 2023 convention happening in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 2-4. Mr. Proaño discusses highlights of this year's convention, including a town hall featuring Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, D- TX. Rep. Escobar is co-sponsoring a bi-partisan bill called the Dignity Act (H.R. 3599) with Rep. María Elvira Salazar. The bill aims to reform the U.S. immigration system. (13 mins.)
Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia interviews David Castro, vice president of communication and marketing for UnidosUS, about the highlights at this year's UnidosUS annual national convention in Chicago, including the appearance of Vice President Kamala Harris and other top Biden administration officials. (13 mins.)
Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia interviews Rafael Collazo, executive director of the UnidosUS Action Fund, about the state of Latino politics across the nation as his group's parent organization, UnidosUS, gathers for its annual national conference in Chicago. Collazo's organization also addressed the recent allegations of abuse against immigrants at the Texas-Mexico border by state authorities.
Vanguardia America interviews Ithamar Enriquez, an El Paso native and now California-based actor and writer who's done television and film in L.A. for the past 15 years, even as he tours his comedy, "Ithamar Has Nothing to Say." The show is called that because Ithamar actually doesn’t utter a single word in the show.
Inspired by the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Mr. Bean, and the long-running improv show, Whose Line is it Anyway, Enriquez is also an alum of the famed Chicago comedy troupe, Second City.
By all accounts "Ithamar Has Nothing to Say" will not only make you laugh, but it might even make you think, which is never a bad thing.
Ithamar talks to host James E. Garcia all about his life, career and why he doesn't speak in this show, which is being staged at Stray Cat Theater at the Tempe Center for the Arts thru May 28.
Vanguardia America host James Garcia interviews Director KJ Sanchez and actors Sarita Ocon (Sybil) and Brady Morales Woolery (Victor) from the Arizona Theater Co. production of "Private Lives" which runs through May 28 at the Herberger Theater Center.
The play, written by Noel Coward in the 1930s, comes with a twist.
Sanchez has set the play in Argentina and Uruguay and features an all Latino cast.
We’ll talk about the play and what it says about human nature, love and divorce, but we’ll also get into how the production reflects the changes happening nationwide in response to the need for theater companies to cater to an increasingly diverse audience, including the country’s fast-growing Latino community.
Go to ATC.org for ticket information.
Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia interviews California-based playwright Jose Cruz Gonzalez and Ricky Araiza of Tempe, AZ's Childsplay Theater Company. The duo will be talking about a play by Gonzalez titled “Tomas and the Library Lady,” which opened Feb. 4 and runs through March 12 at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix.
Childsplay produces shows aimed at young audiences, mainly children from about five to 12 or so, but take it from me the company’s productions are great for adult audiences as well.
"Tomas and the Library Lady" is the story of boy from a migrant farm worker family that travels to Iowa to pick crops, where young Tomas pays his first visit to a library and learns to love books. It’s a heartwarming piece inspired by the life of Tomas Rivera, who grew up to be an esteemed author, scholar and the onetime president of the University of California - Riverside.
But the story’s themes, as you’ll hear from the playwright, still echo today, particularly in the wake of far-right attacks on Latinos and especially undocumented Latino immigrants. Even today, some 40 to 50 percent of migrant farm workers in the U.S. are undocumented.
To learn more about this play's scheduled performances, visit www.childsplayaz.org.
Vanguarida America host James Garcia interviews Joel Goldenthal, the Executive Director of The Nash, a nightclub and educational center in Downtown Phoenix, and the club’s namesake, jazz drummer and Arizona State University professor Lewis Nash.
Downbeat Magazine calls the Nash one the great jazz venues in the world. It recently marked its 10th anniversary.
But the Nash is more than a jazz club. It also provides unique educational programs that are building a vibrant jazz community in Phoenix and beyond by working with people of all ages, but especially young people, as a means to preserve and revive the distinctly American musical genre.
The club is named for Lewis Nash, whose career spans over 30 years and includes performances on 10 Grammy award-winning albums and an impressive discography of more than 400 recordings with jazz legends such as Betty Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Hank Jones, Sonny Rollins, as well as contemporary jazz artists like Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove and others.
For more information, visit www.thenash.org.
In this episode, Vanguardia America welcomes some of the folks behind the national coalition, Green Latinos, about an impactful report called the Latino Climate Justice Framework. The report takes an in-depth look at climate and environmental issues affecting the Latino community nationwide.
Our guests include: Irene Burga is the Climate and Clean Air Program Director for GreenLatinos; Catalina Gonzalez, Climate Policy Analyst for the Center for Progressive Reform; and Louis Medina, Communications and Philanthropy Director at Friends of the Inyo.
According to leading scientists, we have until 2030 — a little over seven years — to dramatically cut carbon emissions and stop, or at least slow, the warming if the planet, which has already resulted in extreme temperatures, scorching fires, worsening droughts, flooding and a range of other impacts in the world we all share.
In the meantime, racism, classism and political apathy in the U.S. put Latinos and other communities of color, especially among low income families, on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
As we’ll hear in the interview, the poor and working class often face the brunt of environmental pollution and climate change impacts because they live in communities where they’re generally more exposed to things like factories, warehouses, freeways and other pollution sources.
The widening income gap in the U.S. is one reason behind the disparate impacts of climate change, say experts, because Latino households, on average, have significantly less resources they can tap to help combat the effects of climate change than white households. Census figures show the median wealth of Latino families in 2019 was $36,100 as compared to $188,200 for white families.
For more information about this report, go to www.greenlatinos.org.
Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia talks to Chris Chavez, the director of La Ruta, the latest production by Stray Cat Theater. The show opens Dec. 2 at the Tempe Center for the Arts and runs through mid December.
La Ruta, written by Isaac Gomez, was a smash hit at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. The play tells the story of six women in Ciudad Juarez on the Mexico border. The story is told against the backdrop of the infamous series of murders, or femicides, that have occurred in that city over several decades. The production comes as more attention is being paid to the murder and disappearance of countless indigenous women in the U.S. and Canada.
La Ruta is based on the true stories of women who live and work in the region. Joining the interview are actor Dolores E. Mendoza, who plays Yolanda, and the show’s assistant director, Luz Navarro.
Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has been selected to co-chair the transition team for Arizona's incoming Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs. Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia spoke to Villalobos, a Republican, about her goals and assignment as co-chair and why she's still a Republican, despite her condemnation of the party's hard tilt toward extremism. Villalobos said she received her first death threat shortly after the announcement by Hobbs that she and Democratic lobbyist Mike Haener had been named to co-chair Hobbs's transition team. Police in Phoenix say threats of violence against Democrats have intensified in this election cycle as compared to the 2020 president election when Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden.
Vanguardia America invited three experts on national Latino politics to talk about the fallout of the 2022 midterm elections, including the current and future impact of Latino voters. What brought Latinos to the polls? What role did abortion rights play? What can Democrats and Republicans learn from this election? Hear what Rafael Collazo of UnidosUS Action Fund, Yvonne Gutierrez of Latino Victory, and Ben Monterroso of PoderLatinx had to say to host, James Garcia.
ARIZONA - The results of the 2022 midterm election surprised many who predicted a Republican rout at the polls, but Democrats in Arizona and across the nation were generally very happy with the outcome. Vanguardia America host James Garcia got a post-election take about the results in AZ from a roundtable of political analysts, Joe Garcia of CPLC Action Fund, Elizabeth Salazar of UnidosUS Action Fund, and grassroots activist and avid Democrat Roberto Reveles.
Vanguardia America with James Garcia talks to Alana Hernandez, executive director of the Cala Alliance in Phoenix. The organization returns with its latest iteration of Crossfade LAB, which returns to its home venue at the Crescent Ballroom on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 7:00–9:00 PM. Get tickets at calalliance.org.
This iteration of Crossfade LAB features Cuban-born, Mexico City and New York-based performance artist Carlos Martiel and New York-based musical artist Xenia Rubinos.
Moderated by MacArthur Fellow and Crossfade LAB co-curator Josh Kun, the evening blends emotionally charged performances that underscore the lived realities of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color with soulful Caribbean-inspired jazz melodies.
Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia interviewed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs over the weekend about her campaign and how, if elected, her agenda will impact Arizona Latinos, especially when it comes to education, abortion rights, immigration, and the state's economic future.
Our interview with Hobbs is immediately followed by our roundtable of election analysts: Elizabeth Salazar UnidosUS Action Fund, Joseph Garcia of CPLC Action Fund, and grassroots Democratic activist Roberto Reveles.
Vanguardia America with James E. Garcia airs on La Onda 1190 AM/107.5 FM, Saturdays at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT. Our podcasts post the following Mondays at 6 a.m. Eastern. To hear previous podcasts visit bit.ly/3E2vf8d
Unidos US Action Fund
Playwright Miriam Gonzales, composer and lyricist Daniel French, and actress Jillian Saenz, who plays the lead in "Selena Maria Sings," spoke with Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia about the play's themes of personal loss, family bonds, Latina empowerment, and the story's ties to the legacy of the late pop music icon Selena Quintanilla.
Vanguardia America host James Garcia spoke with Rafael Collazo of UnidosUS Action Fund and Dorian Caal of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund about Latino voting trends ahead the upcoming midterms. Collazo and Caal talked about the top issues for Latinos this year, Latino voter turnout, and the growing prevalence of mis-information aimed at Hispanics, especially on Spanish-language media. For more information, visit naleo.org or unidosusaf.org. Illustration: votolatino.org
Kathy Hoffman is the incumbent, Democratic candidate for State Superintendent of Public Schools in Arizona, where nearly 50 percent of K-12 students are Latino. Vanguardia America's James Garcia interviewed Hoffman about her goals for a second term if she is able to get reelected on November 8. Hoffman is running against Republican Tom Horne. Photo: Flipboard
Rosie's House is the largest free music edition program in the nation. Eighty percent of the children it serves are Latino. Vanguardia America's James Garcia recently took a tour of the organization's new 15,000-square-foot facility near downtown Phoenix with CEO Becky Bell Ballard ahead of its grand opening celebration on November 5. For more information on how to attend the grand opening celebration, which is open to the public, or to donate to the organization, visit rosieshouse.org.
Photo: A Rosie's House student
Meet Hector Flores, co-founder and artistic director of Las Cafeteras. Hector is a self-described Leo, poet, pachuco, pachanguero and soccer lover, yeller, songwriter, producer, storyteller, cultural worker and one of the artistic directors of Las Cafeteras. Hope you the enjoy the interview.
The band was in Arizona at the Chandler Center for the Arts to perform its Day of the Dead show, "Hasta la Muerte," October 28, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
More about Hector: He is the oldest of 6 children and was raised in East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley with parents born of Indigenous and Mexican roots from Morelia, Michoacán and San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Degree in Chicana/Chicano Studies. Holds over 10 years of organizing experience working with the California Faculty Association (CFA), Strategic Concepts in Organizing Policy Education (S.C.O.P.E) and served as Co-Director of Youth Organizing at InnerCity Struggle in East Los Angeles.
Joseph Garcia is the director of public policy for Chicanos Por La Cause and the executive director of the Si Se Vota, CPLC Action Fund, which is leading a $10 million campaign called Latino Loud that’s aimed at boosting the Latino vote in Arizona. The organization is making a big push between now and the Nov. 8 mid-term elections, and Joe talked to host James E. Garcia, no relation, to tell us all about CPLC’s get out the vote campaign, and to share who the CPLC Action Fund PAC is endorsing in the races for the top elected posts in Arizona, including the governorship.
ARIZONA - Adrian Fontes is running for Secretary of State, the top elections office in Arizona. Born in Nogales, AZ, Fontes is a lawyer, ex-Marine, and the former elections chief in Maricopa County, a key battleground during the 2020 presidential election and ground zero in fight against the country's election deniers led by now former President Donald J. Trump. Fontes' opponent is Mark Finchem. We interview Fontes, who would be Arizona's first Latino Secretary of State if he's elected, about his race and the state of democracy in America.
ARIZONA - Melissa Garcia, Chief External Affairs Officer of Planned Parenthood of Arizona talks about the impact of the recent chaos surrounding abortion law on the lives of Hispanic women in Arizona.
PHOENIX, AZ - AZHCC President/CEO Monica Villalobos provides highlights from DATOS: The State of Arizona's Hispanic Market.
PHOENIX, AZ - Ghosts of Bogota, a play by Diana Burbano, directed by Alejandra Luna, and presented by Stray Cat Theatre
In this episode, we talk to Stray Cat Theatre, which has been busting norms for its entire existence. But this year the company is doing something even more unconventional — every play this season is written by a person of color and every production is directed by a person of color. Why? Stray Cat Theatre's Ron May says it just made sense, especially given the Phoenix community's changing demographics. In this interview, we talk to May (who self-identifies, half facetiously, as a "middle-aged white guy," Alejandra Luna, the show's director, and actor, Shelly Trujillo, who calls this her most challenging role ever. If you know Stray Cat Theatre, Ghosts of Bogota, like their previous work, tackles tough topics, including sexual molestation. While it may not be appropriate for all audiences, the show addresses the issue tastefully, with a laugh (yes, it's a dark comedy), and with whole lot of irreverence. As this episode posts, there are just three more performances, Oct. 13-15. So, get your tickets now. Go to straycattheatre.com or by call the Tempe Center for the Arts at (480) 350-2822.
United Cerebral Palsy Association, a national disability advocacy group that represents 56 affiliates nationwide, recently hosted its inaugural Conference on Latinos with Disabilities. The virtual conference was held on Sept. 21-22, 2022. Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia, who also works as a contract communications and policy consultant for UCP, served as coordinator of the conference — though Vanguardia America is not formally affiliated with UCP. In this two-part report, Garcia and UCP President Armando Contreras discussed the goals of the conference, how that ties into the mission of UCP, and why disability groups nationwide should do more to reach out to the country's burgeoning Latino community.
United Cerebral Palsy Association, a national disability advocacy group that represents 56 affiliates nationwide, recently hosted its inaugural Conference on Latinos with Disabilities. The virtual conference was held on Sept. 21-22, 2022. Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia, who also works as a contract communications and policy consultant for UCP, served as coordinator of the conference — though Vanguardia America is not formally affiliated with UCP. In this two-part report, Garcia and UCP President Armando Contreras discussed the goals of the conference, how that ties into the mission of UCP, and why disability groups nationwide should do more to reach out to the country's burgeoning Latino community.
The University of Arizona has reneged on its promise to restore the home of the state’s only ever Latino governor, Raul H. Castro. Last week, a Tucson television station reported the house will not be refurbished and instead will be put up for auction. For her part, Castro’s daughter, Beth Castro, says she’s frustrated with this turn of events. Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia spoke with Castro and has this report.
(Editor's Note: Vanguardia America reached out to the University of Arizona for comment, but received no response.)
Ordered Chaos Theater Company is staging "Mala" at the KAX Theater in Phoenix Sept. 30 - Oct. 15, 2022. The one-woman show stars Ángela Kabasan González. We interview two of the founders of Ordered Chaos Theater Company, JP and Mark Clemente, about their aspirations for the company and why they picked "Mala" as their premier performance. Buy tickets and watch the trailer video.
Arte Público Press turned 40. Vanguardia America Host James E. Garcia interviews Founder and Director Nicolás Kanellos about the publishing house's origins, evolution and future.
Arte Público Press turned 40. Vanguardia America Host James E. Garcia interviews Founder and Director Nicolás Kanellos about the publishing house's origins, evolution and future.
Vanguardia America interviewed Vanessa Ramirez about her dance troupe and the Chandler Center for the Arts, C.A.L.L.E de Arizona 23rd Annual Mariachi and Folklórico Festival happening Oct. 1, 2022.
This is the second part of a two-part interview with Rosemary Ybarra Hernandez, the founder and president of Aguila Youth Leadership Institute
Rosemary Ybarra Hernandez is the founder and president of the college prep program, Aguila Youth Leadership Institute headquarted in Phoenix, AZ.
Esther Lumm talks about the abuses of refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border at the hands of federal immigration authorities. Uncage Reunite Families Coalition is based in Phoenix, AZ.
In a freewheeling interview, Henry Muñoz, III talks about a new Latino Decisions poll commissioned by SOMOS Health Care, UnidosUS and MoveOn regarding the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Latinos, his approach and passion for activism, and his role as a member of the Democratic National Committee and an informal adviser to the party's presumptive presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.
In this episode, your host James E. Garcia, editor & publisher of Vanguardia America, talks to LULAC CEO Sindy Benavides about the impact of the proposed legislation known as the HEROES Act on the nation's Latino community, unemployment among Latinos, DACA, worker safety under the Trump administration, and the upcoming general election.