Radio Pulso: Recent Episodes
Radio Pulso
In and out of foster homes while coming to terms with her sexuality, there was a time when Jaci Cortez found herself facing unique struggles tied to her intersectional identity. When the Boyle Heights Beat first spoke to her in 2018, she was a student at East Los Angeles Community College studying American Sign Language while dealing with housing insecurity. Since then, Jaci has graduated from Rio Hondo College with a couple Associates Degrees. Jaci founded Sunflower Foster Youth Investment in 2020 in efforts to help current and former foster youth with resources.
Since it is Women's History Month, let's take a moment to recognize the powerful, intelligent, and resourceful women in our lives. We should be celebrating them each and every day not just this month. There are so many amazing women who have done such great things for the community of Boyle Heights. Martha Ambriz is the leader of Ballet Folklórico Resurrección and an advocate for youth. She talks about her attachment to the neighborhood, and what drives her to make Boyle Heights a better place for its residents.
It’s December and we’re ready to get into the holiday spirit. Earlier this month we participated in the Boyle Heights Christmas parade and we had community members share their holiday traditions with us. Tamales are a big part of holiday traditions in Latine culture. And speaking of tamales in this episode we talked to Boyle Heights resident, Marlene Aguilar, who offers plant based options including vegan tamales to her community.
Happy Halloween! For this episode we have David Fernandez who was born and raised in Boyle Heights. David is here to share his experiences with paranormal activity which he’s had since the age of 7. While his family were looking for homes they discovered that the home he would live in had a hospital bed but didn't think too much of it. Little did he know, he was about to live among the supernatural for three months.
Being that we are in Boyle Heights it’s important that we highlight the accomplishments and work that our people are doing in the community. It’s also important to support small businesses and upcoming artists from our community! In this episode we from Miguel Estrada and Daniel Romo from the band, Ear Ringers and Elianet Romero, from Las Niñas Fresitas.
Highlighting the history of the Self Help Graphics & Art space as they come to their much deserved renovation. Founded in 1970, Self Help Graphics & Art established itself in 1973 as a non-profit art organization dedicated to the production, interpretation, and distribution of prints and other art media by Chicana/o and Latinx artists. In addition, their multidisciplinary and intergenerational programs promote artistic excellence and empowerment of communities by providing access to space, tools, training, and resources. Samantha Nieves will be talking to master screen printer Dewey Tafoya and Executive Directory Betty Marin of Self Help Graphics.
While there was much excitement about the bridge opening in the beginning, it later turned to a safety issue after ongoing cases of illegal and unsafe activity on the bridge. There were numerous street takeovers, graffiti, crashes, parked cars and dangerous social media stunts during the first couple of weeks that it opened. For now things seem to be doing better but there are other safety concerns that the bridge still brings. In this podcast we interview Pablo de la Hoya about the safety concerns he has as a cyclist.
For this episode we will be highlighting and honoring queer folks in the community. Today we will be interviewing youth activists for the Latine/x LGBTQIA+ community, Alex Medina, who also happens to be a former youth reporter.
Please note that this episode contains many pacted themes surrounding, mental health: such as suicide, self harm, violence, and death. We want y’all to stay safe, so if you or anybody you know is in need of help please make sure to visit our IG account @rrradiopulso for a list of resources.
In this episode we are highlighting the important of street vendors more specifically on flower vendors for Mother's Day. We all know how important flower vendors are on Mother's Day (and every other day), we all go support them on buying flowers so we can show our moms some type of appreciation. We went out to the block on 4th and Indiana in Boyle Heights to catch some of these flower vendors in action.
In this episode we are focusing on highlighting local small business and restaurant owners. We interviewed Ralph Walde, Co-Owner of Aymara Peruvian Kitchen and Julian Anguiano, Owner of Mystyx Kafe. Aymara Peruvian Kitchen is a genuine Peruvian concept located in East LA serving flavorful Peruvian cuisine, using only fresh ingredients. The menu has a variety of tasty dishes including ceviche, signature lomo saltado, Peruvian-style fried rice & stir-fry noodles, and homemade salsas. Mytstyx Kafe is a street pop up located in the East LA community. The coffee stand carries a certain spooky and goth aesthetic, but it doesn’t stop there- their dark drinks often shaken with sin will surely introduce you to the dark side!
For Women’s History Month, we highlighted two women that have made an impact in the Boyle Heights community, whether it’s through activism, entrepreneurship, music, and/or in educational settings. Roxana Dueñas is an Ethnic Studies and History teacher at the Math, Science and Technology Magnet at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights. It is her gender and ethnic studies coursework that inspired and influenced her to pursue a teaching career with a specific emphasis on social justice and transformative education in urban schools. Sizzle Fantastic is a native of Guerrero, Mexico, and was raised in Boyle Heights, California. She is an Entrepreneur, Dj, Restaurant Owner, Public Speaker, and former Labor-Immigrant rights Organizer. She uplifts and centers women, migrant, queer, and working-class BIPOC communities through music, art, and activism.