In Confianza

In 2010, Arizona Republicans passed a law to ban a wildly successful Mexican-American Studies program at Tucson High School. Administrators came into schools and pulled beloved books written by Latino authors off of the classroom shelves, but what they didn’t expect was just how far the Latino community would go to defend the right to learn about their history.  From students chaining themselves to desks, to secret underground libraries, and even banned book smugglers.  Hear what yesterday's fight can teach us about today's issues.This Episode was produced & written by Charlie Garcia. It was edited by Jackie Noack. Audio engineering and mixing by Charlie Garcia & Julian Blackmore. The hosts of The Pulso Podcast are Maribel Quezada-Smith and Liz Alarcón. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Is it possible that many of us are stuck with the erroneous idea that poetry is boring or hard to understand? As we learn in this episode, poetry doesn't have to be dull or confusing. It can be funny and it can transcend stereotypes. Join me as we enjoy a poetry 101 refresher and an enlightening reading from Gabriel Dozal, a Latino poet you definitely didn't learn about in history class. This episode was produced and written by Maribel Quezada-Smith. Editing by Jackie Noack. Audio engineering and scoring by Julian Blackmore. The hosts of The Pulso Podcast are Liz Alarcón and Maribel Quezada-Smith. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Since the last presidential election, there’s been countless commentary about what’s going on with some of our beloved Latino men and their swing to the right. In light of the Republican candidates filling the airwaves after the first debate, we invited two Latinos to the podcast for their take on why this trend is happening and what we can do to counter it. This episode was produced by Liz Alarcón. Editing by Jackie Noack and Charlie Garcia. Audio engineering, scoring, and mixing by Charlie Garcia and Julian Blackmore. The hosts of The Pulso Podcast are Liz Alarcón and Maribel Quezada-Smith. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Today’s episode is from our friends at Immigrantly. Pulso host Liz Alarcón guests on this episode to discuss the nuances of “Missing White Girl Syndrome”, and why white women are overrepresented in missing person cases, when the majority of missing people are people of color.You can find this episode on The Immigrantly Podcast "Ep-235 Missing Kids and The Media: Breaking the Biases"

When Colombian-American producer Charlie Garcia moved to France, he faced a big challenge... his favorite food, The Taco, was nowhere to be found. But while accidentally stumbling on a small shop called O'Tacos, he discovered that the French had put their own radical twist on his beloved Taco. What followed would forever change his view on the meaning of Authenticity, Cultural Appropriation, and whether there can be such a thing as an "Authentic French Taco"This Episode was produced & written by Charlie Garcia, it was edited by Rough Cut Collective, with additional editing from Maribel Quezada Smith & Liz Alarcon. Audio engineering, scoring & mixing by Charlie Garcia with additional support from Julian Blackmore. The hosts of the Pulso Podcast are Liz Alarcon, and me Maribel Quezada SmithSpecial thanks to Manon Lelièvre, Alyosha Leveski, & Tsveta IvanovaFollow & continue the conversation with us on social media: @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

A growing number of Latino expats are seeking to rediscover their roots and forge new lives in Latin American and Caribbean countries. In this episode, we talk to three people about their life-changing decision to move away and leave the American dream behind.This episode was Produced by Maribel Quezada Smith, it was edited by Charlie Garcia & Liz Alarcon. Audio engineering, scoring & mixing, by Charlie Garcia. Original Music composed by Julian Blackmore. The Hosts of the Pulso Podcast are Liz Alarcón & Maribel Quezada Smith.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media: @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

In this episode, we're in reflection mode. Maribel flips the mic on Liz to dig into the untold story about how Pulso was founded, the mission of the content, and the bigger vision for Pulso's impact in the Latino community.This Episode was produced by Liz Alarcón, audio engineering & scoring by Charlie Garcia & Julian Blackmore, original music by Julian Blackmore. Our hosts are Liz Alarcón & Maribel Quezada Smith.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

A global crisis formed a new bond between the United States and Latin America. How a presidential decree, a Peruvian immigrant, and a campaign to showcase Hispanic Stars uncovered El Pendón Estrellado, an almost forgotten piece of American history.  This episode was produced by Charlie Garcia & Liz Alarcón, Audio Engineering by Charlie Garcia. Original music by Julian Blackmore, and additional support from Lisanne Ramos.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Thania Betancourt Alcazar, a member of the art group “The Phoenix Fridas” discovered a lifeline in the art of Frida Kahlo.  By embracing Frida's spirit of resilience Thania found the inner strength to confront her own tragedies and transform her pain into a cathartic artistic journey.This episode was produced by Anthony Wallace with editorial support and guidance from Charlie Garcia.  Audio Engineering and scoring by Anthony Wallace & Charlie Garcia.  Mixing by Charlie Garcia, original music composed by Julian Blackmore & Anthony Wallace. Additional support from Jackie Noack. The hosts of The Pulso Podcast are Maribel Quezada Smith & Liz Alarcón.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Monica Puig, a Latina professional tennis player made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Adored as a National Treasure in Puerto Rico, this Latina trailblazer remains a mysterious figure in the United States, until now.This episode was written and Produced by Maribel Quezada Smith, with editorial guidance and oversight from Charlie Garcia. Audio engineering, scoring & mixing by Charlie Garcia. Additional Audio Engineering & music composition by Julian Blackmore. The Hosts of The Pulso Podcast Maribel Quezada Smith and Liz Alarcón. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

When Producer Mark Pagán was a teenager, he came across a TV comedy special that would change his life forever, Paul Rodriquez’s Crossing Gang Lines. Years later, he looks back to uncover the story behind it.This Episode was Produced by Mark Pagán, it was edited, by Charlie Garcia & Jackie Noack. Audio editing and scoring by Mark Pagán & Charlie Garcia. Mixing & Mastering by Charlie Garcia, original music composed by Julian Blackmore, the hosts of The Pulso Podcast are Maribel Quezada Smith & Liz Alarcón. Special thanks to Navani Otero, Caitlin Mae Burke, Alana Casanova-Burgess.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

In this episode, Liz chats with two Latina parents who have done the work to reparent themselves, done the research to raise more emotionally whole children, and pay it forward to help caregivers have a healthier relationship with our kidsThis Episode was Produced by Liz Alarcón, it was edited, mixed & scored by Charlie Garcia. Technical Assistance & additional support by Jackie Noack. Additional audio engineering & original music composition by Julian Blackmore. The hosts of The Pulso Podcast are Maribel Quezada Smith & Liz Alarcón.  Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso.You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Gustavo Arellano started a newspaper column called “Ask a Mexican” as a joke... then it became bigger than he ever could have imagined. Why?This episode was produced by Charlie Garcia and edited by Liz Alarcón. Audio Engineering & Mixing by Charlie Garcia. Music by Julian Blackmore. Additional assistance by Lisann Ramos. Our hosts are Liz Alarcón and Maribel Quezada Smith. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Today we're talking about something that Latinos sometimes ignore or even forget. Indigenous peoples are often relegated to things of the past, but they are very much still here, and they are facing resistance and opposition from all sides, whether it's political, social, economic, you name it. So let's take some time to consider the struggles, and the resilience of the Indigenous peoples of our region. This episode was produced by Jackie Noack and edited by Charlie Garcia. Audio Engineering & mixing by Charlie Garcia. Music by Julian Blackmore. Our hosts are Liz Alarcón and Maribel Quezada Smith. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

What does it mean to “be” something, to have an Identity?  And what is it that gets to decide that identity? Is it our parents, our language, our blood, or the world around us? This is the story of one Latina’s journey to understand what it means to be Hispanic, and how to own her own Latinidad no matter what others think. This episode was written, produced, sound designed & mixed by Charlie Garcia. It was edited by Jackie Noack & Liz Alarcón, Music by Julian Blackmore. Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

In this episode Maribel sets out to explore the sometimes empowering, often extreme, things we're willing to do to feel beautiful and why.Special thanks to the following women for sharing their experiences and insight in this episode: Christie Lazo, Katia Reguero Lindor, Valentina Agosti, and Leslie Valdivia and Joanna Rosario of Vive Cosmetics.This episode was written and produced by Maribel Quezada Smith. Editorial oversight by Jackie Noack. Audio engineering and mixing by Charlie Garcia. Music by Julian Blackmore.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website. 

In this episode, Liz sets out to explore the historical and societal influences that have led to our sometimes empowering, often pressuring, standards of beauty that Latinas are held to.This episode was produced by Liz Alarcón and Jackie Noack. Audio engineering and mixing by Charlie Garcia. Music by Julian Blackmore.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Let’s talk about the holidays. Large gatherings with boisterous family members can be memorable for the good and the bad. So what can we do to take care of ourselves during end-of-year festivities, while also spending quality time with family?This episode was produced by Charlie Garcia and Jackie Noack, Audio engineering and mixing by Charlie Garcia, additional audio engineering and music by Julian Blackmore.Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website. 

Texas 1951, Farmworker Pete Hernandez walks into a bar with a rifle and shoots another man, he is taken to court for murder, but when the state refuses to allow any Latinos on the Jury, a rebellious team of Hispanic lawyers sign up for a wild ride that will take them all the way to the supreme court, and change the definition of what it means to Hispanic in the USThis episode was Produced & Written by Charlie Garcia, it was edited by Liz Alarcon. Original music by Julian Blackmore. Audio Engineering & Mixing by Julian Blackmore and Charlie Garcia. Special thanks to LULAC historian David ContrerasFollow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website. 

Punk Rock isn’t usually associated with Latino culture, and for Producer Yesica Balderrama, Punk was a lifelong passion that she never quite knew how to integrate with her identity. Then one day she discovered that she was not alone. Today we take a journey through the hidden subculture of Latino Punk rock in NYC.This episode was produced & written by Yesica Balderrama. Editorial oversight, guidance & additional writing by Charlie Garcia, Audio Engineering & Mixing by Julian Blackmore & Charlie Garcia  Music clips from Quelebras, Kartel, Askeados, & La Milagrosa. additional music composed by Julian Blackmore. Translation voice-over by Jackie Noack & Charlie GarciaFollow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.