National Immigration Law Center Freedom to Thrive Podcast

Activist, organizer, singer-songwriter, and TransLatin@ Coalition founder Bamby Salcedo joins host Hector Flores for a conversation on survival, joy, and solidarity. Tune in this week as she discusses her journey to the United States and her work as a dedicated advocate for the rights of transgender immigrants. She also talks about why she is now releasing cumbia music as LA Bamby and shares her message: attacks on trans people are attacks on all of us, and unity is strength. Note: This content contains sensitive content that may be upsetting. 

We honor social justice trailblazer Dolores Huerta. Dolores showed us how courage, organizing, and collective action can create lasting change and impact us all. She never stopped speaking her truth, and she never stopped fighting for the rights of farmworkers and other communities. This week, in celebration of Dolores, we are rereleasing an interview that Hector Flores conducted with her last year. In the conversation, Dolores shares her thoughts on organizing, voting, building collective power, and finding the inspiration to keep fighting during difficult times. She reminds us that we, the people, are the source of change, and that together we have the power to make a difference. ¡Sí se puede!

Tony Award-winning costume designer and community organizer Qween Jean joins host Hector Flores for a conversation on art, belonging, and solidarity. Born in Haiti and raised in Miami, Qween Jean recently made history as the first openly trans person to win a Tony Award for Cats: The Jellicle Ball. She shares why she refuses to separate her identities from her work. Her message: our humanity is inseparable, and the fight for trans rights is also a fight for immigrant rights.

Katya Grokhovsky, a Ukrainian-born, Australian-raised artist and Founding Director of The Immigrant Artist Biennial (TIAB), joins Hector Flores. Her work explores themes of gender and immigration. Listen as Katya discusses founding The Immigrant Artist Biennial as a space where artists can share their work and a platform through which immigrants can express themselves, and explains why she believes building community is one of the best responses to censorship.

Actor and content creator Leo González sits down with host Hector Flores to open up about his path to comedy and content creation, discuss his upcoming projects, and reflect on his strong connection to, and admiration for, immigrant communities in the U.S.