Latino USA

Before 86-year-old Luis Valdez directed the play Zoot Suit and the film La Bamba, he was staging theater in the back of a flatbed truck in the fields of California for farmworkers on strike. His work in teatro campesino would eventually make its way to Broadway and then Hollywood, paving the way for Chicano stories to be told with dignity and nuance in American culture. Now, he’s the subject of a new documentary: “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.” On this episode, host Maria Hinojosa talks with Luis Valdez and director David Alvarado, the documentary’s director. They talk about making history, the importance of sharing archival footage from the past, and about artistic inspiration.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
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We bring you a sneak peek of a recent Futuro+ bonus episode. Our co-CEO Peniley Ramírez remembers the devastating 2017 Mexico City earthquake that occured on the 32nd anniversary of the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Mexico, and shares what it takes to tell the stories that are important. Listen to the full episode by subscribing to Futuro+ at futuromediagroup.org/joinplus
The Futuro Plus Team includes associate producer Liliana Ruiz, production manager Victoria Estrada, and development manager Danetsy Len. Mixing by Multitude Productions.
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Last year, reporter Jack Herrera traveled the length of the Rio Grande basin – from its source in Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. He found that the water crisis in the region is worse than anyone imagines.  ”It's not a metaphor, it's not a hyperbole, we're in a water war,” he tells Maria Hinojosa. In today's episode, we explore the consequences of that crisis for the region and its people. As well as the bitter dispute for control of that water between citizens and their governments, and even between the United States and Mexico.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Follow the show to get every episode.
Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for ad-free listening, early-access and exclusive bonus episodes with the chisme behind Latino USA and all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.
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YEИDRY is a Dominican-Italian artist whose newly released debut full-length album, Como Agua, takes a deep dive into Afro-Dominican rhythms. The album includes palos, bachata, merengue and boleros. Like many Dominicans, YEИDRY did not grow up with Afro-Dominican rhythms. As an adult, she discovered it was because of a dark, racist past in her country. In this Dominican takeover of Latino USA, Producer Jeanne Montalvo takes YEИDRY and Yasser Tejeda, another Dominican artist, to the oldest Dominican restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. Over a Dominican breakfast, the three of them will take you on a journey to learn about their country's difficult past, their quest to find their roots, and the reasons why Afro-Dominican music has been hidden in plain sight.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Follow the show to get every episode.
Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for ad-free listening, early-access and exclusive bonus episodes with the chisme behind Latino USA and all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guadalupe Rosales is an artist and the creator of the popular Instagram accounts “Veteranas and Rucas” and “Map Pointz,” which focus on the fashion, the music, and certain latino subculture of the ‘80s and '90s in Los Angeles. She was part of the so-called party crews of the time and has kept the moment alive in history on social media and now in her new memoir East of the River: A Memoir of Los Angeles Girlhood. She writes about her adolescence living in this unique moment: the parties, the vibrancy, as well as the dangers of the time, and how sisterhood played a role in her survival.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Follow the show to get every episode.
Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for ad-free listening, early-access and exclusive bonus episodes with the chisme behind Latino USA and all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.
Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.