831 Comadres

Did you know that the legend surrounding Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe has its roots in the Mexica/ Nahuatl culture? As a matter of fact, the earliest known written account of the legend is in the "Nican-Mopohua" and is written in the Nahuatl language! The Mexica, or "Aztecs," as the colonizer called them, have a long, rich history of the goddess Tonanzin, meaning "Our sacred mother." In fact, before the Spanish conquest, there was a temple in Tepeyac in honor of Tonanzin. The same hill in which the Virgin Mary appeared to Cuauhtlatoatzin (aka Juan Diego). The Comadres Frenchy and Samantha got on their research game, and we are here to share what we found. Grab a notepad and pen cause you might need to take notes to verify your abuelita or momma later. ****Warning we are not responsible for your loss of faith in Christianity due to listening to this episode.

Las Comadres, Frenchy & Samantha welcome photojournalist and 2020 CatchLight Local fellow David Rodriguez to the podcast. At the age of 21, David picked up his first camera and began capturing unique moments. A graduate of SFSU, David works as a multimedia journalist for The Californian. His current project plans explore the issues that disproportionately affect farm working families on the Central Coast. We sat down to talk about photos, familia, and fellowships.

The Comadres, Frenchy, and Samantha welcome Horacio Davila from La Cantina Brewing Company. And let us tell you, Horacio did not come to play! The Comadres got a gulp of nostalgia while tasting the 4 most popular beers he brews today. 1 2 3 Tamarindo, Guava Fresca, Ay Chavela, and the recently released Piñorita! Join us for a taste of culture as Horacio tells us how his company was formed and why/ how he comes up with his delicious flavor profiles. It's Mexican culture in a can! Grab a cold one (hopefully it's a La Cantina Beer) and join us to discuss business, sabor, and craft beers! Salud

Frenchy & Sam welcome Amrutha Prakasha, founder of Fundamentos, to the show. Amrutha, who comes from a family of teachers, started this tutoring program for kids on the East Side of Salinas to help them with any homework assignments or do yoga. Amrutha, take this job to heart to help kids with parents de los campos because her ancestors were farmers. As the daughter of immigrants, Amrutha knows personally about the struggles and difficulties these families encounter. Armed with that mentality, she created Fundamentos. Just like Las Comadres, Amrutha is a big believer in reinvesting good karma to each other and the comunidad.

There are 12 statewide propositions on the California 2020 ballot. Why are they important, you ask. Let the Comadres Frenchy and Sam break it down for you. We invited Watsonville resident and dedicated activist Jenny Sarmiento to help us discuss 4 of the Props that stand out to us on the ballot. A proud Latina with Bolivian roots, Jenny and your favorite comadres, comadrean y hablan política. So if you're having a hard time understanding some of the Props, listen to this episode of 831 Comadres y apunta notas!

You've seen them all across the tri-county Area putting in work for our gente. But the Comadres, Frenchy, and Sam finally got the chance to sit down with all the founders of U.N.I.D.O.S. Christy Alfaro, Monica Aguilar, Rigo Avila, and Karina Ramires join us in the studio to talk about how their grassroots collective came to be. We also discuss their work and future projects. From marches to rallies, to protests, and everything in between, this group stays busy.

When comadres connect beautiful things happen. 831 Comadres, Frenchy and Samantha welcome fellow comadres Irene y Maria of The Campesinx Womb Care Project, to the show. Based out of Watsonville California these amazing Mujeres are preserving ancestral ways by practicing traditional medicine and honoring Womb carrying femmes. We talk about the humble beginnings of this beautiful project and the importance Irene and Maria feel as birth workers to provide services to this very underrepresented and oftentimes forgotten group. Due to the delicate nature of their work, The Comadres went full-on COVID protocol and we conducted the interview over the phone, a first for the show! For more information and ways to donate and help follow Maria and Irene on IG @Campesinxwombcare

In this episode of 831 Comadres, we have a chingona Latina, Carla Viviana Gonzalez, join in the studio. Carla is a community gem whose resume is ever-expanding. Ms. G, as her students affectionately call her at Alisal High, is a founding member of the Salinas Valley Ethnic Studies as well as Monterey County Solidarity Coalition, or @mcsc831. Only 26-years-old Carla is already paving the way for progressive leaders in Salinas, and her love and actions for her community speak volumes.

The Comadres, Frenchy and Samantha, took to the streets on July 3rd, 2020, alongside gente from across Monterey County for the Eastside to Seaside Solidarity March. The event which included a 14-mile march, Danza Azteca, a Dia de Muertos style altar to honor the lives lost to police violence and a plethora of amazing speakers, unfortunately, didn't go off without incident. We sit down Tamisha Smith and Julissa Reyes to talk about the details from the perspective of 4 powerful femmes that helped organize, contributed, marched, spoke, and lived this inspirational event.

If you listen to the podcast, you probably are already aware that the Comadres are huge fans of the talented earring maker Denise Armstrong of La Luna Designs. We fangirl for this amazing Mujer as she keeps it real and talks about some endeavors before founding La Luna Designs and the difficulties of keeping your business relevant. We also touch on the topic of group economics and the importance of supporting and uplifting small businesses in these tough economic times.