American Colony | The Latino Newsletter Podcast

It’s the Fourth of July, and the United States is 250 years old. It is also a day Americans celebrate freedom from colonialism. But what about Puerto Rico? In the prologue episode of American Colony, hosts Julio Ricardo Varela and Nuria Net ask: What does it mean that Puerto Rico is still a colony? They start with that viral song you can't stop singing, share their personal stories, and set the foundation for the rest of the series.

This episode of American Colony was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Nuria Net, and Julio Ricardo Varela. It was edited by Nuria Net and Julio Ricardo Varela.

Credits

American Colony is a production of The Latino Newsletter and Shake It Easy Media

Original Concept by Julio Ricardo Varela

Senior Editor: Nuria Net
Senior Producer: Joaquín Cotler

Hosts: Julio Ricardo Varela and Nuria Net

Producer: Carlos Berríos Polanco
Consulting Producer: Susanne Ramírez de Arellano

Managing Editor: Christina Hernández

Video Producer: Amalia I. Nuñez-Pires

Social Media Videos: Anthony Modesto Milián and Aliana M. Bigio

Illustrator: Ricky Rodriguez
Composer: Alain Emile

Additional music courtesy of Soundstripe

Executive Producers: Julio Ricardo Varela, Nuria Net, and Joaquín Cotler

Support for this program comes from the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. More at Mellon.org. 

American Colony was also made possible by individual donations. To support the nonprofit work of The Latino Newsletter, click on the Donate tab at The Latino Newsletter.

Host Michelle Zacarias sits down with queer social media influencer Jay Trevino, the co-creator of the grassroots queer Latin movement Preciosa, which she built alongside her wife, Eden.

Jay opens up about their four-year IVF journey to welcome their son, including a last-minute emergency C-section in Mexico after U.S. doctors refused to listen to her concerns. She reflects on navigating postpartum depression, going no-contact with her mother, and how DJing became her lifeline.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias, with editorial support from Edward Wilkey. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

American Colony premiered on July 4, 2026, and is available on The Latino Newsletter podcast feed, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

From hyper-local neighborhood alert systems to confronting ICE on the streets, Leo Martinez (@tacodpollo) shares how VC Defensa is building community power from the ground up. 

Leo spoke with The Latino Newsletter podcast on the importance of providing people with the tools to mobilize in their own communities, and about being rammed by federal vehicles in October of 2025.

After this interview was recorded, Leo and VC Defensa were targeted by Homeland Security Investigations during a pre-dawn raid on May 13, 2026.

This has not deterred the volunteer-led advocacy group from organizing neighborhood ICE-watch patrols across Ventura County, CA.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias, with editorial support from Edward Wilkey. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

Host Michelle Zacarias sits down with Afro-Latino public historian, social media content creator, and fine art photojournalist Anthony Milian to explore the power of storytelling as resistance.

Anthony shares how the pandemic sparked his pivot from photography to history-focused content, reaching hundreds of thousands with stories that mainstream media has long overlooked. From the complexities of Afro-Latinidad and colorism within the Latino diaspora, to the untold legacies of figures like Rafael Cordero and José Celso Barbosa, Anthony makes the case for why preserving our histories has never been more urgent.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias, with editorial support from Edward Wilkey. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

Michelle Zacarias sits down with mental health professional, social worker, and community organizer Ramsey Robinson, who is running for Governor of California on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket.

They talk about why he believes both Democrats and Republicans have failed working Californians, and what a socialist platform could actually look like in practice. From taxing billionaires to fund universal healthcare, freezing rents, and banning corporate lobbying, Robinson makes the case that real change won't come from inside the two-party system. Instead, it will come from listening to the people in the streets.

Here at The Latino Newsletter, interviewing a candidate does not mean we are endorsing that candidate. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, we are offering this conversation strictly for civic information purposes. Our team has reached out and will continue to contact other candidates in the California governor’s race. We are on the media lists for several of these campaigns, and if any candidate wants to speak with us, they can reach us at [email protected]. We take elections seriously, and our community deserves to hear directly from the people asking for their votes.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias, with editorial support from Edward Wilkey. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

What does it mean to build your own table — and then invite your community to sit at it?

In this episode of the Latino Newsletter Podcast, host Michelle Zacarias sits down with Brenda Gonzalez, founder and co-host of the Tamarindo podcast.

Brenda shares how a love of casual, girlfriend chisme-style conversation inspired her to launch one of L.A.’s most beloved Latina podcasts — and how the pandemic pushed her to reinvent herself in her 40s.

They dive deep into the tension between wellness culture and systemic inequity, the importance of culturally relevant spaces, and why self-care and political engagement aren’t mutually exclusive.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias, with editorial support from Edward Wilkey. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

A UC Santa Barbara professor and 2024 Green Party Vice Presidential candidate, Butch Ware is now running for Governor of California and challenging the two-party system head-on, despite ongoing legal battles to keep him on the June primary ballot.

In this conversation with host Michelle Zacarias, Ware speaks candidly about California’s housing and homelessness crisis, immigration enforcement, universal healthcare, and what he sees as both parties’ failures to serve working-class Californians. He makes the case that a third-party candidate isn’t just viable but necessary.

Here at The Latino Newsletter, interviewing a candidate does not mean we are endorsing that candidate. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, we are offering this conversation strictly for civic information purposes. Our team has reached out and will continue to contact other candidates in the California governor’s race. We are on the media lists for several of these campaigns, and if any candidate wants to speak with us, they can reach us at [email protected]. We take elections seriously, and our community deserves to hear directly from the people asking for their votes.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias, with editorial support from Edward Wilkey. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

In this special episode of the Latino Newsletter podcast, host Michelle Zacarias is joined by founder Julio Ricardo Varela to discuss the New York Times report on the sexual abuse allegations against César Chávez. Michelle and Julio process the public response, reflect on the complexity of holding a movement's legacy alongside its darkest truths, and examine how activist communities can better protect women and children. The conversation is raw, honest, and deeply felt — a necessary reckoning for the Latino community and beyond.

Warning: Part of this episode includes a discussion of sexual violence.

Image: César Chávez in 1972 (Public Domain)

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠ and ⁠The Latino Media Consortium⁠.

In this deeply personal episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast and in honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, host Michelle Zacarias sits down with LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano for a heartfelt conversation about colonoscopies, colorectal cancer, and the personal losses and health scares that changed how they think about early detection.

Michelle shares her story as a colorectal cancer survivor and the challenges she faced from diagnosis through recovery. Gustavo reflects on losing his mother to cancer and how that loss profoundly influenced the way he approaches his own health today. Together, they discuss the importance of regular screenings, why colonoscopies shouldn’t be taboo in Latino communities, and how early detection can truly save lives.

Warning: This episode includes some graphic descriptions.

This episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramírez, and Michelle Zacarias. Julio Ricardo Varela edited the conversation. The music is by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual gifts ⁠ and The Latino Media Consortium.