Descubre with Montse

During the pandemic, healthcare workers have been in the spotlight, recognized as heroes for stepping up in this crucial point in history. Historically, that career field has been disproportionately white. Although there has been a push for diversity, It’s still not fully representative of our nation.

Representation has always been important to minority communities, whether it be media, literature, or healthcare. But only recently has the issue been getting the attention necessary to see a positive change.

While still short of being an accurate representation of the U.S. population, an increase in representation within healthcare has come at a crucial time as everyone looks for answers in the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, we hear from Dr. Jared Terronez, one of the few Latino doctors in the Quad Cities about the need for someone in healthcare to look like us, and what it means to him, to be that representation for so many.

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, celebrating various Latin American countries and their independence days. We hear from a fiesta organizer on the importance of hosting these events and inviting the whole community.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

Since 1984, the Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico has taught hundreds of kids in Moline, Illinois about traditional Mexican dancing. It’s the only group of its kind in the area, allowing any kid to join for free and learn more about a variety of Mexican folkloric dances.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

Joining teams, the Moline Public Library and Project Now: Headstart will now be able to help immigrant and non-English speaking families get the same access to books and education as other families in their community.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

On Friday, an 11-second video was shared on Facebook, showing a Black football player being pressured into a locker, with bananas hanging in it. You can then hear another student point and yell “get in the chair or I’ll break your knees,” at which point the football player sits inside the locker and appears to be uncomfortable.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

Vaccination rollouts are well underway across the nation. A recent report shows that only 14% of Black Americans and 34% of Hispanic Americans say they trust the safety of a new COVID-19 vaccine. Now that the vaccine is out and being distributed, will they choose to get it?

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

There are a record 32 million Latinos projected to be eligible to vote in the 2020 election. That’s about 13.3% of all voters. Latinos are expected to be the fastest-growing racial or ethnic minority in a presidential election. So, what do they care about? How is this year different than others?

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

We'll take a look at the data of whom the pandemic is affecting in Iowa and Illinois. Communities of Color are testing positive for COVID-19 at a higher rate than their White counterparts.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

It’s now been nearly 7 months since we first heard of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. As of Friday morning, there are over 15.5 million positive cases and 633-thousand deaths worldwide. In the United States, there are over 4 million positive cases, 1.23 million recoveries, and 147,000 deaths.

I sat down virtually with Dr. Rebecca Heick who is an epidemiologist, someone who studies the control of disease or injury patterns in human populations, about how we’ve seen COVID-19 change since we first saw it in January, and what we can expect for the future.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.

As the United States’ Independence Day comes closer, some celebrated another independence earlier with Juneteenth. The holiday, also known as the African American independence day, was celebrated on June 19th. 2020 marks the 155th anniversary of the last set of slaves being emancipated. Around the country, there were rallies, celebrations, and parties to honor this special day.

In Davenport, Iowa, a group called Friends of MLK held a virtual festival celebration with over 7,000 viewers. I spoke with one of the organizers, Tracy White, about why this holiday should be celebrated by everyone.

For a transcript of the episode, click here.