When Julie joined us on our Heather Cox Richardson event this month, she shared how she's supporting immigrants by taking groups of friends to Spanish-speaking restaurants in her town. Heather was so excited about the idea, and Julie was such a ray of sunshine, that we knew we needed to bring her on the podcast!

Julie's a Spanish teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, but she doesn't stop at teaching the language. She shares cultural information about the many Spanish-speaking immigrants in their community and, of course, their delicious food. Food brings us together! The more we can understand and empathize with our immigrant neighbors, the better we can protect them from ICE.

It's been a particularly heartbreaking week as two fathers -- one in Houston and one in Maine -- have been murdered by ICE agents. Resistance to their inhumane methods can take many forms, from protesting detention centers to vigils to legal support. Going out to dinner may feel like an impossibly small way to oppose ICE, but for the immigrant restaurant owners in our communities, it makes a huge difference. 

We can't only fight against what we don't support; we also have to fight for the better world we want. By patronizing immigrant-owned restaurants in our own towns, we contribute not just our dollars but our emotional support. 

And as a bonus, it tastes pretty good too.

If you want to learn more about Julie and her chat shows and restaurant outings, you can visit her website at spanishchatshow.com. And if you'd like to join or start a Bonfire group, you can learn more at redwine.blue/network/bonfire.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

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