Salvis Unidos Podcast

It's finally here! The first part of our collection of stories of Salvadorans Around the World. In the final episodes of Season 4, we hear stories from Salvadorans from all walks of life. In part one, we'll hear Jennifer , Mardoqueo, Johanna, Kenya, and Klara share their stories. We'll hear about the migration trail from El Salvador to the US, the meaning of the American Dream, and ponder deep questions about Salvadoran identity.

Jennifer Sandoval

Mardoqueo Arteaga

Johanna Roman

Kenya Arevalo Alfaro

Klara Hernandez - Eko Social Justice

Music:

"Nahuaterique" by Manyula Dance Club

El Salvador has always been a beautiful place and Analucy has known it since birth. Analucy writes about her travels, family, and the identity crisis the Salvadoran diaspora faces. We talk about the importance of loving one's own country, travel recommendations for El Salvador, and reframing how we think about helping underserved communities at home.

Analucy Benavides is a Salvadoran-American travel blogger and content creator from Maryland. Her writing focuses on travel tips, lessons learned, embracing solo travel, and returning to your roots. She has spearheaded various projects to help develop rural communities abroad and foster cultural exchanges.

• Growing up Salvi in the DMV
• Adobo DMV
• Tia Chingona pupusas in DMV
• Feeling rejected by El Salvador
• Growing up outside of American Culture in the US
• "White tax" and "Yankee privilege" in El Salvador
• Starting a blog that better reflected the immigrant reality for grief and travel
• The impact of the first trip abroad outside the US and El Salvador
• Visit Cuba!
• Moving to work remotely in El Salvador
• Budgeting to live at the average Salvadoran wage
• The sense of community in El Salvador vs New York/US
• Lodging tips (links below)
• Regions/places to visit in El Salvador (links below)
• Carnaval de San miguel
• Dealing with getting upcharged as a tourist
• Operation Christmas
• Holiday baskets that really meets people's needs

Show Resources:

• Adobo DMV: https://www.adobodmv.com/
• Tia Chingona Food: https://www.instagram.com/tiachingona/
• Places to stay in El Salvador
  • Finca Campo Bello: https://hotelfincacampobello.com/en/home/
  • Nawi Beach House: https://www.nawibeachhouse.com/
  • Casa 1800 (Suchitoto): https://casa1800elsalvador.com/suchitoto-el-salvador-travel/
• Places to Visit
  • Usulután
    • Puerto Barillas: https://www.puertobarillas.com/welcome/
    • Paradise San Lorenzo: https://www.instagram.com/paradisesanlorenzo/
  • Alegria, Usulután
    • 100 Steps: https://elsalvador.travel/experience/mirador-de-las-100-gradas/
    • Finca Rauda: https://www.instagram.com/fincarauda.sv/
  • Berlin, Usulután
    • Café El Portal: https://www.instagram.com/cafeelportal9/
  • Suchitoto - Museo Alejandro Coto: https://www.ccsa.edu.sv/index.php/cultural/museo-alejandro-cotto
  • Apaneca - Cafe Albania: https://laberintoalbania.com/
  • Apaneca - Cafe Axul: https://www.instagram.com/axulartesania/

Music:

"Despertar" by Clément

In 1991, a Salvadoran man is shot by the police in Mount Pleasant, Washington DC. A community fed up with police brutality and lack of resources rises up. "La Manplesa" tells the story of the uprising and how Salvadoran immigrants made an impact in the nation's capital via protest, art, and activism. Quique Avilés and Cindy Centeno tell us the history and process behind this art-focused documentary.

Quique Avilés is a poet, actor and community activist whose work is dedicated to addressing social issues through performance and poetry. A native of El Salvador, Quique has been writing and performing about issues of race, identity, and the plight of poor people in the US for 30 years.

Cindy Centeno is a creative producer who works to share purposeful stories that inspire and build people up. A proud daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, Cindy's background is in film and video, photography, and impact production.

• 1991 Mount Pleasant Uprisings in Washington DC
• Arriving in Mt. Pleasant in the 70s and 80s
• Seeing the US through the lens of Hollywood and TV
• 1969 Riots after assassination of MLK
• 1980s Salvadorans arrive by 1000s into mostly black city
• Political movement, street theater, marches against the war
• The triggering conditions that led to the uprisings
• Was it a riot or was it an uprising?
• What is taught about the history of the uprisings?
• What was the impact of the uprisings in DC?
• Bringing Puerto Rican cops to fill in the spanish-speaking need
• Strong community reactions to the film
• Opening space for younger generations to ask their parents about history
• Where to see the film - see our links below
• "Las Muertes mas Bellas del Mundo" - new project from Quique
• Salvadorans are hard workers, but they're also artists
• Archival footage collected will be available as research materials at the MLK Library

Show Resources:

• Stream La Manplesa on America ReFramed (WORLD Channel): https://worldchannel.org/episode/america-reframed-la-manplesa/
• La Manplesa Film website: https://www.lamanplesafilm.com/
• La Manplesa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamanplesafilm/
• Cindy Centeno on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindycenteno/
• Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo Rough Cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMRWi2LIYas
• GoFundMe for Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-finish-las-muertes-mas-bellas-del-mundo

Music:

"Aerolinea" by Machetres

In "The People's Hospital," Ricardo Nuila sheds light on the challenges in US healthcare but also shares that there's hope. Children of immigrants grappling with the complexities of healthcare for their loved ones will resonate with Ricardo's unique perspective. Informed by both his medical expertise and Salvadoran background, we discuss the human side of healthcare and navigating "Medicine Inc." with cultural and linguistic barriers.

Ricardo Nuila is a writer, teacher, and practicing doctor. He is an associate professor of medicine, medical ethics, and health policy at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Humanities Expression and Arts Lab (HEAL) program.

• The importance of human contact
• Writing for a broad audience, not doctors
• Showing people they have power in their healthcare
• Seeing hope in Ben Taub hospital
• Great healthcare in a public hospital
• Healthcare now is geared toward making money
• Fee for service care motivates doctors to provide more services for more patients
• What is Medicine Inc? An industry at war with each other
• Almost impossible for patients to be good consumers of healthcare
• The US spends double of what some comparable European countries pay
• Public healthcare patients pay reasonable costs because there's no profit incentive
• Teaching doctors how to better communicate with patients
• Challenging a doctor's authority to get better information
• How can we maintain our cultural identity and still be healthy?
• Algorithmania - how strict adherence to protocol blinds us to the humanity of patients
• The pressure of first gen and second gen immigrant children providing help to the family
• How immigrant families care for their sick loved ones
• The impact of the busy American lifestyle on health and care
• How can we better consumers of medical care for ourselves and our family

Show Resources:

• RicardoNuila.com
• "The People's Hospital" at Barnes and Noble
• "The People's Hospital" on Amazon
• Ben Taub Hospital
• Baylor College of Medicine

Music:

"Midnight Sunshine" by Robbie Velasquez

As if debilitating pain is not enough, endometriosis patients must also contend with being dismissed by doctors and maybe even family. Nathali fought for years to get diagnosed and treated. Now she fights as the Endocipota so that others, specially Central Americans, can find the help they need

Nathali Zamora is a Brooklyn born first-generation American of Central American descent. She manages a finance career by day and endometriosis advocacy as the EndoCipota by night.

• What is endometriosis?
• Links between cancer and Endo
• Lack of Endo research
• Outdated theories about causes for Endo
• Endometriosis symptoms
• Diagnosing Endometriosis - laparoscopic surgery
• Period pain should not be debilitating/disrupt your life
• Most Endo specialists are out of network for health insurance
• Endo surgery can run thousands of dollars
• Ablation for Endo - not effective
• The long process of getting diagnosed with Endo
• Repairing the fallout from Endometriosis after excision
• Endo pain keeps you from living the life you want
• The unique challenges of endo advocacy for Central Americans
• Be an ally - learn about Endo to support loved ones that are suffering from it

Show Resources:

• Endocipota.com
• Endocipota on Instagram
• Googling Endometriosis by Dr. Redwine
• Dr. Sampson's outdated theory on Endometriosis
• What to Expect from Laparoscopy for Endo
• Nancy's Nook Endo - Endo info and support
• Dr. Sallie Sarrel - Pelvic Floor Therapist
• The Endometriosis Summit
• Dr. Ken Sinervo - Thoracic and Lung Endo specialist - GA
• Dr. Andrea Vidali - Endo Excision Specialist - NY
• Dr. Lora Liu - Endo Excision Specialist - NY
• Below the Belt - Documentary about Endometriosis
• Center for Endo
• Endo Girl Blog
• In Sixteen Years - Endo Support

Music:

"Girl You Can" by Gaby Tobar

Por décadas la presencia Salvadoreña en Yonkers crecía pero no se veía. Armando Rivas, con la ayuda de la comunidad hispana en Yonkers, dio el primer paso y formo el Group Salvadoreño de Yonkers. Marchan en desfiles, disfrutan en eventos, y ayudan a nuestra comunidad en la cuarta ciudad mas grande en Nueva York. Armando y el grupo esperan unir toda la comunidad centroamericana en el condado de Westchester y mas allá.

Armando Rivas es un immigrate Salvadoreño y residente de Yonkers. Es el fundador y presidente del Grupo Salvadoreño de Yonkers. Sirvió en la junta ejecutiva del Yonkers Hispanic Cultural Foundation y es miembro del Salvadoran American Chamber of Commerce en Brentwood, NY.

• Fundando el Grupo Salvadoreño de Yonkers
• Salvadoreños no participaban en eventos de Yonkers
• Marchando en el desfile Hispano de Yonkers
• Trayendo el consulado móvil a Yonkers
• Creando la organización sin fines de lucro
• Westchester Salvadoran Association - coming soon
• Planes para el futuro
• Preservando nuestra cultura para la juventud en EEUU
• El apoyo de los negocios Salvadoreños y centroamericanos
• El apoyo de la comunidad hispana
• Levantando la bandera Salvadoreña en la alcaldía de Yonkers
• El reto de atraer a jóvenes a eventos culturales
• Eventos que podemos esperar de la asociación salvadoreña
• El Salvadoreño es penoso
• Disfrutar sanamente en eventos familiares sin licor
• Consejos para organizar un group de comunidad

Show Resources:

• Yonkers Salvadorian Group Instagram
• The Yonkers Hispanic Cultural Foundation
• Sazón Centroamericano Restaurant
• Dos Marias Restaurant
• Cuscatlán Grocery

Music:

"La Cumbia del Perro" by Inflorescencia

Salvi Yorkers bridges the past and present with powerful narratives about the Salvadoran diaspora in New York. Diego Murcia, from Bitextuales, helps author, Carmen Molina-Tamacas, cross one additional bridge by producing the audiobook version of her work. Now our stories can reach even more people and Diego can help tell your story too.

Diego Murcia is an author, journalist, and podcast/audiobook producer. His work spans from El Salvador to Mexico to the United States. His podcast "Secreto a Voces" won the 2019 Latin Podcasts Awards in the Education category. A first for a Salvadoran podcast.

Carmen Molina-Tamacas is a journalist, anthropologist, and author of "Salvi Yorkers" with print editions in Spanish and English, and now in Spanish audiobook format.

• Why produce an audio book?
• Bitextuales - starting as a translation service near the US-Mexico border
• Growing into podcasting from translation
• From podcasting to an entire audiobook!
• Podcasting about the audiobook production experience
• Finding the voice of Salvi Yorkers - a younger narrator
• Getting professional audio at home
• Technical requirements for audio books
• Mistakes, human products will have mistakes
• Podcast consulting services by Bitextuales, Escuela de Podcast

Show Resources:

• Diego Murcia LinkTree
• Salvi Yorkers LinkTree
• Bitextuales.com
• Bitextuales - Como hacer un audiolibro? on Youtube
• Bitextuales - Prensa Grafica interview
• Escuela de Podcast
• ACX audiobook requirements
• Audacity - Free audio editor

Music:

"Flor (feat. Adrenalina)" by Amnesica

You made it. You're a successful engineer at a prestigious organization. What do you do now? Zaida Hernandez decided to help other underrepresented groups get into engineering through her social media platform, The Space Latina. She tells us how she went from looking up at the stars during visits to rural El Salvador to working on sending humans to the moon in the Artemis program.

Zaida Hernandez also known as "The Space Latina," is a spacecraft engineer and subsystem manager at NASA supporting the Artemis missions. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master's in Industrial Engineering. She is a first generation college graduate in her family. She is also a children's book author of space themed STEM books.

• Getting into engineering via building with Legos
• Houston - Space City
• Seeing the stars in the night sky of El Salvador
• Finding your way toward engineering
• Getting an internship at NASA as a high schooler
• What kind of job does a high schooler even do at NASA?
• The fear and anxiety of being a new professional
• From intern to professional engineer
• Thermal engineering
• Working on the Artemis mission
• NASA is just one space industry company
• Private space companies…good or bad?
• Safety culture at NASA
• With so many problems on earth, is space exploration worth it?
• How NASA celebrate mission successes
• Bringing more diversity to the space industry
• How can underrepresented professionals show up for students?
• Tips on finding internships
• Can you do both STEM and writing?
• Creating bilingual STEM books for children!

Show Resources:

• The Space Latina On Instagram
• Zaida Hernandez on LinkedIn
• Books by Zaida
  • Space Espacio: Coloring Book + Fun Facts
  • My First Space Words in English and Spanish
  • Luz Lucero, niña astronauta
• NASA Spinoffs
• Artemis Mission
• Frank Rubio
• Lil' Libros

Music:

"Viento Solar" by Akumal

Rosalia Rivera says consent is the greatest virtue of a civilized society. This episode we explore the vital topic of teaching body rights and consent culture to children. Rosalia, founder of Consent Parenting, equips parents and caregivers with the tools they need to raise better informed children, break cycles of abuse, and create a safer future for us all.

Rosalia Rivera is a consent educator, child sexual abuse prevention specialist, and sexual literacy advocate. She's the founder of CONSENTparenting™ and the host of the AboutCONSENT™ podcast.

• Consent culture - lack or violation of body rights
• Consent culture with kids
• Teaching children they have agency
• Teaching children their body belongs to them
• Dealing with other adults that resist consent parenting
• Understanding where different generations are coming from
• Be ok being the pattern breaker in your family
• How does consent parenting reduce risk for abuse?
• Educated children are more likely to report abuse
• Using correct terms for human genitalia, when to start?
• The foundation of sex education is body literacy
• Stranger Danger, where does risk come from?
• 40-70% of abuse comes from peers
• Stay involved in your kid's life
• Be the safe space for your kids
• Letting kids develop their critical thinking skills
• Trusting your parenting
• The dangers of pedophile organizations online
• Spread the word about consent parenting to other parents
• Be compassionate with those that don't get consent parenting

Show Resources:

• Rape and Incest National Network
• Consent, Kids, and Culture | Rosalia Rivera | TEDxOneonta
• ConsentParenting.com
• Consent Parenting on Instagram
• About Consent Podcast
• CBC - Hunting Warhead

Music:

"Macario" by Conjunto Tropidélico

It's easy to fall into the hustle culture trap and to never face our traumas, specially as an immigrant. Gabi and Ale, co-founders of Treat Yourself and Heal (TYSAYH) seek to change all that. TYSAH's mission is to heal the world with self care, community, and overcoming while partnering with underrepresented solo-preneurs and empowering causes.

Gabriela Mira Brown is a mental health advocate and co-founder of TYSAH. Her first-hand experiences have shaped her career and passion for participating in programs that create access to resources for under-invited communities.

Alejandra Mejia is co-founder of TYSAH and has dedicated her career to supporting small businesses and nonprofits in the arts, education, literacy, trauma due to violence, and migration through the lens of strategic communications and marketing.

• Healing the world via connections, overcoming, and self-care
• The unhealthy immigrant hustle mentality
• From hustle to healing
• Ale, La Charamusca, and making connections
• Coming together to crate TYSAH
• Jumping into the adventure of being an entrepreneur
• The power of words
• What is healing? What does it mean to heal?
• Lean into discomfort
• In order to tame it, name it
• Difference between US and El Salvador thoughts around healing
• Do Healing and self-care have to be luxuries?
• Supporting solo-preneurs from El Salvador and underrepresented communities
• Grants for mental health
• Solano writer society - healing through writing
• Project Bear - supports couples through infertility or that have lost a child
• Brining community to our community
• TYSAH boxes - what's in them!?
• Sharing Gabi's overcoming journey
• Who is TYSAH for?
• You belong!

Show Resources:

• Treat Yourself and Heal - Website
• Treat Yourself and Heal - Instagram
• The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate
• Contextos - Literacy organization in El Salvador
• Mira Law Group
• Solano Writer Society
• Project Bear

Music:

"Para Mi Corazón" by Paty Menéndez