The Reality Dysfunction - Unscripted/Unsilenced

In this special segment of The Reality Dysfunction we are posting a recent discussion that took place with MeXicanos 2070. This discussion centered on the Xicano Insitute for Teaching and Organizing (XITO) and it's emergence from the Tucson Mexican American Studies struggle. How is XITO carrying on the legacy of the MAS struggle in the teacher training work it is doing across the country? 

In this episode of The Reality Dysfunction we talk to Efren Paredes Jr, who at age 15 was convicted of a murder he did not commit.  He has been incarcerated for the past 31 year.  He battled tirelessly to overturn the Juvenile Life Without Parole Laws in the country, which changed in 2012.  After battling the Berrien County prosecutor for 10 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that youth should not be sentenced to life without parole Efren will finally be entering the court room next week on Oct. 5 for his last chance to appeal to the Berrien County court to stop pursuing a sentence of life and give him a term of years.  Which would make him eligible for parole immediately after the resentencing hearing.  In effect he has been held in the MDOC system without a legal sentence for 10years, on top of already having served 21 years for a crime he did not committee. 

Sign the petition to free Efren Paredes Jr.

In this episode the dysfunctional crew talks to Jennifer Allen Aroz, League of Conservation Voter's (LCV) senior vice president of community engagement who founded Chispa in 2014.

Chispa is the community organizing/engagment arm of LCV that is staffed by Xicana/o/x and Latina/o/x organizers in barrios and cities across the country creating community based committees that are addressing environmental justices issues. 

Here is a link to learn more about Chispa and the work they are doing across the country. https://www.lcv.org/chispa/

In this second part the Dysfunctionals finish their conversation with Michigan State University professor Dr. Yomaira Figueroa. This converstation got so interesting it went long and we had to break it into two parts. Listen to the first part here. Below is a link to Dr. Figueroa's website. 

And as always mad respect to The Fugees.

http://www.yomairafigueroa.com/

Guantanamera by The Fugees

This week the Dysfunctionals talk with Michigan State University professor Dr. Yomaira Figueroa. This converstation got so interesting it went long and we had to break it into two parts. Listen to the first part here. Below is a link to Dr. Figueroa's website. 

And as always mad respect to The Fugees.

http://www.yomairafigueroa.com/

Guantanamera by The Fugees

In this episode of The Reality Dysfunction, the dysfunctionals talk with Pete Vargas the Resturant Organizing Center Michigan director who is raising money and moblizing Black and Brown organizers to help defeat Donald Trump in the fall. 

This week on The Reality Dysfunction the dysfunctionals are talking with Dr. Carlos Aleman the deputy director of Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama a non-profit organization, created in 1999, which aims to improve the quality of life for Latinos living in Alabama. In addition to these duties Dr. Aleman recently ran for Homewood, Al., city council and won with a resounding 58% of the vote. It is important to note that Homewood is 80 percent white. A truly impressive win. 

The week the Dysfunctionals take on the Republican National Convention and it ain't pretty. 

This week the dysfunctionals take on the Democratic National Convention and it's underwhelming Xicano/Latino presence. It's a free ranging conversation but important as we come to grips with our political presence in this country. 

In this episode of The Reality Dysfunction, our dysfunctional gang talks with three term state of Michigan House representative Vanessa Guerra. Representative Guerra, (D-95th district) won the August 4, primary against four time incumbent Saginaw County Clerk Michael Hanley. Guerra won by a landslide 6000 votes in largely rural county in which Mexicans make up eight percent of the population. The gang has many questions for Guerra and she has lots of advice for young people (and old) about running for office and how and when to get involved.

In addition to Rep. Guerra our usual dysfunctional crew of Alexandra Lozada (NY), Juan Carlos Vega (Washington DC), Rainer Delgado (MI), Daniel Soza (MI), Francisco Lopez, (CA), Carlos Hernandez (TX) and Ernesto Mireles (AZ). Also joining us for the podcast are Maria Zavala Paredes, Carolina Sanchez and Cecilia Olvera.