Vanguardia with James Garcia

Our guests are Lydia Guzman of Chicanos Por La Causa and Danny Ortega from the CPLC Action Fund. Host James E. Garcia talks to them about CPLC's Si Se Vota campaign, and the growing importance of Arizona's Latino electorate as we approach the state's July 21 primaries and November's general election. Recent polling shows Latino voters, who are expected to play an increasingly decisive role in elections this year, have turned against President Trump and the GOP in a big way.

To learn more about the Si Se Vota campaign, check out sisevota.org.

To register to vote, click here.

Our guests are Alba Jaramillo and Alida Holguín Wilson-Gunn of Teatro Dignidad. The Tucson-based theater company is presenting ¡BOCÓN! by Lisa Loomer, a fable filled with mysticism and truth that tells the story of Miguel, a storyteller and irrepressible bocón or big mouth.

Miguel loses his voice when his parents are taken by immigration authorities. He decides to embark alone to find his voice on a treacherous journey where he meets up with mythical guides, including La Llorona, an ominous immigration judge, green coyotes, and tricky viejitas.

The production features the music of ⁠TucSon Jaracho⁠ and runs through May 3, 2026. The production is staged in cooperation with ⁠Coalición de Derechos Humanos.⁠

For details or ticket information, go to ⁠teatrodignidad.org⁠, call  520-975-8172, or find ⁠Teatro Dignidad on Facebook.

"While We Wait"
Directed by Anastasia Levkun
Devised by the full company

When full-scale war broke out in Ukraine in 2022, many Ukrainians entered a new reality. Some fled abroad, others stayed, but as the war dragged on, waiting for life to "return to normal" was no longer possible. While We Wait is a devised performance built from interviews with Ukrainians, weaving together chapters from lives to explore the courage and challenge of living life fully without putting it on pause.

To learn more about this play, go to While We Wait.

Former Clinton administration official and founder of the Latino Leaders Network, Mickey Ibarra, has published "Latino Leaders Speak, Vol. II, Personal Stories of Struggle and Triumph."

The book features 26 essays by Latino leaders from across the nation, such as music producer Emilio Estefan, San Diego University President Adela de la Torre, and actor and director Edward James Olmos.

Ibarra says that by sharing our stories "we illuminate paths of possibility for future generations, shatter stereotypes and build bridges of understanding." And sharing our stories, he added, is the best counter the negative, distorted narrative being promoted by the Trump administration about the Latino community.

"Latino Leaders Speak, Vol. II" is available at the Arte Publico Press website or on Amazon.

Grammy Award winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval talks to Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia about Sandoval's love of music, artistic freedom in the U.S., and the joys of performing with a full symphony. Sandoval will present his Trumpet Concerto No. 2 with the Phoenix Symphony orchestra on Nov.21-23.

For tickets and details, visit the Phoenix Symphony website

At a press conference this week, Phoenix-based Transqueer Pueblo, which advocates for migrants and the LGBTQ+ community, demanded the release of ArbellaRodríguez Márquez from the ICE detention center in Eloy.

Yari, as she’s known to family and friends, is a permanent U.S. resident and battlingleukemia. She’s been held in ICE custody for the past nine months.

Arizona Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari condemned her detention, adding that reported abuses of migrants throughout the ICE detention system nationwide have become widespread.

At least 20 people have died in ICE custody this year, according to federal data—nearly four times the number of migrants  who died in federal custody during the Biden administration. ##

Vanguardia Arizona host James Garcia leads a discussion with four Arizona community leaders to talk about the life and legacy of the iconic civil rights leader Alfredo Gutierrez. Our guests include Raquel Teran of Proyecto Progreso, attorney and civil rights activist Danny Ortega, Lydia Guzman of Chicanos Por La Causa, and John Loredo, a longtime democratic strategist and now executive director of the Arizona Labor Unity Table.

Gutierrez passed away in July after a long bout with cancer. He will be memorialized at the Kroc Center in South Phoenix on Oct. 26, 2025 at 3 p.m.

Our guest is Dr. Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which recently released its annual DATOS report. The report tracks the impact of Latinos on the economy in Arizona and nationwide. Monica talks to host James E. Garcia about the role social justice plays in our country's economic success. Latinos are now a $4 trillion powerhouse in the U.S. We also talk about why the Trump administration's policies fail to take the reality of Latino economic power sufficiently into account.

Lorenzo Sierra's memoir is called “Fight Like Hell, Love, Politics and the Will to Live.” Host James E. Garcia talks to Lorenzo about his career, his wife's battle with cancer, and his own harrowing, near-death experience with Covid-19. A former state legislator, Lorenzo garnerednational attention when he referred to the pandemic as an enemy with “no landsto invade, no ideology to defeat.” The book is about overcoming tragedy and cherishing all that’s good in life.

Lorenzo will appear at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix on Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Get details here:

Welcome to Vanguardia America. This week, host James Garcia talks to poet, author and essayist Sandra Cisneros in a free-wheeling conversation about life, death, fiction, poetry, fascism, spirits, her new opera based on her first novel, "The House on Mango Street," and her upcoming novel, Infinito.

Cisneros will be at Arizona State University on Oct. 11, 2025 as the keynote speaker for the Desert Nights, Rising Stars writers conference.

To learn more about the author, go to sandracisneros.com.