Vanguardia with James Garcia

In this episode, host James E. Garcia speaks to authors Daniel Chacon and Jovi de la Jara about writing for children and the inspiration behind their award winning books. Chacon is the author of Gecko Girl / Largatija. De la Jara penned ¿Que es un Poema? / What is a Poem? The writers are joined on the show by Gabriella Balleza Ventura, deputy director at Arte Publico Press, the country’s largest publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by Latino authors.

To learn more about Arte Publico Press and its catalog of books, visit artepublicopress.com.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced her bid for reelection. Host James E. Garcia talks to Mayes about the more than 20 lawsuits — and counting — she’s filed against the Trump administration in the past nine months, and her broader statewide agenda, including countering housing fraud and preventing elder abuse.

We also get her take on federal immigration agents wearing masks when conducting arrests, the growing threat against democracy emanating from the White House, and the challenge of balancing her job as the state's top law enforcement office and motherhood. Mayes is the second woman and first mom to serve as Arizona Attorney General.

For information about her campaign, go to ⁠krismayes.com⁠.

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari talks to Vanguardia Arizona host James E. Garcia about the deteriorating conditions at U.S. immigration detention facilities , many of which are now over capacity. After being blocked by authorities, Ansari recently visited the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona to met with more than two dozen detainees about the center's overcrowded and substandard conditions.

The congresswoman, who took office in January, also discussed her tenure in office to date and her goal to make life more affordable for her constituents and all Americans.

To reach Ansari, visit ⁠https://ansari.house.gov/⁠

Helios Education Foundation President/CEO Paul J. Luna discusses what he calls the organization's "investments" over the past 20 years aimed at ensuring "all students, including those from low-income, historically underserved communities and those forging nontraditional paths" succeed after high school.

Since its founding, Helios has invested more than $350 million in a wide range of innovative education initiatives and partnerships in Arizona and Florida that have impacted nearly 2.4 million students and more than 520,000 education professionals, while providing more than 41,000 scholarships to complete postsecondary education.

To learn more about the Helios Education Foundation, visit helios.org.

Our guest is Meisei Gonzalez, Climate Justice and Clean Air Advocate for Green Latinos, a national non-profit of Latino leaders confronting environmental issues in the Latino community nationwide. Gonzalez talks with host James E. Garcia about the impact of our nation's worsening air quality on Latinos and other communities of color.

To learn more about Green Latinos and its work, visit www.greenlatinos.org.

The 2025 Latino GDP Report finds that the gross domestic product of U.S. Hispanics has surpassed $4.1 trillion, meaning if they were their own country they would constitute the fifth largest economy in the world, larger than that of India, the United Kingdom, or France.

Host James E. Garcia speaks to two of the report's authors, Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health & Culture at UCLA, and Dr. Matthew Fineup, Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research & Forecasting at California Lutheran University, about the rapidly growing influence of Latinos on U.S. job growth, population, housing, education and more.

To read the report, go to LatinoGDP.us

Our guests are onetme presidential candidate and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro and Vanessa Fuentes, Mayor Pro Tem of Ausin, Texas. Host James E. Garcia spoke to them on June 14 as millions took to the streets nationwide as part of massive No Kings Day marches and rallies against the policies of President Trump, including his decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to help quell protests against roundups led by federal immigration authorities.

Host James E. Garcia talks with Cristina Jiménez, author of the new book, "Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Real Change." (Jiménez is on a national book tour.)

Published by St. Martin’s Press, the book is about a young woman a coming-of-age story and finding her true self and mission in life amid a social movement of immigrant youth trailblazers who inspired the world and changed the lives of millions.

Jiménez recounts what it’s like growing up undocumented in the United States and the realization that being a “good” immigrant doesn’t shield you from systemic racism, the possibility of arrest—or the foils and joys of falling in love.

Jiménez will be at the Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ on June 3.

Our guest is Emmy Award winning filmmaker Paul Espinosa. Host James E. Garcia spoke to Paul about his extensive career, life on the U.S.-Mexico border, and a recent major screening of his work at the Filmoteca Española in Madrid, Spain.

Paul  is an anthropologist who has worked at the intersection of social justice, media culture and Latino history for more than 40 years. Espinosa Productions specializes in both documentary and narrative films focused on the U.S.-Mexico border region. His most recent film release is "Singing Our Way to Freedom," about the life and music of Ramon "Chunky" Sanchez.

Paul is a Board Member of the Media Arts Center of San Diego, which produces the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

For more information about Paul and his new work-in-development, "Searching for Padre Martinez," visit espinosaproductions.com.

Welcome to Vanguardia America. In this episode, host James E. Garcia speaks with Award Winning Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, the former owner of the iconic Barrio Café in Phoenix, which she operated for more than 20 years.

 Chef Esparza came on the show to talk about her new memoir, La Hija de La Chingada, Chronicles from a Mexican Chef in the USA.

The book covers her journey not just as a chef but a mejicana, an immigrants’ daughter, an activist and lesbian, navigating the top ranks of the culinary world, which hasn’t always treated her kindly.

The book is available on Amazon.