For the Podsters
Audio learners, lock in! Here’s some podcast recs.
“A six-part podcast exploring the story for medical treatment for transgender young people - how the care began, the lives it changed, and the legal and political fights that could end it in the United States”
Talking While Black - This American Life
“In 2020, a series of violent, highly publicized killings of Black Americans sparked outrage and a national movement to eradicate racism and its evils. That movement gave way to a newer, reactionary one, a backlash that is playing out in schools and school board meetings across America. Host Emanuele Berry shares stories about Black people who got tangled up in this current backlash in both extreme and very personal ways.”
Tara Raghuveer Is Lowering Your Rent - So True with Caleb Hearon
“Welcome back! Today’s guest is the incredible Tara Raghuveer! Tara and Caleb talk the KC Tenants union, how they became friends, what Tenant Unions can do to help regular folks around the country, favorite Kansas Citians, and so much more!”
Why I Love the Country That Once Betrayed Me - George Takei
“When he was a child, George Takei and his family were forced into an internment camp for Japanese-Americans, as a "security" measure during World War II. 70 years later, Takei looks back at how the camp shaped his surprising, personal definition of patriotism and democracy.”
Disability and Health Equity: Breaking Barriers - Equal Dose
“In this episode of Equal Dose, we delve into the pressing issues surrounding disability, health equity, and systemic ableism. Join hosts Autria Godfrey, Stephen Horn, and Laila Rizvi as they speak with leading experts, including Sharon Milberger, Jaime Junior from Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute and Professor Michelle Meade from the University of Michigan’s Center for Disability Health and Wellness. Discover the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, explore groundbreaking initiatives like MVP Certification for accessible healthcare, and hear firsthand about the intersection of disability, advocacy, and systemic change.”
Ideas Podcast: Puerto Rico - Jorell Melendez-Badillo
“Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking territory of the United States with a history shaped by conquest and resistance. For centuries, Puerto Ricans have crafted and negotiated complex ideas about nationhood. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo provides a new history of Puerto Rico that gives voice to the archipelago’s people while offering a lens through which to understand the political, economic, and social challenges confronting them today.”
“Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D) joined POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on “The Conversation” podcast for a wide-ranging discussion about his Senate campaign, the role of his faith in politics, where Democrats are failing voters and what the party can learn from another fellow Texan: Beyoncé. Also, POLITICO’s White House reporter Megan Messerly breaks down late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s TV return and what his spat with the Trump administration means for free speech.”
Silence Won’t Save Us - Queer 101
“Hey y’all, it’s me,Peppermint — and on this episode of Queer 101, Hugh and I are doing what queer people have always done best: connecting history to the mess we’re living in right now. We start with Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider — newly reissued, still devastatingly relevant, and frankly doing laps around half the conversations happening today. Audre wasn’t here for respectability politics, and neither are we. Then I take you inside the Supreme Court, where I recently sat through hearings on trans athletes in sports. Yes, I was in the room. Yes, it was as wild — and revealing — as you’d imagine. We talk about how these cases aren’t really about sports at all, but about power, control, and who gets to exist comfortably in public life. We get into the systemic targeting of trans people, how anti‑trans legislation doesn’t just hurt trans folks (spoiler: cis women are already catching the backlash), and why bodily autonomy is always the first thing up for debate when fear runs the show. Along the way, we pull in feminist history, revolutionary poets, and Audre Lorde’s timeless reminder that silence does not protect us — it just protects the systems hurting us. This episode is about intersectionality, resistance, and speaking up, even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable.”
The Men’s Loneliness Epidemic Might Not Exist - NPR
“There's been a lot more attention on loneliness in the past few years, with special attention on men's loneliness. And some men definitely are lonely: according to a recent Pew survey, 16% of men say they're lonely all or most of the time. But so are 15% of women. So why are we so concerned about men? What launched the narrative about men's particular loneliness? And if the problems men are having don't boil down to loneliness, what do they boil down to? Brittany is joined by Vox senior reporter Allie Volpe and Harris Sockel, writer and content lead at Medium, to break it all down.”
The Borderlands War - 1915 - 1920 - 15 Minute History
In the early part of the 20th century, Texas became more integrated into the United States with the arrival of the railroad. With easier connections to the country, its population began to shift away from reflecting its origins as a breakaway part of Mexico toward a more Anglo demographic, one less inclined to adapt to existing Texican culture and more inclined to view it through a lens of white racial superiority. Between 1915 and 1920, an undeclared war broke out that featured some of the worst racial violence in American history; an outbreak that’s become known as the Borderlands War.
