¿Qué Pasa, Midwest? website with links to social media
Episode 1
● Music
● Host
¡Hola! Bienvenidos a nuestro (Hello! Welcome to our) fourth season of our bilingual podcast
¿QPM?
● River
● Host
This season we’re staying on top of two major topics happening this and the next year - the
census and the 2020 elections.
Por si no lo sabías (If you didn’t know) , este año (this year) the debate of the citizenship
question being on the census form filled our news feeds. Escuchamos que era algo bueno por
que (We heard that it was a good thing because) it would have given us an accurate count of
Hispanos (Hispanics) and Latinos that needed help with things like legal aid or language
assistance. Others thought this could put a target on the undocumented population and made
them nervous.
● Ariana
“Yo pienso que no deberían de hacer eso.”
(I think they shouldn’t do that.)
● Host
That was Ariana - I interviewed her in Kansas last year at a Cinco de Mayo parade, cuando el
tema de la ciudadanía todavía era una posibilidad en el censo. ( when the topic of the citizenship
question on the census was still a possibility in the census) . Ariana’s father migrated to the US
when she was just four. Now 29 and a mother of four, she worried that the citizenship question
on the census form would make people like her a target for hate groups or ICE.
This year the citizenship question was ruled out of the census form. Putting some people at
ease.
Pero los debates no terminan ahí. ( But the debates don’t end there) In the coming months, we’ll
start seeing more of the 2020 elections; and working along with collaborators and national
resources, we plan on giving you all the information we can so you can make an informed
decision cuando salgas a votar. ( when you go out to vote).
Primero, escuchamos ( First, we hear) from Kelley Coures Director of the Evansville Indiana
Department of Metropolitan Development. Coures helps the city distribute millions of dollars to
various programs. Por ejemplo, ( for example) programs that help low-income and homeless
populations, childcare, and housing aid.
● Kelley
“So the other really important factor to remember is that we get about 3 million dollars a year in
federal assistance. My department, metro development, we administer about 2.2 million in
community development block grant funds that go for programs like memorial community
corporations, daycare, second shift, weekend child care. This year, brand new we’re funding a
program busting the school to prison pipeline. All of those things are based on census results so
if your city’s population of people living at 80% area median income and below falls because of
being unreported, the housing and urban development doesn’t know you’re here where the
need is absolutely great here, is just people haven’t responded to the census that need to.”
Episode 2
In this episode, our contributor Emily Hunsberger, from Tertulia Podcast, talks to Pete Vargas;
a native from Michigan who identifies as indigenous and works as a political organizer for a
nonprofit organization that advocates for low wage workers about why he identifies as
indigenous, his views on the census y acerca de como cuando era pequeño ( and about how
when he was younger) he was listed as white in official documents.
● Pete
“So I don’t know to a real degree whether my mom and dad even had a choice or that choice
was taken away from them on what race I was being labeled as. But I do know that that has
been, especially in the seventies and eighties, perpetuated in a lot of different forms and
identifiers.”
● Host
You see, there’s been a lack of accuracy in the count of inmigrantes ( immigrants) and people of
color for years.
● Coures
“One of the problems that African Americans have in many, many cases is tracing their family
history. Because up until the 1850’s freed Blacks weren’t really named in the census. You
know, if mister and missus wealthy white person have four African American servants living in
their homes, in the 1830s and the 1840s they were just numbered. 1,2,3,4. And a hundred years
from now, if your great-grandchildren try to find you, one of the ways they can find you is
through your census records of 72 years or before.”
● Host
That was Kelley Coures , the Director of the Evansville Indiana Department of Metropolitan
Development, you might remember him from episode one.
Pete agrees with Coures. There has been un cuenta errónea de inmigrantes en el pais por
decadas ( a bad count of immigrants in the country for decades) . For Pete, that undercount will
continue to happen because of the lack of accuracy on identifying people of color on the
census.
● Pete
“Because of the dilution of the results still really only identify only Whites and Asians and the
minuscule number of indigenous Native Americans that self-identify as American Indian that we
are different parts of the community and our indigenous brothers and sisters are also talking
about the census right now.”
Episode 3
In this episodio, our co-producer Mareea Thomas and I thought we would dive right into the
census.
According to the Census Bureau Media Specialist Tim Swarens, it should be facil ( easy) .
● Tim Swarens
“ It’s a very simple form. There are ten questions on the form. It’s not intrusive and won’t take
long to complete.”
● Mareea
Y como nosotros ( And like us) , many millennials haven’t filled the census either so for this
episodio we’ll fill out the 2020 census sample questionnaire we found on the census dot gov
website.
Ok, let’s start.
● Mareea to Paola
“Have you filled in your box yet?
● Paola to Mareea
“No.”
● Mareea to Paola
“So, you’re not white…”
● Paola to Mareea
“People from the Caribbean, we’re a mixture of other people that came to the island or either
migrated there or were brought against their will, and yes, I am talking about slaves. You know, I
know my great great grandmother she was a native Dominican so she was Taina, she was from
the tribes of the Caribbean. And then my great great grandfather was Spanish from Spain and
I’ve talked about this before so I am two or more races.”
● Mareea to Paola
“We’re not even gonna get into my ancestry.” laughs
● Paola to Mareea
“ I know. I mean Mareea was born in Germany.”
● Mareea to Paola
“Right. Both of my parents are American citizens so that simplified it for me. So my mom and
her siblings took a DNA test this year or last year and it was really interesting to see that we’re
German because someone from Germany came here and they had slaves and then they had
children with one of the slaves. So I’m part German and I was born in Germany which is just a
coincidence. And then I’m obviously some type of African.”
● Paola to Mareea
“Yeah. So even when it comes to talking about your lineage and where you come from or back
and back in the day, I mean are you even sure?”
● Mareea to Paola
“No. I can simplify it down to African American ‘cause I’m descended from African slaves and
then some people unknown mostly.”
● Paola to Mareea
“See I don’t know. That’s the one thing that I’m a little bit frustrated about is that I don’t know.
But we want to end this episode on a high note.”
● Mareea to Paola
“We got options” both laugh
Episode 4
En este episodio ( In this episode) , we explain how the census count can affect the elections
with gerrymandering. Tambien, hablamos con( We also talk to) Roberto Arroyo. A Tex Mex
billennial living in Indiana who feels passionate about voting. He compares la experiencia
política ( the political experience) of young people in Mexico and the US and Puerto Rico.
And we talk to Alondra Vazquez a young Puerto Rican que habla ( that talks) about how the
youth recently unseated a governor and the fire that politics ignites in young Puerto Ricans.
Escucha ( Listen) .
● Alondra
“Pues mira, yo estaba de vacaciones en PR, eso fue el verano pasado, antes de venir para
Evansville. ” ( Well, I was on vacation in PR, that was last summer, before I came to Evansville.)
● Host
Ok, so like Alondra my sister was also on school break in Puerto Rico when pages of private
chats, also known as Chatgate or RickyLeaks, involving then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló and
past and current members of his staff were leaked to the public. They were vulgar, racist, and
homophobic toward several individuals and groups, and discussed how they would use the
media to target potential political opponents. Y no era la primera vez ( And it wasn't the first
time) . The leaks came a year after a previous scandal, dubbed WhatsApp Gate, involving other
members of Rosselló's cabinet. This was also after Huracán (hurricane) Maria. Which many say
this was the catastrophe that changed the young people of Puerto Rico.
“ Y pues yo pienso que eso fue una de las grandes razones que los jóvenes fueron a la
calle a luchar porque perdieron a sus abuelos a sus papás.” ( And I think that’s one of
the big reasons that young people protested because some of those deaths were their
parents and grandparents.)
Alondra brings up an important point. In the chats, the then-governor revealed that he had given
the incorrect amount of deaths after Huracán ( hurricane) Maria on purpose to keep his image.
But many of those deaths were grandparents and parents of the younger Puerto Ricans. This
ignited a fire in them that led to the resignation of then-governor Ricardo Rosello.
When I talked to Roberto about this and asked if it was the same way in Mexico, he explained
why it is not.
● Roberto
“I think there’s a significant difference in the way they see politics there. Politics growing up in
Mexico, visiting family there, the number one thing was corrupción ( corruption) you know. ¿Que
es la corrupción? ( What is corruption?) You know. Who is corrupt who is less corrupt? As far as
the younger generation I think they’re more preoccupied with still trying to make sure that they
have enough to feed their families and whatnot. Because a lot of the younger generation down
in Mexico still has to work at an earlier age.”
● Host
Because Roberto sees first hand how oppressive political systems can be, he’s very
passionate about voting and stays on top of the news.
● Roberto
“Claro, I just voted in the city elections a few days back and I was reflecting on just
having the opportunity to vote. Very much appreciative of the veterans and whatnot. So,
for me it’s definitely a civic obligation to exercise my right that so many women and men
have died to preserve. I do believe that it is a shift that we’re seeing, especially with the
millennials, that they’re taking a bigger interest in politics in general and exercising their
right to make sure their opinion is heard.
● Host
Todo esto nos da ( All of this gives us) a look into the variables and many influencias que la
gente tiene ( influences that people have ) before they vote.
So why is the census important and y porque ( and why) everyone’s voice and count matter?
Here it is. Cada decada ( Every decade) , following the decennial census, the state legislatures of
the United States are told how many representatives their state will send to the United States
House of Representatives. Representation in the House is based on state population and there
are a total of 435 representatives, so some states may gain representatives while others lose
them. It is the responsibility of each state legislature to redistrict their state into the appropriate
numbers of congressional districts. Y ahí es donde está el truco ( And there's the trick) .
Since a single party usually controls each state legislature, it is in the best interest of the party in
power to redistrict their state so that their party will have more seats in the House than the
opposition party. This manipulation of electoral districts is known as gerrymandering . Although
illegal, gerrymandering is the process of modifying congressional districts to benefit the party in
power. So this is why your count in the census matters, and then your vote.
● Music
● Host
En nuestro ( On our ) website y (and) newsletter, we’ve plugged a video explaining
gerrymandering so if you haven’t yet, subscribe to our newsletter on quepasapodcast dot com
for exclusives and more.
Episode 6
● Audio
● Angela
“At night Nogales, Arizona is peaceful. Especially around the holidays, when the downtown is
decorated with soft Christmas lights. Nogales is a community of about 20,000 people. You can
hardly get anywhere without a car. It feels very much like a small town. Throughout the year the
city holds festivals celebrating American and Mexican holidays. Then there’s the other side of
Nogales. Nogales, Sonora, just south of Arizona. The southern counterpart of the two sister
cities is louder and much more chaotic. The city overflows with bars, nail salons, more taquerias
than you can ever comprehend. Nogales, Sonora sprawls into Mexico with a population of at
least 200,000, except the city grows so quickly that nobody seems to know the real number.
Some estimate that it is a lot bigger. Tiny Nogales, Arizona, and sprawling Nogales, Sonora.
There’s no natural barrier between the two towns. The Rio Grande doesn’t even reach this part
of the US Mexico border. There’s, of course, a fence. The fence. For more than a century the
US Mexico border fence has divided the communities of Nogales, AZ, and Nogales, Sonora but
in ambos (both) Nogales crossing the border is still a part of everyday life. Crossing is so
common that you hear people refer to it as going across the line. My name is Angela Gervasi
and over the past couple of years, I’ve spent months in ambos Nogales. In this episodio, we’re
going to talk about concertina wire and how it affected some members of the Nogales
community, including its mayor. I’m standing in the Pimeria Alta Historical Society. Is this cute
museum about two blocks north of the US Mexico border. I’m on the AZ side talking to Sigrid
Matregin. Sigrid spent her childhood in Nogales, AZ and right now she’s digging up these old
black and white photos to show me what the border fence used to look like. In some of the
photos Sigrid points out the border is hardly a fence at all. (No es nada mas qué una garrita) a
little gate When Sigrid talks about this border of the past you can’t help but notice the nostalgia.
Today crossing the border can mean waiting in line for hours, presenting all the right
documents, answering a round of rapid-fire questions from customs officers but when Sigrid was
a teenager in the 1950’s she didn’t have to pull out her passport.
● Sigrid
“You didn’t even think of it really as crossing. You went to lunch across the border or you went
grocery shopping across the border. People in Nogales, AZ during WWII didn’t have as many
rationing problems as other people did because they could cross the border and buy coffee and
sugar which was not rationed in Mexico. The border was more open physically.
● Angela
“Sigrid would cross to Mexico to do normal teenage things. Go out to lunch with her friends, buy
a soda. Crossing back into the US was almost casual. In fact, a lot of the customs officers knew
Sigrid.”
● Sigrid
“After a basketball game or something, we would go across the line. The guy on the line would
say ‘Sigrid, do you have permission to go across the line?’ I’d say ‘yea, my mom knows.’ By the
time I got home, my mother would have a call saying ‘Did you know that Sigrid is taking the car
with a bunch of kids?’ So it was a very different atmosphere. It was not so much an international
border to us as it was more of a border between two parts of the town we lived in.”
● Angela
“Then, in November of 2018, something strange happened in Nogales, Arizona.”
● Fernando
From one day to the next, all of a sudden we started seeing that they’re putting up the wire. That
kinda’ came up without any notice or anything, just all of a sudden.”
● Angela
The National Guard showed up. The military had been in the area for months, but this time they
brought coils and coils of concertina wire. The kind of wire often used to secure a prison, or a
military base. Not a town of 20,000 people.
● Fernando
and we started saying, well they don't have anything else to do. So they say, they figured, they
sat there were probably in their office and they said, what can we do, Oh let's put fencing, what
the hell? Cause they're, there were not being used training purpose, they can't do anything else.
I mean there were just sitting around.
● Angela
And then, the following February, the National Guard came back to Nogales with more wire.
They continued covering the fence until there were six rolls of it.
Nogales wasn’t the only town to get this razor wire treatment. It was popping up in Douglas,
Arizona. San Diego, California. Brownsville, Texas...
By the time I met Fernando, that wire had been up for months. But he still talked about it.
● Angela
Pero en México, something different is decorating the southern side of the border fence.
● Antonio Lucero
A mi me gusta como desierto pero pintarlo con mis colores pasteles. O sea. Moralitos, rosita,
colores como turquesa, como eso.( I like it the desert but I rather paint it with my pastel colors.
Pink, Purple or turquoise, like those.)
● Angela
Antonio Lucero is a graffiti artist who goes by the name Tony Plak. He decorates Nogales,
Sonora with large, colorful works of art. The murals are absolutely huge. He’ll climb under a
bridge on a scaffold and paint animals, mountains, Saguaro cacti.
Soon, Tony started painting the border fence, too. He wanted to turn it into something different.
● Antonio
Pues si es embellecer el muro, o sea pintarlo de otra manera, como...si. Borrar el muro,
pintando cosas, cosas buenas. ( It is making the wall more beautiful, you know, to paint it. It’s
like erasing the border and painting it with good things.)
Episode 7
This season we stayed on top of two major topics; the census and the 2020 elections.
Aquí una historia desde ( Here a story from) Chicago. Our collaborator Judith Ruiz-Branch talks
about how although Chicago is a very liberal city with a diverse population that breeds
inclusividad ( inclusivity) ,. But there are still some Latino families, many undocumented, that
have completely disconnected themselves from the current political landscape. Whether it’s due
to disinterest or miedo (fear) , there are many reasons why they choose to remain invisible, even
in a city like Chicago.
Escucha ( Listen).
● Judith
“Cities like Chicago seem to be progressive and sanctuaries for Latinos. After all, they do make
up one third of the city’s population. They made history this year in the city council and now hold
11 of 50 alderman seats, accounting for 22 percent of the council. Yet under the current national
political climate, where more Latinos have serious concerns about their place in this country, I
wanted to know how safe it feels for Latinos who are living here, both documented and
undocumented… and if that has any effect on how politically involved they choose to be. I spoke
to four Chicago Latinos to get the answers. And it seems that sometimes the influence, complex
as it may be, lies closer to home."
“In 2012, about 295,000 Latinos voted in Illinois in 2012 when President Barack Obama
was seeking reelection. Four years later the number spiked to 527,000 – an increase of
over 230,000 in just four years and one of the most dramatic spikes in Latino voting in
presidential elections.
So whether it’s fear driving them to the polls or the influence of those closer, a record 32
million Latinos nationwide are projected to be eligible to vote in 2020. This is a message
for them from four Latinos in Chicago.”
● Dona Chuy
Yo quiero darles el mensaje de esperanza pero también el mensaje de lucha. Osea no
nos podemos quedar en nuestras casas. Si hay esperanza. Si queremos un mundo
mejor. Si podemos hacer que cambien las cosas pero con nuestra contribucion. No nos
podemos quedar sentados y decir no pues que vaya la persona y lo cambie. Pero si
tambien estar ahí en la lucha. Si son ciudadanos pues a votar. A registrarse a vota. Si
son residentes permanentes a hacerce ciudadanos.” ( I want to give them a message of
hope but also of resistance. We can’t just stay home. There is hope. We do want a
better world. We can make changes with our contribution. We can't just stay seated and
depend on other voters. We have to fight for it too. If you are a citizen go out and vote.
Get registered to vote. If you're a permanent resident, become a citizen.)
● Karen
Just to get informed as much as you can. Honestly, I think that’s the only thing you can
do right now. I think us, DACA people or any Hispanics, didn’t have a voice sometimes
so just get informed as much as you can and just stick together.”
● Raymond
“Make sure that we’re fighting and we’re voting but that those aren’t the last things and
that we push past voting. Make sure that we make sure that if the party or whatever
elitist classes system are trying to fight against us that we fight back and that we make it
clear that you’re not going to take away this country away from us.”
● Manny
“What’s important is to be counted. And for Latinos, now that we’re the largest minority
group in the state and city, we really have to recognize that our strength is in our
numbers and that if we stand together we really can help lift the state.”
Episode 8
- Music
Host
¡Hola! Bienvenidos a nuestro ( Hello! Welcome to our) last episode de nuestracuarta temporada ( of our fourth season) of our bilingual podcast ¿QPM?
-River
-Host
This season we stayed on top of two major topics; the census and the 2020
elections.
Some of the topics we’ve explained esta temporada incluye ( this season includes) how the
census count can affect the elections with gerrymandering, la experiencia politica ( the political
experience) of young people in various countries, how the youth recently unseated a Puerto
Rican governor and heard stories from our collaborators, one of them on why some Latinos
rather not get involved in politics.
So, let’s get started with this episodio ( episode) . According to the Pew Research Center, the
2020 election will mark the first time that Hispanics will be the largest racial or ethnic minority
group in the electorate.
This increase is at least partially linked to inmigracion and naturalization. Por que ( Because)
one-in-ten eligible voters in the 2020 election will have been born outside the U.S. Like for
example Mayra Fortes. A Mexican born professor who recently became a citizen. Our
collaborator Emily Hunsberger talked to her in Michigan about why she decided to become a US
citizen.
- Mayra “ Well, I was a permanent resident and I was thinking that ‘ well, maybe I can stay as a
permanent resident because you can renew your residency I think every ten years. But thenPresident Trump came to the presidency and there were rumors that since he was being really,
I guess, tough on immigration that maybe he would eventually also take it on permanent
residents so it would be harder to stay at your job or find a job even if you had a green card. So,
that was pretty much what push me to maybe seek citizenship. “
● Host
Pero voter turnout will play an important role in determining the relative electoral influence of
different racial and ethnic groups. Asi que sal a votar por que una cosa es poder votar y otra es
salir a votar ( So go out and vote because one thing is to be eligible and another to actually
vote) . Y tu voto cuenta ( And your vote counts) . On our page, we have links to see las reglas
( the rules) and where to register to vote.
También queremos dejarte saber ( We also want to let you know about) some important dates
for you to prepare your vote and watch the debates.
● The Sixth Democratic primary debate was December 19, 2019
● The Iowa caucuses will happen February 3, 2020
● The New Hampshire primary on February 11, 2020
● And on March 3, 2020 the Super Tuesday primaries
● The First presidential debate will happen September 29, 2020
● Followed by Vice presidential debate on October 7, 2020
● On October 15, 2020 the Second presidential debate
● And the last and third presidential debate on October 22, 2020
We have these dates listed in our page por si tienes que volver a verlos ( in case you want to
see them) . These are important to know because this is how you’ll get to know los candidatos a
la presidencia ( the candidates to the presidency) .
Gracias por acompañarnos esta temporada ( Thank you for joining us this season). It was so
informative y yo aprendi muchisimo ( and I learned a lot ) during this season. Share with your
close circle about the importance of filling out the census and voting these upcoming elections.
On our website que pasa podcast dot com we have links to help you register to vote and learn
more about the census.
From Episode 1
It’s all about the census and 2020 elections. You’ll also notice how the music in this season
directly talks about politics and freedom.
Para nosotros la música es sumamente importante ( For us, the music is incredibly important). A
way to express how we feel about many things. The song for this episode es titulado ( it’s titled)
‘Derecho de nacimiento” by Natalia Lafourcade and for our English only speakers, this song
talks about how we weren't born without a cause or without faith. Reclaiming the freedom of
thought and demanding that they don't strip the poor of what cost them so much to build.
I’m Paola Marizán and this is ¿QPM?
- River
- Music