Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama My Cultura Network

The crew of Essential Voices shares what they’ve learned through our conversations with essential workers. 

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/76b71a81-586f-4e9e-87c3-84b788e5d621

 
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Walter Merino, Terence Abram, and Dr. Sara Velasco are all essential workers who went above and beyond to take care of their communities during the height of the pandemic. Walter Merino runs the Olé Soccer Club, where he coached young players from afar and made sure that even if they weren’t on the field, their team had their back. Terence Abram is an occupational therapist at a nursing facility in Los Angeles, who was there for his patients even when their families could not be. Finally, Dr. Sara Velasco has been a family physician for over 40 years and kept up her duty of care when her families needed her the most. 

Learn more about Olé Soccer Club: http://www.olesoccer.org/

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/72d513c6-25a8-4eb2-b2d5-cb4c1639c69d

 
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Andres Almeida is a server at a restaurant in New York, along with being a graduate student and advocate for the organization, One Fair Wage. The restaurant he works at didn’t close during the pandemic, so Andres tells us all about what it was like working during all the different stages of the past couple years, including adapting to new safety regulations, but also adapting to the attitudes of different customers. Roundtable guests: chef and host of Broken Bread, Roy Choi, and author and President of One Fair Wage, Saru Jayaraman.

Learn more about One Fair Wage: https://onefairwage.site/ 

Learn more about Broken Bread: https://www.kcet.org/shows/broken-bread

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/e2c0bcc1-9e1b-4ebe-9a02-a6555537000f
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Please note this episode deals with discussions of sexual and domestic violence.

Solange Ramkissoon has worked as part of a sexual assault response team and answers the phone when someone calls into their hotline. Throughout the pandemic when the instructions were to stay at home to stay safe from Covid, home was often the least safe place to be for those at risk of assault within the home. Throughout the pandemic when intimate partner violence increased with lockdowns, Solange and her team were answering phones and were 24/7 lifelines to support survivors. Roundtable guests: actress and advocate Gabrielle Union and expert on gender-based violence prevention and response, Lina AbiRafeh.

Learn more about SAVE of Essex County: https://www.familyserviceleague.org/save-of-essex#:~:text=SAVE%20of%20Essex%20County%20operates,%2C%20friends%2C%20and%20significant%20others.

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/d61089fc-001c-4bd4-9327-c199d03f79d4
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Last week we spoke with Miski Noor about their community organizing in Minneapolis. To continue that conversation this week, we'll speak with Benjamin Crump who is one of the foremost figures in our current social justice movement. He has represented families in multiple high-profile police violence cases, including the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. He has been leading the same fight in the courtroom that Miski and Black Visions have been leading on the front lines in Minneapolis. Part two of two. 

Learn more about Benjamin Crump: https://bencrump.com/

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/af72bb47-ef08-4144-86f5-f252adffe699
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Miski Noor is an organizer and writer based in Minneapolis, MN where they are Co-Director with Black Visions, a power and base-building force for Black Queer and Trans people and their families within the larger Movement for Black Lives. They were mere blocks from George Floyd when he was murdered in 2020 and can speak to what it was like protesting during a pandemic along with how transformative justice informs their vision for a brighter future in Minneapolis. Part one of a two part series. 

Learn more about Black Visions: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/home1 

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/ac998ef7-8913-4b0f-939d-c3389656540a

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.