Chicana Motherwork

Season 2 Episode 12: Women of Color Healing From Autoimmune Disease And Childhood Trauma by Chicana Motherwork

Season 2 Episode 11: Raising Liberated Children Workshop with Mothers Who Are Incarcerated by Chicana Motherwork

This is the first interview in a series of five podcasts in which listeners will learn more about each of the five CMW members. In this episode, Ceci interviews Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu about Chicana Mothering on the Alt Ac. Join us as Yvette discusses transitioning from the tenure-track to the alt-ac, she shares what her current job as the Assistant Director for UCSB's McNair Scholars program is like, what life is like after earning her PhD as a first generation Chicana scholar, her postpartum depression as a WOC PhD student, how she navigates an invisible chronic illness and daily pain in academic spaces, how a recent switch to a vegan diet has improved her health, what it's like mothering a mixed race child (her child is Vietnamese and Chicanx) who has special needs (autism and apraxia), her long-term goals, and much more.

In this episode, Chicana M(other)work interviews a Chingona Chicana Chef from La Guayaba Kitchen at Tia Chuchas Centro Cultural in Sylmar, CA. We cook up hood gourmet and good conversations. Join us as we discuss what it means to decolonize your diet through food, song, and community.

In this episode, Michelle and Cecilia from Chicana M(other)work interview two Southern California-based and self-identified Chicana punk moms. They had a conversation about how a Chicana punk rock ethos informs their lives, their community work, and, most importantly, their mothering.

In this special mini-episode, Cecilia Caballero from Chicana M(other)work teamed up with Trina Greene Brown, Black feminist mama-activist and founder of Parenting for Liberation, for a panel titled "Mothering the Revolution" at the Allied Media Conference 2017. The podcast begins with a dedication to the memory of Black mothers killed by police, Charleena Lyles and Megan Marie Hockaday, and we honor their spirits that guide our visions for justice. Ceci and Trina share their reflections about moderating their AMC session, including the shared role of digital storytelling in our respective projects and some challenges such as the difficulty of solidarity-building between parents and caregivers of color and white allies. Then, participants from the AMC session discuss their thoughts about what Mothering the Revolution means to them. We share tips, strategies, affirmations, resources, our fears, laughs, and more.

In this episode, Chicana M(other)work is interviewed by Esther Diaz Martin, a Mexicana migrante and Chicana PhD mama. Esther researches, in her words, "Latina feminisms as heard through the voice of contemporary Latina podcast and radio locutoras." First, we begin the podcast by sharing our end-of-term experiences and our initial thoughts about reviewing submissions for the Chicana M(other)work anthology during our retreat in Santa Barbara. Then, for the interview, we discuss why we created the CM podcast, how we engage with Chicana vs. Latina feminisms in our work and lived experiences, the intentions behind the multiple forms of sonic and digital media that we have produced, how we navigate power dynamics, silencing, and respectability politics in academia as junior women of color mother-scholars, and future plans for the podcast.

In this episode, Chicana M(other)work interviews queer Xicana single mother, writer, and activist, Ana Castillo. We discuss her Lambda Award-winning memoir, Black Dove: Mama, Mi'jo, y Yo (2016), and she elaborates on topics such as: her queer single Xicana mothering, how and why she wrote her book The Massacre of the Dreamers (1994) and the impact her book had on the rise of Chicana feminist thought and activism, our fears of raising brown boys in the age of mass incarceration and police brutality, combating state violence and patriarchy through Chicana mothering, self and community care for mothers of color including seeking support for depression and mental illness, her book recommendations, and much more!

We dedicate this Chicana M(other)work episode to the Standing Rock Water Protectors, especially the youth, mothers, and elders. In this episode, Michelle and Cecilia interview Emileah Lujan, a 22-year-old Taos Pueblo Water Protector. Lujan discusses her motivations for going to Standing Rock, the importance of intertribal solidarity, indigenous revolution, and how folks can support the Standing Rock Water Protectors. We close the episode with a live ceremonial song offering of "Water is Life" by Winterbear Suazo, a Taos Pueblo Water Protector.

We dedicate this podcast to Chicano activist, musician, father, and beloved community member of San Diego and beyond, Ramon "Chunky" Gonzalez. We play the song "Chicano Park" by his band Los Alacranes in his honor. His daughter, activist-mother Esmi Sanchez, joins us with Michelle, Judi, Yvette, Christine, and Cecilia. Through a platica and healing circle, we discuss the aftermath of the presidential election and its affects upon ourselves, our children, and our communities and how we can work together with the intention to create community power and cultivate radical love. We close by sharing resources about how to dismantle and fight racism, especially as they relate to populations which are the most vulnerable, as well as tips about how to protest safely with our children in the streets.

In the second episode of the Chicana M(other)work podcast, Yvette, Christine, and Cecilia are joined by special guest Andrea Penagos, licensed acupuncturist, energy worker, herbalist, and curandera. Andrea shares self and community care strategies for people of color and offers her knowledge about the the transitions of the fall season and the ways we can honor our ancestors by planting seeds and letting go during Dia De Los Muertos and beyond. Then, Yvette and Christine check-in about their children, everything from accessing services for special needs children to sleep training a pre-schooler, while Cecilia shares her most recent experiences about navigating academic conference spaces as a first generation, low-income, woman of color student. We close by sharing information about the forthcoming Chicana M(other)work anthology and our call for papers, we announce the winner of the Chicana M(other)work T-shirt contest, and we close with shout-outs to our loved ones who inspire us.

Chicana M(other)work Episode 1: Back to School Relaunch is dedicated to the memory of Black revolutionary mother and freedom fighter, Korryn Gaines. In this episode, Michelle, Christine, Yvette, Judi, and Cecilia discuss what we have been up to since our last podcast, including presentations at UCLA and the Latina/o Studies Association conference, a communal healing session with a curandera, and a writing retreat for our collaborative article about Chicana M(other)work as a framework for institutional transformation in Arizona. We discuss our forthcoming Chicana M(other)work projects, parenting wins and fails, give shoutouts, and make announcements for future podcasts.