August 1, 2024: Pan American Dreams

Today on the show, we're exploring the Americas. Yes, plural. There are two continents after all, connected by both peninsula and aspirations. And bringing traditions from south of us is Columbia's Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, stopping by our studios before performing at the Marigold Theater in Easthampton this evening. The group has been bringing the sounds of cumbia, gaita, and porro to life since 1940, creating an incredible legacy through several generations, while bridging the same on stages across the world. Crossing borders, we find another story that starts in El Salvador and ends with a 15+ year tenure at a restaurant in Hadley that has become an institution. We head to Alina's to chat with owners Maritza Amaya-Branche and Martin Amaya and discover how an injury and a trip to meet family has turned into a 30 year career, and how community has become an integral part of how they operate. And Congressman Jim McGovern has Olympic fever like the rest of us, especially with one of his constituents winning a bronze medal, but he's also tackling being sanctioned by China (!!!), contemplating  the hullabaloo with the National Association of Black Journalists and the former president this week, and fielding a listener question about VP Kamala Harris' position on Palestine.