El Podcast de El Profe Palacios

How do our earliest memories and family roots shape our academic and professional lives? In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant Profesora Lilia Soto for a thoughtful conversation on migration, identity, memory, and the complexities of navigating academia. Lilia reflects on her early childhood growing up between Napa and Zinapécuaro, Michoacán, and how those experiences have shaped her intellectual journey. We also discuss her time in graduate school and the personal and academic challenges she faced along the way. Finally, we explore the recent revelations surrounding Cesar Chavez’s sexual misconduct and how these discussions have influenced her work and the field of Chicana/o Studies.Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode I sit down with a former student of mine, Cinthya, who has an amazing story, we talked about her journey across the US-Mexico border, about going to school as an undocumented student. She recently receiving her Masters in Spanish from San Francisco State University. I think her story has a lot to teach us about perseverance and resilience, and I encourage you to share it specially with our undocumented students. I’m sure it will inspire them. It inspires me.MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. David Martinez — licensed psychologist, associate professor at the University of San Francisco, and Director of Mental Health at ALAS (Ayudando Latinos a Soñar). David shares his journey from growing up in East Salinas to earning a PhD in clinical psychology.We talk about growing up in Salinas and Michoacán, about losing his father at a young age and being raised by a single mother, being the first in his family to go to college, but then being placed on academic probation. We talk about coming out as a gay Latino, and ultimately finding his path in mental health and culturally-responsive care.This is a conversation about resilience, the importance of mental health, and building healing spaces for our communities.MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Rudy Tovar, someone I’ve known since our middle school days in Salinas. We talk about growing up in a working-class immigrant family and eventually becoming a business owner. We also talk about his passion for running and his role as a youth coach. We talked about fatherhood and what it means to raise boys with compassion. Finally, Rudy reflects on how his definition of success has evolved through the years.MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

Today I have the privilege of sharing with you an interview I did recently with Dr. Mayra Padilla—Mayra has an amazing story and I am very honored that she accepted to be a guest in the podcast.In this plática we talked about her family’s migration from Jalisco, about growing up in Richmond, in a low-income barrio and having to deal with some of the gang violence and drugs in the neighborhood but also finding community. She shared that although no one in her high school expected her to go to college, she developed a strong love for math that kept her engaged, and even after getting pregnant in the 11th grade, getting married young, dropping out of community college the first time she tried, she never gave up, every time she felled she got up again, she continued her education, and eventually earned her PhD in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley. After a career in science doing research, she decided to come back to Contra Costa College where she has served in various positions.Key Points* Roots in Richmond: Childhood, Migration, and Survival* Education, Pregnancy, and Finding Her Way Back to School* Science, Neuroscience, and Understanding Trauma* Coming Home: Community, Mentorship, and Social JusticeMusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I’m joined by Professor Rafael “Rafa” Solórzano—social movements scholar and organizer. We talk about his childhood, activism, and how the places he has lived and made community have shaped his work. Rafa takes us from growing up Chicano in Santa Ana, Orange County during the era of Proposition 187, 209, and 227, to organizing with MEChA, and multiracial youth coalitions in the Bay Area, and defending Ethnic Studies through the 1999 TWLF hunger strike at UC Berkeley. We also talk about why he chose to build and study migrant movements in the U.S. South, how he sustains himself through community, and his current projects—Migrant Refusal about migrant youth activism. MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this “Thanks-taking” special, I talk about being thankful despite all the MAGA pendejadas. I talk about labor shortages, growers voting against their interests, and ICE’s ongoing cruelty toward immigrant communities. And I share what I’m personally grateful for this year—from my family to my students to the immigrant workers who keep this country running.MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I break down Zohran Mamdani’s powerful victory speech after winning the New York City mayoral race. I have to say, I really needed this win. His victory gives me hope in our future. Mamdani’s campaign was grounded in affordability, and inclusion. As a Democratic Socialist, he is unapologetically pro-worker and pro-immigrant. Mamdani’s win is more than NYC’s victory — it’s also a reminder for all us, that we can win on a politics rooted in economic justice and standing up to the oligarchs, a politics driven by compassion and solidarity for EVERYONE. It’s a big win for working people, for immigrants, for those on the left who will not give up. MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Alexandro J. Gradilla, professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, for a plática about his life, his schooling, his journey through academia, and becoming an activist-scholar. Gradilla reflects on growing up in 1970s San Diego in a Mexican immigrant household, the impact his teachers and professors made on him, and what it was like living near the US-Mexico border. He traces a winding academic path from Hoover High to UC Berkeley, including academic probation, transformational mentors, and the courses that reoriented his intellectual work. Dr. Gradilla also reflects on abolitionist pedagogy, collective care, and futurism. We close with an urgent discussion of HSI funding cuts and why this moment is not only one of crisis, but also of opportunity.* Origins, schooling, and politicization* San Diego childhood in a Mexican immigrant family; city dynamics, Chicano aesthetics, and gentrifying City Heights.* K-12 snapshots: ESL gatekeeping, a Black Power–influenced teacher, and classroom encounters with war-displaced refugee peers.* Border rhythms with Tijuana, Catholic Sunday-school “help others” ethos, and an early moral vocabulary for justice.* Academic journey and formation of an intellectual project* Tracking into advanced classes, crucial AP English mentorship, and the narrow escape that sent him to UC Berkeley.* Academic probation to recovery through EOP counseling, MEChA, and pivotal courses with Pedro Noguera and Mario Barrera.* Shift from psychology to Chicana and Chicano Studies and anthropology; graduate training, mentorship, and lessons from cutthroat departmental cultures.* Activist-scholar praxis, pedagogy, and the HSI moment* Case for “activist-scholar” in corporatized universities; pushing policy and practice toward humanizing, abolitionist frameworks.* Classroom practice: experiential learning, collective over individual “self-care,” validation theory, and futurism to imagine and build alternative futures.* HSI funding cuts as opportunity for community-controlled, grassroots models that center Latina/o/x leadership and refuse performative DEI.MusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

Education is never neutral, and as Howard Zinn reminds us, “you cannot be neutral in a moving train.” Schools can either reproduce inequality or serve as spaces for critical thinking and transformation. In this episode, I talk about our responsibility as educators to foster class consciousness as we teach about capitalism and wealth inequality. We urgently need to teach class consciousness if we want our students to defend our democracy and create the world we want to see. Books mentioned in this episode: * James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me* Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States* Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed* Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities* Paul Willis’ Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class JobsI also mentioned Richard D. Wolff’s podcast Economic UpdateMusicJazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode of El Podcast del Profe Palacios, I reflect on the start of a new semester, on how I am incorporating AI into my teaching as well as in-class writing. I am going both old-school and new school. I am assigning more group project in my online classes, and using tools like Padlet to encourage participation and cooperation. I also talk about how I refuse to be a cop, and I am trying to stay away from policing AI in student work. Along the way, I ask: How do we maintain a balance between AI and old and proven teaching methods? Why AI will never replace good educators? And finally, what the hell is the point? Book Recomedation Win Every Argument, by Mehdi Hasan. Music Video Chase & Status - Alive (Official Music Video) ft. Jacob BanksMusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

This episode is not polite, balanced, or nice—it’s a rant. I rant about MAGA, especially Latino MAGA. I talk about the pinche ICE budget (bigger than the military of entire nations), about Mexican American migra who are deporting people just like their own parents. I take jabs at MAGA’s fake obsession with “protecting children” while ignoring child deaths at the border and in Gaza.I rant about:1. La pinche migra, ICE, with obscene funding.2. Children of immigrants who become ICE.3. Mexican Americans in ICE selling out their people.4. MAGA’s fake “save the children” cabal obsession.5. The myth that Trump and the Republican Party are separate.6. The lazy “but Biden” or “but Obama” defense.7. The “law and order” fraud.8. Denying racism while advancing racist policies.9. The push to enforce Christianity in schools and workplace.10. And the annoying Latino Trump voters who now regret it.If you’re MAGA—especially Latino MAGA—you’re not going to like this one.I start the song with “Sabado” by Snow Tha Product. I love this song.Background MusicMusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

Hola bienvenidos to another episode of El Podcast de el Profe Palacios. I am your host, El Profe Palacios. Today, I have the honor to sit down with the one and only Carlos-Manuel. He is an accomplished playwright, director, and professor at Contra Costa College. In our plática we talk about his childhood, his family’s migration story, the teachers who shaped his path, and how he became the chingón teatrista that he is. Carlos Manuel opens up about his identity as a gay immigrant from Mexico, and about the power of representation and theater.Toward the end of our plática, Carlos Manuel also talks about his upcoming projects, including a play he wrote and will be directing this fall about the life of Frida Kahlo, Viva la Vida. His story is one of resilience and determination, He tells his story with humor, and I’m so excited for you to hear it.LinksCarlos Manuel @ carlosmanuel.comContra Costa College’s Drama Department (Productions)MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this capirotada-style episode of El Podcast de el Profe Palacios, I provide some commentary on the current state of affairs—from ICE recruitment, to the Superman’s immigrant story, and Miss Rachel’s activism for Palestine. And hey, I had a visitor; a hummingbird came to my window! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, tengo el gusto de compartir una plática I had with my colleague and neighbor, Dr. Dani Ahuicapahtzin Cornejo. Dani is the Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at Diablo Valley College.In this plática, Dani reflects on his life, his complex heritage that includes Chile, Mexico, and a Quaker grandfather. He talks about growing up in a primarily Black neighborhood in Denver, Colorado; and also being raised partly in Chile. Dani grew up at the intersection of a diverse world, surrounded by activists, musicians, and exiles. Dani also shares about the time he spent with the Movimiento Sin Terra en Brazil, which actually inspired him to become an Ethnic Studies professor.I had a good time talking to Dani and getting to know his story, and I am sure you will enjoy listening to the plática. Asi que ponganse las pilas, y síganme los buenos!Book RecommendationThe Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi.MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I sit down with my colega Norma Valdez-Jimenez, an academic counselor at Contra Costa College. Norma shares her story—from her childhood experiences growing up in San Pablo, California, to her academic journey at CCC and San Francisco State. She shared about the importance of being present and serving our students. We also explore her path as a poet, and the insight and growth that come from putting pen to paper. MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

On June 14, No Kings Day, I took to the streets of San Pablo and El Sobrante, California, in the SF East Bay to uplift the voices of those who showed up to say No to Trump’s politics of fear and hate—and Yes to community, solidarity, and hope. In this episode, I talk with organizers, families, and community members about why they demonstrated. Together, we reflect on the power of collective action, the love that fuels resistance, and the responsibility we carry as educators and neighbors. Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos.Jazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-introMusic promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I sat down with Melina Lozano, president of La Raza Student Union and Contra Costa College student. Melina shares her story of growing up in Richmond, California as the daughter of immigrant parents, and her journey navigating the education system as a first-generation college student. We talk about some of the challenges she faced, as well as how her discipline and hard work pays off. We also talked about her dreams of becoming a nurse. Her ganas de triunfar and determination inspired me, and I hope they inspire you. MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I reflect on why Palestine matters in Chicano Studies and Ethnic Studies. I open with a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, drawing connections between displaced peoples, ancestral land, and the deep love and longing for home. I share personal memories—of fig trees, nopales, and sacred land. From poetry to praxis, I explore how Ethnic Studies teaches us to name settler colonialism, analyze power, and build cross-community solidarity.Resources Mentioned:· Words Under the Words, by Naomi Shihab Nye· The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi· The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates· Farha and Mo on NetflixMusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I explore the promises and challenges of artificial intelligence through the lens of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. I reflect on what it means to teach — and learn — in the coming age of AI. Drawing from Freire’s ideas on conscientization, problem-posing education, and the need to read both the word and the world, I ask: how do we keep our students from becoming passive consumers of information, or even worse, from becoming manipulated by those who control AI?Jazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-introMusic promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I talk about why it’s essential to teach our students and our children to respect LGBTQ people. What we put into the world eventually comes back to our family and our kids. I share some personal stories of myself as a parent and educator. It is our responsibility to model respect and affirm LGBTQ identities in meaningful ways. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

In this episode, I respond to the escalating attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Ethnic Studies by the Trump administration and its cronies. Why are they so afraid of educated Chicanos/as/x? Why does the truth about United States history make them uncomfortable? Join me as I share my thoughts on this topic.MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

Hola, bienvenidos to El Podcast del Profe Palacios, a podcast about Ethnic Studies, education, and issues affecting our Latino/e students and communities. I am your host Dr. Agustín Palacios, professor of Chicano/Latino Studies for more than 15 years at the community college. In this podcast we will talk about how Ethnic Studies is more than an academic subject; it is a practice grounded in community love and social justice. The analysis and conversations I will provide will be informed by many years of research, and also by my experiences growing up in the US-Mexico border and in the Salinas Valley. I will bring different guests to share their stories and academic journey. We will hear from professors, students, and community organizers. And sometimes, I will provide the occasional political piece, pues porque I get angry and I need say something. Asi que ponganse las pilas, y siganme los buenos!MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com

Hola, bienvenidos to El Podcast del Profe Palacios, a podcast about Ethnic Studies, education, and issues affecting our Latino/e students and communities. I am your host Dr. Agustín Palacios, professor of Chicano/Latino Studies for more than 15 years at the community college. In this podcast we will talk about how Ethnic Studies is more than an academic subject; it is a practice grounded in community love and social justice. The analysis and conversations I will provide will be informed by many years of research, and also by my experiences growing up in the US-Mexico border and in the Salinas Valley. I will bring different guests to share their stories and academic journey. We will hear from professors, students, and community organizers. And sometimes, I will provide the occasional political piece, pues porque I get angry and I need say something. Asi que ponganse las pilas, y siganme los buenos!MusicJazzaddict's Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-introMusic promoted by Audio Library This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agustinpalacios.substack.com