• Episode #72: Discussing Intersectionality, What Politicians Got Wrong about the "Latinx" Vote and More with Jackie, La Gorda Corajuda
    Nov 17 2020

    Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week!

    I had the pleasure of speaking with Jackie, aka La Gorda Corajuda on Instagram, Tik-Tok and Twitter. She’s a Latinx, intersectional feminist making really awesome and educational content on social media and I came across her profile right before the 2020 election and instantly knew that I needed to have her come on the show. She wants the best for her community and wants us all to progress forward, even if that means discussing issues that make some people uncomfortable. Here's an example of some of the work she is creating that made me really want to interview her.

    We had a really great wide ranging conversation about the Latinx community, what intersectionality means to her, how Democrats can improve their messaging to the Latinx community and you'll definitely want to stick till the end of the episode where we discuss the subject of whether or not Latinos and Latinas can say the “n” word. This has been a topic she has discussed on her platform, i’ve discussed here on mine and I wanted to take some time to really dive into the issue and see where the disconnect lies among the Latinx community when it comes to this word.

    Connect with Jackie on social media at: 

    Tik Tok

    Instagram

    Youtube 

    Twitter

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    Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    57 mins
  • Episode #71: How Community Organizers Helped Legalize Recreational Marijuana in Arizona with Alejandro Chavez
    Nov 10 2020

    Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week! 

    Its been a week since the election was held and there were some amazing results on a variety of fronts including the fact that 5 different states passed some form of marijuana legalization measures. This was a huge victory for the cannabis industry and another step forward in ending the drug war. 

    One amazing comeback story came to us from the state of Arizona, where voters passed proposition 207, which legalizes recreational marijuana. In 2016, the initiative failed to pass but only by a few percentage points, which left proponents of legalization, no pun intended fired up and ready to finish the job. And it certainly paid off because this time prop 207 was passed with 60% of the vote and was, once again no pun intended, the highest vote getter in Arizona state history with 1.92 million people voting in favor of legalization. I wanted to take the time out to learn about what changed in those 4 years and how community organizers got the message out.

    So I spoke with Alejandro Chavez, a Political Director at Strategies 360, who joined to help win the Smart and Safe Arizona campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona.

    He’s done a lot of amazing work with MoveOn.org where he helped the successful campaigns of Arizona State Representative Ruben Gallego, Texas Rep Veronica Escobar and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez.

    Oh yeah and he just so happens to be the grandson of legendary civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.


    Connect with Alejandro Chavez on Twitter @alejchavez

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    Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    49 mins
  • Special Election Coverage Part 3: Whats the Deal with Latinos for Trump, and Election Coverage with Rocio Vives
    Nov 5 2020

    This is part 3 of my special election coverage. I did three different interviews throughout the night with people of different political backgrounds and demographics. Here I speak with Rocio Vives, co-host of Chica Chats a Liberal Democrat from New York City about why some Latino voters are choosing to support Trump. Check out part 1 where I discuss big tech monopolies and part 2 discussing whether or not Texas will ever turn blue.

    Check out our merch and more content at www.aprettynormal.com

    Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    ---

    Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    38 mins
  • Special Election Coverage Part 2: Will Texas Eventually Turn Blue and Election Coverage with Floyd Hope
    Nov 4 2020

    This is part 2 of my special election coverage. I did three different interviews throughout the night with people of different political backgrounds and demographics. Here I speak with a political independent from Texas who leans Democrat about the election results and whether or not Texas will ever turn into a blue Democrat state.

    Check out part 1 where I discuss big tech monopolies and stay tuned for part 3 where I speak with a Democrat from New York City.

    Check out our merch and more content at www.aprettynormal.com

    Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    35 mins
  • Special Election Coverage Part 1: Discussing Censorship, Breaking Up Tech Monopolies and the 2020 Election Results with Rob A
    Nov 4 2020

    This is part 1 of my special election coverage. I did three different interviews throughout the night with people of different political backgrounds and demographics. Here I speak with a political independent about big tech censorship, how to balance combatting misinformation while also not giving complete power to the tech monopolies and more.

    Stay tuned for part 2 & 3 where I speak with an Independent from Texas and a Democrat from New York City.


    Check out our merch and more content at www.aprettynormal.com


    Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    29 mins
  • Episode #70: Counting Down the 2020 Election, More Politics in Hip Hop, and Black Lives Matter with Triston Jackson
    Nov 2 2020

    Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week! Tomorrow, November 3rd is the election here In the United States. I can't believe 4 years have come and gone already. No matter what happens it's truly amazing to see the amount of voter enthusiasm this time around. Early voting records have already been surpassed and whatever  happens I hope people continue to participate this much in our election process.

    This week I had the opportunity to speak with Triston Jackson, a U.S army veteran, entrepreneur and founder of a non-profit which aimed at helping the homeless. Triston grew up in the deep South however his political views are very interesting considering the conservative nature of the state he lives in. It was a pleasure to speak with Triston and that speech you heard at the beginning was an amazing speech he wrote. His words inspired me to create a powerful video detailing the struggles the black community faces. Go check that out on Youtube or Instagram and let me know what you think.

    Connect with Triston Jackson on Instagram @the_0racl3

    https://www.facebook.com/Triston412

    Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube

    Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Episode #69: Why POC Youtuber, Qyarris Has Decided Not to Vote This Election featuring Qyarris
    Oct 28 2020

    Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast. This week I had the opportunity to speak with Qyarris, a New York based Youtuber, and this was the perfect person to have on after taking a break from the show. 

    I had so much fun speaking with Qyarris about why he has made the decision to not vote this year and the backlash he receives from the black community. As I always state, use the information you hear from this interview as a starting point into your own research and always educate yourself before making any decisions.


    Connect with Qyarris on Instagram @Quba.j

    https://www.youtube.com/user/qjest1993

    Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube

    Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show.

    --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    1 hr
  • Episode #68: Race, Reproductive Rights and Mass Incarceration in America with Dr. Michele B. Goodwin
    Oct 6 2020
    Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they’re most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Michele Goodwin, a professor, social commentator, an internationally acclaimed bioethicist and the award winning author of several books including Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.Dr. Michele Bratcher Goodwin is a global thought leader and advisor.  She is the host of the popular podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, at Ms. magazine. Her writings address pressing matters of law, society, and global health. I had a pleasure speaking with her and learned so much in our discussion of race and mass incarceration in America.If you would like to connect with Dr. Goodwin check out the show notes for all the links. Connect with Dr. Goodwin on Instagram @michelebgoodwinwww.michelebgoodwin.com/Women and Mass Incarceration | Michele Goodwin | TEDxUCIrvine Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support
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    46 mins