Vaya Con Muñoz 6.16.18

Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College, on addressing the gap between white students and students of color, the ever-shrinking state investment in community colleges, creating a diverse administration and faculty, and more, in this extended conversation.
Puerto Rican photographer Pablo Delano, on his upcoming installation called “The Musuem of The Old Colony,” which will be presented at the Hampshire College Art Gallery this fall. He gave a talk recently at the college about the exhibit of black and white photographs that depict how the US saw Puerto Ricans in the 20th Century when it became an American territory as a result of the 1898 Spanish American War.

Vaya Con Muñoz 6.9.18

Los políticos electos en Puerto Rico are killing a law that protects workers in the event they are injustly fired. It removes severance pay. At the same time, the fiscal control board apointed by former President Barack Obama to manage the island’s economy pays its executive director $600,000 a year — and she has a provision in her contact that if she is unjustly fired, she will receive up to 6 months severance. Uh-huh.
The misdeeds of politicians far and wide cause people to turn away from voting, from the democratic process.
We talk with Heshima Moja on activism even when every fiber of our bodies wants to disconnect from the overwhelming daily dose of Trumpism.
Ariadna Goenaga reseña “THe Good Fight” con Chrintine Baranski.

Vaya Con Muñoz June 2 2018

Charlie LeDuff, Pulitzer Prize winning-journalist and author of “S-SHOW!” The Country’s Collapsing . . . and the Ratings are Great. Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker, presenter of the multimedia talk, “Still Standing: Stories from the African American Community Navigating the Turbulent Terrain on Thursday, June 7 at 4:30 pm at the Mason Square Library, 765 State St., Springfield.

Yanina Vargas Arriaga, vice president of student affairs at Holyoke Community College, on the college being desgnited a Hispanic Serving Institution – what does that mean? And, as a Puerto Rican, on Puerto Rico

Vaya Con Muñoz 5.19.18

Suzanne Parker, executive director of Girls Inc. in Holyoke, on what her organization does to strengthen girls.
Emma Febo de Vega Baja y Lillian Torres de Ponce. El tema es: ¡Cómo bajar los niveles!
Diosdado López, organizer of the Hispanic Family Festival in Holyoke for 30+ years, on what’s happening this year. El festival de 4 días comienza el 31 de mayo en el Parque Springdale de Holyoke. Más info aquí: lafamiliahispana.org/
Entre los invitados, la gran Victoria Sanabria.

Vaya Con Muñoz 5.12.18

Filmmaker Larry Hott reviews a six-part documentary series about a 1980s cult, “Wild, Wild Country.” Trailer here: youtube.com/watch?v=hBLS_OM6Puk
Hablamos con Lillian Torres y Emma Febosobre lo último en nuestro Puerto Rico.
Matt Szafranski, founder and editor of Western Mass. Politics and Insight [wmasspi.com], on the rise and fall of state Sen. Stan Rosenberg, and the races for state seats representing WMass.

Vaya Con Muñoz 5.5.18

The heart wants what it wants and sometimes it makes a mistake of epic proportions but almost always it is a private matter. In the case of state Sen. Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, it was a public heartbreak and my heart goes out to him.
Award-winning filmmaker Larry Hott brings Garth Stevenson to the studio to talk about movie soundtracks. Garth wrote the soundtrack for the recently released movie, “Chappaquiddick,” directed by John Curran. Trailer here: https:/youtube.com/watch?v=qG-c8DtOm9g
Neftalí Durán, community activist, and Iohann Vega, host of Radioplasma podcast [radioplasma.com] were among several people who wrote to the Amherst Chamber of Commerce to not use their culture as a prop as the chamber celebrated something called “Margarita Maddness.” This segment is in Spanish, and an English version recorded for the Bill Newman Show is avalaible online as well on his podcast.

Vaya Con Muñoz 4.7.18

Larry Hott invites Lisa Ades, the producer and director of “GI Jews,” which will be on PBS on April 11. Trailer here: Youtube.com/watch?v=sl8XoAPNsxA
Esmeralda Santiago, author of “When I was Pueeto Rican” and other memoirs and novels, was at Holyoke Community College recently. We have audio from her presentation, about what we become when we leave our homeland.
En español, Ariadna Goenaga reseña “Lady Bird.”

Vaya Con Muñoz 3.31.18

We hear a bit from this week’s Democratic Party gubernatorial candidates Jay González, Bob Massi and Setti Warren. The three are all awesome. An embarassment of riches!
Filmmaker Larry Hott invites Kate Albright-Hanna, a filmmaker from Huntington making a bid for state representative in the 1st Franklin District.
Zydalis Bauer and Verónica García are the co-hosts of “Presencia,” the only bilingual program in the PBS biosphere nationwide. It’s locally produced at WGBY publuc television in Springfield and starts its third season on April 5 at 7:30 pm. Or watch it online here: http://presencia.wgby.org/
Lillian Torres, la ponceña por exvelencia comparte su punto de vista sobre las escuelas charter y los sueldazos de los miembros de la administracion del gobernor del Puerto Rico, Pedro, sorry, Ricky Rosselló.
Images by the Democratic Party gubernatorial campaigns.

Vaya Con Muñoz 3.24.18

Larry Hott and I talk with Jim Kelly, director of the Covenant House for homeless youths in New Orleans. The shelter is the subject of a documentary by filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud. Check it out here:covenanthousenola.org/shelter-documentary/
We also get an update from Larry and Deb Krivoy, director of the 13th Annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival. Watch trailers and get film times here: pvjff.org
Arlene Akavian, professor emeritus and one of the founders of the Womens’ Studies Program at the Universty of Masachusetts at Amherst, on the #metoo movement.
Lillian Torres, la ponceña por excelencia, habla de los retos que enfrentan los boricuas al llegar a los EEUU a raíz del huracán María.
“Algún día volveré” by Natalia Muñoz

Vaya Con Muñoz 3.17.18

Filmmaker Larry and Deb Krivoy, director of the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival that kicked off this week in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties with 25 films, spotlight some of the films that are showing, including “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,” “GI Jews” and “Raising The Roof.” You can watch trailers for all the films here: http://pvjff.org/
Matt Szafranski, founder and editor of Western Mass. Politics and Insight, on the Springfield City Council’s call for a chief diversity officer, a position that Mayor Sarno says isn’t necessary in a city where only five of the 26 department heads are from communities of color.
La crítica de cine Ariadna Goenaga reseña “The Shape of Water,” ganadora del Oscar para mejor película del año.
Liza Gallardo, percusionista con Las Atípicas, nueve mujeres boricuas que cantan música típica de Puerto Rico, hace un llamado a la diáspora para apoyar su viaje a Cuba en julio. Son invitadas al 18 Festival del Caribe, también conocido como la Fiesta del Fuego. en Santiago. Aquí puedes escuchar su música: facebook.com/lasatipicas y para apoyaralas vayan aquí: gofundme.com/atipicasacuba