46 episodes
Natasha Explains It All Natasha Távora Baker
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- News
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5.0 • 7 Ratings
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My two cents on current affairs, criminal justice, Brazil, how yes you can make the world a better place, and more. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support
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Episode 44 - How to Call Your Elected Officials
Did you know you can call your elected officials and share your thoughts on what matters to you? In this episode, I explain how to do that, why it matters, and how to stay informed on what your elected officials are up to.
To be connected to the offices of your federal elected officials, you can dial the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.
A couple of options of newsletters to sign up for to stay up to date on what Congress is doing: https://www.govtrack.us/; https://idueprocess.org/
I also mentioned that the Justice Reinvestment Coalition is hosting a training on May 23rd on how to provide public comment at public hearings. 1-4pm at the Cal Endowment in Oakland, CA. For more, check out the Justice Reinvestment Coalition on Instagram @jrcofac
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Episode 43 - Book Report: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
I'm back with another book report and this one is all about family, love, activism, identity, politics, and American and Puerto Rican culture.
Other resources mentioned in the episode:
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
Independent reporter Bianca Graulau @biancagraulau
Author and poet Elisabet Velasquez @elisabetvelasquezpoetry
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Episode 42 - How to Stay Sane in an Election Year
It's an election year and the deluge of negative news can make it easy to feel disillusioned and want to check out. I offer some tips and tools to help you feel informed, engaged, and yes, even hopeful.
Tldr: pick a handful of journalists and/or a podcast or two to follow and one cause or campaign to support. And set a daily timer on your news apps! Quality over quantity is the key here.
Folks I mentioned as suggestions on who to follow on social media/subscribe to their newsletters/read their stuff:
Oliver Willis (I have 3 one-month subscriptions to his newsletter to give away, so contact me if you're interested)
Teri Kanefield
Judd Legum
Dan Rather
Heather Cox Richardson
Adam Serwer
Keith Edwards
Marc Elias
Sherrilyn Ifill
Elie Mystal
Molly Jong-Fast
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Robert Reich
Jay Kuo
The podcasts I mentioned:
The Nation
Boom Lawyered
Small Doses with Amanda Seales
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Episode 41 - Interview with Candidate Jennifer Esteen for Alameda County Supervisor, District 4
On March 5th, residents of District 4 of Alameda County will be voting for their supervisor, who will represent them on the county's Board of Supervisors. The candidates are 24-year incumbent Nate Miley and his challenger, Jennifer Esteen. Esteen joins me to talk about her campaign and why voters should support her. We talk about public safety, mental health, housing and homelessness, the Coliseum, and more.
To learn more about Jennifer Esteen, visit jenniferesteen.com.
Two upcoming candidate forums:
Feb. 25th, Skyline Church in Oakland, 5-6:30pm, in-person and virtual. More info here: https://skylineucc.org/forum/
Feb. 29th, virtual forum, 7-8:30pm, hosted by Restore Oakland and Oakland Rising
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Episode 40 - Brazil and US Insurrections Part Four
Last week, there were major developments in the insurrection cases against both former Brazilian president Bolsonaro and former US president Trump. Let's explore.
Early in the episode, I mention another podcast called "Alexandre," which is focused on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. You can listen here.
I also recommend checking out this interview with Elie Mystal on Political Roots to get more in depth on what's at stake in the US.
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Special Announcement: Collaborative Podcast Episode with Singing for Survival
I want to share a fun collaborative podcast project I did with Singing for Survival host Mike Pinto to discuss the abolitionist movement in Brazil. We focus on one key person in that struggle, Dragão do Mar, and explore the ties to capoeira and the ongoing struggle for a better world. I hope you'll take a listen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4FjaP2hpSj81aRNT7xfkEO?si=5gwxVIdvTryeVLKm4ljWNQ
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Customer Reviews
Clear and insightful information on current topics
Natasha does a great job of covering topics of current importance. She takes complex topics and clearly explains the underlying factors and significant implications. The podcast is great for those of us who want to learn more about an issue but don’t have time to do our own research.
Love it - Informative and Insightful
I love this show. Natasha does an amazing job going deep into pressing and important issues. With the occasional touch of humor and the persistent voice of a social justice advocate she tackles it all… and explains it all with grace and force.
Natasha Explained it well!
I have just listened to the first episode of Natasha explains it all… Great work! I was especially struck by the comparisons and contrasts she drew between the insurrection in Brazil and the insurrection in the United States following their respective elections. But what really resonated was the fact that Brazil responded forcefully to the insurrection… And largely because they remember when military governments were in power, and their actions made all Brazilians sadder but wiser.