Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama
Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama
The Covid-19 pandemic introduced the term “Essential Workers” for a class of people who existed before and will persist long after the virus is gone. Vital to society, but rarely heard from, this “essential” class is often hit hardest by the imbalances and injustices of our culture. In each episode, host Wilmer Valderrama will have intimate conversations with people on the frontlines of the food s…Social links:
Follow the podcast:
Turning the Mic Around
The crew of Essential Voices shares what they’ve learned through our conversations with essential workers. Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/76b71a81-586f-4e9e-87c3-84b788e5d621
1:06:04
Still Essential
Walter Merino, Terence Abram, and Dr. Sara Velasco are all essential workers who went above and beyond to take care of their communities during the height of the pandemic. Walter Merino runs the Olé Soccer Club, where he coached young players from afar and made sure that even if they weren’t on the…
33:06
Not Even Minimum Wage
Andres Almeida is a server at a restaurant in New York, along with being a graduate student and advocate for the organization, One Fair Wage. The restaurant he works at didn’t close during the pandemic, so Andres tells us all about what it was like working during all the different stages of the pas…
53:13
Lifelines
Please note this episode deals with discussions of sexual and domestic violence. Solange Ramkissoon has worked as part of a sexual assault response team and answers the phone when someone calls into their hotline. Throughout the pandemic when the instructions were to stay at home to stay safe from…
50:35
Black Visions - Part Two
Last week we spoke with Miski Noor about their community organizing in Minneapolis. To continue that conversation this week, we'll speak with Benjamin Crump who is one of the foremost figures in our current social justice movement. He has represented families in multiple high-profile police violenc…
37:45
Black Visions - Part One
Miski Noor is an organizer and writer based in Minneapolis, MN where they are Co-Director with Black Visions, a power and base-building force for Black Queer and Trans people and their families within the larger Movement for Black Lives. They were mere blocks from George Floyd when he was murdered …
28:57
Heavy Lifting - Part Two
Last week we spoke to Longshoreman Nicole Salima and truck driver Armando Pacheco, who are both essential workers in the global supply chain. This week we will be in conversation with Mayor Robert Garcia of Long Beach and Wall Street Journal journalist Christopher Mims, to learn more about the larg…
32:35
Heavy Lifting - Part One
It takes the work of many hands to get the products we all rely on from the factory to our homes. What to the consumer may just be the push of a button, requires the heavy lifting of factory workers, longshoreman, truck drivers and hundreds more. Nicole Salima and Armando Pacheco are two of the wor…
27:20
The Heart Behind The Sirens - Part Two
Last week in Part One of our series about EMS responders during the pandemic, we heard from FDNY EMS Lieutenant Anthony Almojera about what it was like on the front lines fighting Covid-19 in New York City. In our roundtable this week, we reflect on Anthony’s story with grief expert and psychothera…
31:44
The Heart Behind The Sirens
First responders like EMS professionals are often on the receiving end of the calls we wish we didn’t have to make when an emergency hits. A job that not only sees emergencies but also the beginning of new lives, EMS responders support medical transitions of all kinds. Anthony Almojera has witnesse…
26:15