Feet In 2 Worlds

Since 1970 voters in Harlem have sent Congressman Charles Rangel to represent them in Congress. Now he’s in a tough battle for reelection in a newly redrawn congressional district with a Latino majority.  55 per cent of the voters in New York’s 13th congressional district are Hispanic.  This is one of main challenges facing Congressman Rangel in his reelection bid.  Rangel was one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he’s been a leading voice for African Americans in Congress.  On Tuesday June 26 Rangel faces four challengers in New York’s Democratic Primary, and he joins us on this week's podcast.

For Latinos, what could possibly be funny about the 2012 election? For an answer, Jack Tomas joins us on this podcast. He's  a blogger and film maker who writes about politics and other subjects from a Latino perspective, often using satire to make his point.  Jack is a new contributor to the Feet in 2 Worlds blog, and will be writing commentaries and new analysis for us on a regular basis.

For Haitian men immigrating to the US can open doors, including the door to the kitchen. For this Food in 2 Worlds podcast, Nadege Fleurimond, author of Taste of Life: A Culinary Memoir, discusses how life in the US has dramatically changed the way some Haitian men think about their role in the kitchen.

FI2W's John Rudolph is joined this week by the new editor of Voices of NY, Indrani Sen.

Is it wrong to call someone who is in the country without papers an "illegal immigrant" or an "illegal alien"? These terms are considered offensive and inaccurate by many people.  A number of news organizations have stopped using these terms, opting instead to use the words, "undocumented immigrant". On this podcast, we're joined by Julia Preston, national immigration correspondent for the New York Times, and Monica Novoa, writer for Colorlines, and organizer of the "Drop the I-Word" Campaign.

This week's podcast features a story produced by Abdulai Bah for our radio partner WNYC. In it, Bah explains how West African immigrants in the U.S. who use free conference-call services — like those used in office meetings — are hosting free radio shows that can be dialed into from anywhere in the country.

In this FI2W podcast, John Rudolph is joined by reporter Theresa Loong, who introduces us to Kim Ima, whose Jewish and Japanese heritage inspired her to create NYC's Treats Truck.

This week, an update on the story of John Liu, as told by a Chinese reporter who is covering New York City’s embattled Comptroller. On this podcast, our guest is Rong Xiaoqing, a reporter with the Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao Daily, and a contributor to Feet in 2 Worlds.

For certain immigrants and minorities in New York, obesity is on the rise, and it’s a major health risk.   Healthy cooking classes are one way people are being encouraged to lose weight and live healthier lives. On this Food in Two Worlds podcast, we take a look at how healthy eating messages are reaching immigrants in New York City, and whether or not they’re effective. We're joined by journalist Juhie Bhatia, who has been reporting on this subject for Feet in Two Worlds.  Juhie is the managing editor of Women’s e-news. Also in the studio is  Christina McGeough, a bilingual nutritionist at the Institute for Family Health in the Bronx, where 80 percent of her patients are minorities and include many immigrants.

Of all the people in the United States held behind bars, the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population is immigrants.  Some 400-thousand immigrants are detained every year.  The immigrant detention system is a key element of the Obama administration’s policy that has resulted in the deportation of record numbers of immigrants—those who are undocumented as well as many who are in the country legally. Recently Feet in Two Worlds held a forum at the New School in New York focused on immigrant detentions.  In this podcast, you'll hear excerpts from remarks by the panelists: journalist Maria Hinojosa; journalist Valeria Fernandez; Jackie Vimo, director of advocacy for the New York Immigration Coalition; and Amy Gottlieb,  director of the American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights program in Newark, New Jersey. The moderator was FI2W's John Rudolph.

Radio Ambulante is described as "This American Life in Spanish". This week, novelist Daniel Alarcon and journalist Annie Correal talk about a new radio project that features stories from Latin America with a public radio twist.

Polish food and Chinese food don’t have much in common, but there’s one ingredient that unites these two cuisines.  It’s a flavor that reminds immigrants of home, no matter where they come from, whether it’s Africa, Asia, Latin America or Eastern Europe. And the funny thing is it doesn’t come from any of those places. On today’s Food in Two Worlds podcast,  FI2W reporter Aurora Almendral talks about Maggi Seasoning, a condiment that inspires devotion across the globe and in immigrant kitchens across the country.

With Greece’s economy reeling and its unemployment rate about 18 percent, some Greeks are trying their luck in the U.S. — especially true in the stronghold of Astoria, Queens, where Greek stores, restaurants and travel agencies dot Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street. In this podcast, journalist Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska reports from Queens in a radio story originally broadcast on WNYC.

The Florida primary could be a turning point in the Republican presidential nomination, and Latino voters are in the middle of the fight. This week, FI2W reporter Aswini Anburajan speaks with Dan Judy, Republican strategist and pollster, and Mark Lopez, Associate Director of the Pew Hispanic Center, about what kind of impact Florida's large Latino population may have on Tuesday's primary results.

Knowing where to find the best Chinese food has long been a point of pride for many New Yorkers.  But as the Chinese population has soared, Chinatowns have multiplied and it’s not that easy anymore.  Faced with a dizzying array of dishes and regional specialties, we found an expert to guide us through a culinary trip around the Main Street Flushing 7 train stop, On this Food in Two Worlds podcast we’re going to visit some of the city’s best regional Chinese restaurants with chef Kian Lam Kho.   We’ll also introduce you to a couple of second generation Chinese Americans who are putting their unique stamp on one of my favorite Chinese foods, dim sum.   And in honor of Chinese New Year, journalist Richard Yeh brings us to his family dinner table for some very special dishes made only once a year.