Election2020 Podcasts

This next episode of our Best of ITT series takes us back to 2016, and our conversation with Mike German, fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty & National Security Program. Maria and Julio talk to Mike about what he learned about the white supremacist movement during his time as an undercover FBI agent, and how the media is missing t…

Our Best of ITT series continues with this roundtable from 2019. Maria and Julio are joined by Shamira Ibrahim, culture writer on race, identity and politics, and Margari Hill, co-founder and executive director of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, to discuss how the intersecting identities of being a Black Muslim woman lead to anti-Blackness bo…

Our Best of ITT series continues with this episode from January 2017. Maria and Julio lead a discussion with legendary actress Rita Moreno about her star-turning role in “West Side Story” and her role in the reboot of Norman Lear’s classic television series, “One Day at a Time.” As they go behind the scenes of many of her most recognizable roles, b…

The next episode of our Best of ITT series is from July 2019, and it gets into the significance of Black feminism. Maria and Julio talk with writer and activist Feminista Jones about her book, “Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World From the Tweets to the Streets.” They also discuss the influence of hip-hop on women's sexu…

We continue our Best of ITT series with this live episode from May 2018. Maria and Julio take the stage at DePaul University in Chicago with David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, artist and a former juvenile lifer, to talk about Latinos and mass incarceration. Along with hearing Suave's story, Julio also interviews Maria, who at the time had been covering S…

Our Best of ITT series continues, as we celebrate our 7th year anniversary! In this episode from July 2020, Maria and Julio are joined by authors and historians Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross to talk about their book “A Black Women's History of the United States.” They analyze the history of Black women in America and their legacy of activ…

We’re continuing our Best of ITT series to celebrate seven years of In The Thick with this episode from June 2022. Maria and Julio are joined by Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, for a conversation about his book “How to Raise an Antiracist.” They discuss the evolution of his antiracist schol…

To celebrate ITT’s 7th year anniversary, we’re going back into the vault to share some of our best episodes that have helped shape our show. In this episode from our first year in 2016, Maria is joined by ITT all-star Terrell Jermaine Starr, host of the Black Diplomats podcast, Zak Cheney-Rice, a features writer for New York Magazine, and Tracey Me…

Julio and guest co-host Renée Graham, opinion columnist and associate editor at The Boston Globe, discuss Tyre Nichols’ funeral and the white supremacy behind the undercounted number of police violence cases in the U.S. They also discuss the College Board’s amendments to its AP African American Studies course, which were made shortly after Gov. Ron…

This week, we’re talking about the second season of “La Brega,” a co-production from WNYC Studios and Futuro Studios. Julio is joined by Alana Casanova-Burgess, co-creator, host and producer of “La Brega,” and Jeanne Montalvo, grammy-nominated audio engineer and radio producer with Futuro Studios, to talk about the series, which takes us through th…

Julio and guest co-host Fernanda Santos, editorial director of Futuro Media, discuss the recent mass shootings in California, two of nearly 40 that have happened this year so far. They also unpack the anti-government protests in Peru that have resulted in a nationwide state of emergency, and they get into Meta’s decision to reinstate former Preside…

A year after the Twin Parks fire in the Bronx, Maria and Julio are joined by Amir Khafagy, a journalist and Report for America corps member with Documented, to discuss the systemic issues exposed by this tragedy, such as the ongoing housing crisis. They also talk about what the victims and families are still owed one year later, and get into the in…

As the island donde hasta la piedras cantan –“where even the rocks sing”– Puerto Rico is home to a dizzying breadth of musical expression. From the lyrical boleristas of the 1930s, to the electric salseros of the ’70s, to the reggaetoneros of today who have taken music from the margins and made it a global sensation, this season takes listeners on …

Julio and guest co-host Renée Graham, opinion columnist and associate editor at The Boston Globe, discuss the latest with the House GOP, including the recent House committee assignments under new Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They also get into the arrest of Republican ex-candidate Solomon Peña in New Mexico and the response to the new sculpture of Dr. M…

In this rebroadcast episode from 2021, Maria and Julio are joined by Jeanne Theoharis, distinguished professor of political science at Brooklyn College, historian, author and co-editor of “Julian Bond’s Time To Teach: A History of the Southern Civil Rights Movement.” They talk about the legacy of activist, politician and educator Julian Bond and th…

Julio and guest co-host Renée Graham, opinion columnist and associate editor at The Boston Globe, get into the implications of classified documents found at President Biden’s home and former office. They also talk about the severe storms and flooding that have impacted California over the last few weeks and the growing pressure on the Biden adminis…

Maria and Julio are joined by Jamil Smith, essayist for the Los Angeles Times, and Sabrina Rodríguez, national political reporter for The Washington Post, to discuss the storming of Brazil’s Congress by far-right Bolsonaro supporters, and the similarities to the January 6th Capitol attack in the United States. They also get into Biden’s brief visit…