Podcasts on Language Access and Mutual Aid During COVID-19

With how hectic this pandemic has been, it apparently completely slipped my mind to post a podcast I was a guest on on April 2!  The subject of the talk is not only incredibly relevant to my work, but also critical during the pandemic: the right to language assistance in healthcare.  I thought this post would be a wonderful opportunity to highlight another podcast I was in yesterday as well, but to be quite honest it has nothing to do with interpreting!

First up, I was a guest on Our Lives with Shannon Fisher with my friend Shannon.  I actually reached out to her about the work she was doing as a writer, podcast host, and fellow activist.  We met years ago and Shannon actually invited me to my first demonstration for women’s rights in Richmond.  As I previously mentioned, I’ve been focusing on a lot of outreach efforts to educate the public about patients’ rights to language assistance in healthcare settings, so she seemed like a good person to touch base with.  Shannon invited me to speak on her podcast, and after a few scheduling snafus (thanks COVID-19) she had me on her show.  I’m extremely grateful to Shannon for her thorough research before our episode and having me on as a guest to highlight this important issue.

Next up, my friend Kalia Harris’ first episode hosting on Race Capitol!  Race Capitol is a podcast coming from Richmond, the former capitol of the confederacy, in which hosts discuss news from all over the world and invites guests to “take deeper dives into racial narrative across RVA.”  This particular episode touches on mutual aid in Richmond, and also features another one of my friends, Yanet Amado, who talks about mutual aid funds for undocumented folks, including the scholarship fund she co-founded for undocumented students in Virginia.  The last segment is with Heidi Torres, a volunteer organizer with Movimiento Cosecha, an organization fighting for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for undocumented workers in the United States.

The segment Kalia interviewed me for was about Facebook group I founded on Facebook in early April: Masks for Essential Retail RVA.  While I saw a lot of efforts focused on providing masks to healthcare workers in the city where I live, there were few organized efforts for providing essential retail and service workers with protective gear.  As of the recording last week, we had donated over 500 masks to local grocery store workers, delivery drivers, veterinarians, home improvement store workers, and more.  As of the writing of this post?  We’ve likely surpassed 900 mask donations!

If you’re interested in donating to our group, we’d love any and all supply donations!  For more on how to donate to our group, click here.

[Cover Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash]