Ep. 108 - Whiskey & Watching: "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022) ft. Alderpersons Rossana Rodriguez & Jessie Fuentes

BrownTown takes on “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022) with
Alderhomies Rossana Rodriguez (33rd) and Jessie Fuentes (26th) in
the first for Whiskey & Watching installment of 2024!
BrownTown and the return guests breakdown the film and its
predecessor’s social impact and commentary on imperialism,
geo-politics, science and spirituality, diasporic traditions,
Black and Brown solidarity, and so much more. Originally recorded
May 30, 2024.


Full Transcriptions Here!


Mentioned in episode:


BnB Alum Ricardo Gamboa on Chicago’s Gaza Ceasefire
resolution

#TreatmentNotTrauma campaign and plan

US-Indian Boarding School History

2020 Cicero & Cermak: Black & Brown Tensions (1, 2,
3)



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GUESTS
Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), now in her second term, is
the Chair of the Committee on Health and Human Relations for the
Chicago City Council. Rossana was born and raised in Puerto Rico
and started organizing at six years old when her community had to
fight for access to running water. Organizing soon became a
fundamental part of her life and remains her main tool within her
work in government. Rossana came to Chicago after austerity and
budget cuts forced her to leave her job as a drama teacher in
Puerto Rico. She originally moved to Albany Park to work as a
theatre director with a youth theatre company 14 years ago and
chose to stay and organize around housing, education, immigrant
rights, and mental health. She is the chief sponsor for the
Treatment Not Trauma legislation and continues to organize with
grassroots organizations to transform Chicago. Follow Rossana on
Facebook, Instagram, (personal, political) and Twitter (personal,
political). Stay up to date with her City Council work and 33rd
ward services at Rossanafor33.org.


Alderperson Jessie Fuentes (26th) is a queer Latina grassroots
organizer, educator, and public policy advocate with over a
decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform,
affordable housing, community development and sustainability. A
lifelong Chicagoan and resident of the Northwest side, Jessie
spent most of her formative years growing up and working in
Humboldt Park. Through personal resilience, community support and
restorative justice, Jessie turned her most traumatic life
experiences into tools to uplift others facing similar
circumstances. In her previous roles as an educator and Dean
of Students at Roberto Clemente Community Academy and as an
organizer around issues of violence prevention, housing
affordability, and re-entry for returning citizens, she
convened and connected community stakeholders to create
community-driven solutions to the biggest problems facing
Humboldt Park. Jessie recently served as the Director of Policy
and Youth Advocacy at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. She
Co-chaired the Violence Prevention program of the Illinois Latino
Agenda and is also a Founding Member of the Illinois Latino
Agenda 2.0, focusing on community development and Latine equity.
Follow Jessie on Facebook (personal, political), Instagram
(personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up
to date with her City Council work and 26th ward at
Jessiefor26thward.com.


 


Opinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen,
Rossana, and Jessie as individuals, not their organizations or
places of work.


 


CREDITS: Intro soundbite and episode photo from
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer and outro music
Con La Brisa by Ludwig Göransson from the movie's
soundtrack. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles and Kassandra
Borah.


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