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Welcome to El Barrio

Welcome to El Barrio

By: iHeartPodcasts
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About this listen

“Welcome to El Barrio” is a vibrant new podcast about Puerto Rican identity — our stories, finally told by us.

Hosted by award-winning producer Becca Ramos, this series blends laugh-out-loud interviews with artists, scholars, creators, tastemakers, and everyday Boricuas to illuminate the stories the textbooks left out.

Each week, Becca dives into the history, culture, politics, spirituality, and pop-culture moments that shape what it means to be Puerto Rican today — from the roots of brujería and ancestral healing, to the global impact of Bad Bunny, to the hidden history behind Operation Bootstrap, Hurricane Maria’s aftermath, and the evolution of the diaspora.

This show is unapologetically for us. For the kids who grew up “ni de aquí, ni de allá.” For everyone who felt their culture reduced to stereotypes, mispronounced in classrooms, or left out of the narrative entirely. Through humor, heart, research, and community storytelling, Becca invites listeners on a journey of self-discovery — and a celebration of La Isla del Encanto in all its complexity.

Featuring a lineup of powerful Boricua voices across film, music, academia, design, and activism, Welcome to El Barrio is a love letter, an archive, and an invitation. Come learn, laugh, heal, and say it with us. WEPA!

2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • "Un Boricua En Gaza" w/ Libre Sankara

    "Un Boricua En Gaza" w/ Libre Sankara
    Apr 7 2026

    This week, Becca chats Libre Sankara -- an afro-boricua poet, cultural worker and doula who has been in Gaza for the past two years helping the fight for liberation of Palestine. The two chat life in Gaza, the similarities and history that connects Puerto Rico and Palestine, and more.

    Also don’t forget to email us at welcometoelbarrio@gmail.com, or DM the show page @welcometoelbarrio for submissions!

    And subscribe to the show’s substack for FREE for bonus content!

    SHOW NOTES:

    https://linktr.ee/abasimperialism

    https://www.instagram.com/afroaboriginal47/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • “Yo Soy Negra” w/ Djali Brown-Cepeda

    “Yo Soy Negra” w/ Djali Brown-Cepeda
    Mar 31 2026

    This week, Becca chats with THE Djali Brown-Cepeda -- founder of Nuevayorkinos. The two chat El Barrio, the complexity of mixed identities, beautiful lessons in motherhood, race vs ethnicity, vs identity, how Blackness and Puerto Ricanness are intrinsically intertwined, and more.

    Also don’t forget to email us at welcometoelbarrio@gmail.com, or DM the show page @welcometoelbarrio for submissions!

    And subscribe to the show’s substack for FREE for bonus content!

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Welcome to El Barrio x OnAir Fest

    Welcome to El Barrio x OnAir Fest
    Mar 24 2026

    Holi Listeners!

    This week, we are releasing the audio from Welcome to El Barrio's OnAir Fest panel last month.

    Using Welcome to El Barrio as a jumping-off point, Becca gathered some of the best of the best industry professionals who specialize in Latinx storytelling and media to discuss what we can learn from Bad Bunny’s meteoric rise and cultural impact regarding authentic representation.

    Becca moderated the panel with three incredible guests: Briana Mendez, Mark Pagán, and Tess Garcia.

    Substack subscribers got this last month, with additional bonus content! So if you want more of this, be sure to subscribe to the show’s substack.

    Also don’t forget to email us at welcometoelbarrio@gmail.com, or DM the show page @welcometoelbarrio for submissions!

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
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