VOTING RIGHTS FOR PRISONERS. This is an election year. But more than 5 million American citizens will not be allowed to vote because of state laws
prohibiting people convicted of felonies from voting. These laws disproportionately affect those communities historically lacking government representation: for example, 13% of African American men cannot vote, a rate seven times the national average. This program discusses voter eligibility requirements in many states, the loss of the right to vote of millions, and efforts to remedy this disenfranchisement.

Guests: Myrna Pérez, Lawyer, The Brennan Center at New York University, Nueva York, NY, www.brennancenter.org ; Andrés Idarraga, Law student, Former prisoner, Miami, FL; Dr. Gilberto Velez, Pastor, Iglesia Cristiana Misericordia, Laredo, TX, www.nhclc.org

MEXICO AT THE SMITHSONIAN: DAY TWO. On the second day of Radio Bilingüe’s special coverage of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, this edition includes conversations with artists from diverse indigenous cultures of Mexico. This program includes an interview with Los Cardencheros de Sapioriz, the last musical group to sing canto cardenche, a typical musical genre unique in all of Mexico, from the region of the Comarca Lagunera. The program also includes a conversation with mezcal makers, who talk about the traditional process of making the drink, and its different uses.

MEXICO AT THE SMITHSONIAN: SHARING CULTURES. This edition of Radio Bilingüe’s special coverage of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, includes conveersations with makers of traditional textiles of Oaxaca, a dancer and a bead artisan from the state of Morelos, and a family of tequila-makers from Amatitán, Jalisco.

Guests: María Sosa, Joel Vicente y Marcelina Vicente, Textile artisants, Teotitlán de Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico; Alma Delia Reyes, Dancer, Atlatlahucan, Morelos, Mexico; Edmundo Saul Jahen, artesano que trabaja la chaquira, Chinelos de Morelos, Mexico; Javier Jiménez, Claudio Jiménez, and Javier Jiménez Jr., family of tequila-makers, “El Caballito Cerrero”, Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico.

TAKE OUR JOBS. As unemployment and the economic crisis stoke anti-immigrant sentiments, the United Farm Workers invite all those who feel that undocumented workers are taking jobs that should go to American citizens to apply online and join the exciting field of manual farm labor.

Guest: Diana Tellefson, Executive Director, United Farm Workers Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, www.ufw.org; www.takeourjobs.org.

ALSO, LATINO FARMERS SUE GOVERNMENT. A decades-old farm loan program to help small farmers stay afloat allegedly discouraged African-American and Latino farmers from applying or rejected their applications, even as Anglo peers received loans with no problem. The Department of Justice has now announced they will pay $2 billion dollars to African-American farmers who filed claims against the USDA, while they plan to pay Latino and women farmers a little more than $1 billion. Latino farmers say this is unfair.

SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR CHANGE. From texting to tweeting to facebooking,Latinos are making waves on the internet, campaigning with their fingers to stop the deportation of a Harvard student, protesting the Arizona law SB 1070 with the logo “Do I look illegal?” and building networks to send out the latest news on immigration reform and other issues.

Guests: Roberto Lovato, Co founder, presente.org; New York, NY, www.presente.org; Martha de Hoyos, Communications Director, Brave New Foundation, Culver City, CA; Mario Rodas, Political Science Student, Harvard University Extension School, Boston, MA

MOBILE VOICES. A community movement that allows day laborers and household workers in Los Angeles to report news and share stories about their lives, work, and opinions, has received a World Summit Award from the United Nations. Mobile Voices/Voces Móviles is a microblogging project, in which immigrant workers use their mobile phones to post test, photos, and videos to a website. This edition is part of our Conéctate series, seeking to reduce the digital divide.

Guests: Maria De Lourdes “Madelou” Gonzales, Correspondent, Voces Moviles, Los Angeles, CA, http://vozmob.net/es/blogs/madelou ; Manuel Mancia, Correspondent, Voces Móviles, Los Angeles, CA, http://vozmob.net/es/manuel; Amanda Garces, Coordinator, Voces Móviles, Los Angeles, CA, http://vozmob.net/