I have been wanting to write about the Season 2 premiere of The Latino Newsletter podcast for almost two weeks now, ever since the audio version of our August 29 episode with Bobbito García dropped.

I just kept putting it off for a couple of reasons. One, we are currently onboarding new team members, and the process has taken longer than planned. Two, the news cycle has been intense this week — from Monday’s Supreme Court actions to the coverage of Charlie Kirk’s death on Wednesday. It is a lot to process.

I could have decided to pivot again for tonight’s post, especially since I struggle when political violence — a tragic characteristic of American democracy — continues to be the norm.

But this is exactly why I want to write about the podcast. Conversations like the one with Bobbito are part of resisting despair, showing that our stories, culture, and voices matter even when the political climate feels suffocating.

In moments of uncertainty, I tend to double down on community.

The show happened because Bobbito reached out to me earlier this year about his new book, Bobbito’s Book of B-ball Bong Bong! A Memoir of Sports, Style, and Soul, which also features Bobbito’s original photography.

I read the book over the summer, and it brought me back to a time when basketball was comforting to me as a kid who had just moved from Puerto Rico to the Bronx. Part of Bobbito’s book spans those days, and I was transfixed.

Later in the summer, he and I chatted for about 30 minutes, and I left the interview with a feeling of joy and, yes, hope.

Bobbito was doing creative things way before it was cool to be a creator.

What resulted was a conversation about identity, Boricuaness, and how hoops can change someone’s life.

This was one of my favorite conversations of all time.

Thank you to Joaquin Cotler and Juan Diego Ramírez for all their work on this podcast.

Let me know what you think.

More Bad Bunny, Please: From Suzy Exposito for i-D, “There’s only one person in the world who can sell out a 30-show stadium tour that never leaves his hometown. His name is Bad Bunny.”

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. Email him here.

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