Best Southern Oral History Program Podcasts (2025)

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Imperfect Paradise: California's new free public preschool program for 4-year-olds 31:40

Play Pause

2d ago31:40

31:40

All four-year-olds in the state of California now have access to a free preschool program in their local school district. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a plan to expand the state’s transitional kindergarten, or TK, program in May 2021, as part of a broader move to create the largest free early education program in the U.S. So what does transitional kind…

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Imperfect Paradise: Who pays for the 2028 Olympics? LA taxpayers may be on the hook 29:57

9d ago29:57

29:57

In less than a thousand days, Los Angeles will be hosting the summer Olympics. Many cities worldwide have been put into debt by the games, so what could they mean for Los Angeles? LAist reporter Libby Rainey joins Imperfect Paradise to look back at the history of the games when LA last hosted them, the financial outlook for the city, and what role …

1
Imperfect Paradise: Why the site of the largest methane leak in US history still hasn’t been shut down 30:50

16d ago30:50

30:50

Regulations on gas storage facilities have been tightened since the detection of the Aliso Canyon leak, which started in 2015 and lasted nearly four months. But residents remain worried about long term health effects following the leak. LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone discusses the 10-year anniversary of the disaster and what’s st…

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Imperfect Paradise: How becoming a US citizen just got harder under the Trump administration and what it means for Angelenos 21:51

24d ago21:51

21:51

The Trump administration’s immigration policies have resulted in raids and protests in Southern California and across the country, and the administration has also moved to tighten who gets citizenship. Recently, the federal government pushed out new guidelines for naturalization. The situation has raised fundamental questions around what it means t…

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Imperfect Paradise: Prop 50: Is California’s redistricting push a threat to democracy or a defense of it? 31:03

1M ago31:03

31:03

Proposition 50 is part of a nationwide battle over control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Californians are being asked to take a side: Should the state be temporarily allowed to redraw congressional maps to counter the Trump administration and redistricting in Texas? LAist Civics & Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze and Civics & Democ…

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Imperfect Paradise: An LA Commission created to tackle city government scandals is being stymied 20:51

1M ago20:51

20:51

A charter reform commission was created in 2024 in response to multiple Los Angeles city government scandals, including the leak of a racist tape featuring City Council President Nury Martinez. One of the commission’s aims was to modify the LA charter, which is basically the city’s constitution. But reports indicate that this commission is struggli…

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Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities 23:27

1M ago23:27

23:27

A new report details the Eaton and Palisades fires, including failures in the emergency response. But this report bears striking similarities with another -- which chronicled the response to the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis discusses the reports and what they mean for L.A. County moving forward. Th…

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Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California 17:35

2M ago17:35

17:35

Big companies like Amazon and SpaceX are claiming that the National Labor Relations Board – an independent federal entity in charge of overseeing unionizing efforts – is unconstitutional. In addition to those companies, colleges like the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University are also joining the movement to push back aga…

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Imperfect Paradise: Why California's protest law is flawed and the consequences to protesters 24:29

2M ago24:29

24:29

After the George Floyd protests of 2020, California took steps to rein in violent policing of protests by passing laws restricting how law enforcement uses less-lethal weapons, like tasers and rubber bullets. But high profile protests in 2024 and 2025 – including this summer’s protests against the ICE raids in Los Angeles – have revealed major flaw…

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Imperfect Paradise: The Huntington Beach library at the center of America’s culture wars 32:06

2M ago32:06

32:06

Censorship efforts at libraries nationwide have increased steadily over the last several years. In the 2023 - 24 school year, more than 10,000 book bans were counted in the country’s public schools. These efforts have become a cornerstone of a larger national debate over cultural influences and parents' rights to restrict those influences. LAist Or…

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LaMonday Baxter on Being Black and Queer in Professional Spaces 4:38

8M ago4:38

4:38

LaMonday Baxter on Being Black and Queer in Professional Spaces by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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LaMonday Baxter - Full Interview 1:20:43

8M ago1:20:43

1:20:43

LaMonday Baxter - Full Interview by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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LaMonday Baxter on Financial Independence, New York, and Coming Out to Her Mom 6:14

8M ago6:14

6:14

LaMonday Baxter on Financial Independence, New York, and Coming Out to Her Mom by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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Jermaine Landon on the Genesis of STIR and the Gay Nightlife in Chapel Hill 10:32

8M ago10:32

10:32

Jermaine Landon on the Genesis of STIR and the Gay Nightlife in Chapel Hill by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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Jermaine Landon on the Queer Community and Who the Party Belongs To 2:38

8M ago2:38

2:38

Jermaine Landon on the Queer Community and Who the Party Belongs To by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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Jermaine Landon - Full Interview 1:00:26

8M ago1:00:26

1:00:26

Jermaine Landon - Full Interview by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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Jamila Reddy on Directing 'For Colored Girls' 7:34

8M ago7:34

7:34

Jamila Reddy on Directing 'For Colored Girls' by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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Jamila Reddy on Her Experiences as a Black Queer Student at UNC 5:35

8M ago5:35

5:35

Jamila Reddy on Her Experiences as a Black Queer Student at UNC by Southern Oral History ProgramBy Southern Oral History Program

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Epilogue 11:27

5+ y ago11:27

11:27

We close the series with a meditation on how 28 years after the 1992 Riots, for many in L.A., things feel exactly the same.By LAist Studios

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Ellie 34:00

5+ y ago34:00

34:00

Eleuteria “Ellie” Hernández moved to Los Angeles from a small town in Mexico when she was 14 and fell in love with the city. In this episode, Walter sits down with Ellie, his mother, to understand her relationship to L.A. and how it shaped his own. California Love sponsors include: UCLA Extension Fall Quarter starts September 28. Enroll now at http…

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Compton Cowboys 39:10

5+ y ago39:10

39:10

There’s a horse ranch in the heart of Compton that may hold the answers for salvation and redemption for the city’s black cowboys. Read the original NYTimes article, "For the Compton Cowboys, Horseback Riding Is a Legacy, and Protection." Read Walter Thompson-Hernández's book The Compton CowboysThe New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heart…

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Parrots: A Parable 36:05

5+ y ago36:05

36:05

A first-parrot perspective into legends and myths of how L.A. became home to the world’s largest population of green parrots. This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/LAist California Love is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subscribing…

1
Kobe 35:38

5+ y ago35:38

35:38

Walter dives deep on what Kobe meant to him in his life and how the icon’s death spurred a collective mourning throughout the city. This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/LAist California Love is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subsc…

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P Line 33:59

5+ y ago33:59

33:59

A story about a wild party line that many Los Angeles’ teenagers used to create a fantasy world. California Love sponsors include: Stream We Are Freestyle Love Supreme beginning July 17, only on Hulu This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/LAist…

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Scared Straight 38:35

5+ y ago38:35

38:35

Walter was just eleven years old when he was admitted to L.A.'s infamous Scared Straight program for graffiti related crimes. In this episode, Walter, through a chance encounter, checks-in with his friend who went through the program with him, their anti-tagging arch-nemesis, and how they have turned out after all these years. California Love spons…

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Prologue 11:16

5+ y ago11:16

11:16

Host Walter Thompson-Hernández returns home to L.A. and reflects on how much the city has changed since he was a child. California Love sponsors include: Stream We Are Freestyle Love Supreme beginning July 17, only on Hulu This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at Bett…

Southern Oral History Program Podcasts

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SOHP

Southern Oral History Program

1
California Love (old feed)

LAist Studios

1
Imperfect Paradise: California's new free public preschool program for 4-year-olds 31:40

1
Imperfect Paradise: Who pays for the 2028 Olympics? LA taxpayers may be on the hook 29:57

1
Imperfect Paradise: Why the site of the largest methane leak in US history still hasn’t been shut down 30:50

1
Imperfect Paradise: How becoming a US citizen just got harder under the Trump administration and what it means for Angelenos 21:51

1
Imperfect Paradise: Prop 50: Is California’s redistricting push a threat to democracy or a defense of it? 31:03

1
Imperfect Paradise: An LA Commission created to tackle city government scandals is being stymied 20:51

1
Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities 23:27

1
Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California 17:35

1
Imperfect Paradise: Why California's protest law is flawed and the consequences to protesters 24:29

1
Imperfect Paradise: The Huntington Beach library at the center of America’s culture wars 32:06

1
LaMonday Baxter on Being Black and Queer in Professional Spaces 4:38

1
LaMonday Baxter - Full Interview 1:20:43

1
LaMonday Baxter on Financial Independence, New York, and Coming Out to Her Mom 6:14

1
Jermaine Landon on the Genesis of STIR and the Gay Nightlife in Chapel Hill 10:32

1
Jermaine Landon on the Queer Community and Who the Party Belongs To 2:38

1
Jermaine Landon - Full Interview 1:00:26

1
Jamila Reddy on Directing 'For Colored Girls' 7:34

1
Jamila Reddy on Her Experiences as a Black Queer Student at UNC 5:35

1
Epilogue 11:27

1
Ellie 34:00

1
Compton Cowboys 39:10

1
Parrots: A Parable 36:05

1
Kobe 35:38

1
P Line 33:59

1
Scared Straight 38:35

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Prologue 11:16