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PODCAST

The Edgewater Podcast

Welcome to The Edgewater Podcast. I am Gerald Farinas and I talk about social justice, empire and colonialism, and current events from the perspective of a Hawaii-born Ilocano Presbyterian Church (USA) elder commissioner here in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Find me IRL at GeraldFarinas.com. gerfarinas.substack.com

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All Episodes

4:23

Podcast: Immigrant poet Carlos Bulosan's words remain...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/12/01

We often talk about freedom as if it is a destination. We treat it like a statue carved in stone or a document sealed in glass. We think that once we have it, it sits there, unmoving and permanent. But that is not the reality of liberty.Liberty is organic. It breathes. It needs sustenance. And because it is alive, it is vulnerable.Carlos Bulosan, a man who knew the bitter taste of exclusion just as well as he knew the sweetness of the American dream, understood this fragility better than most. He

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5:11

Podcast: Administration demands ‘remigration’;...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/30

The stakes have never been higher, and the goal has never been more clear. That is the caption the U.S. Department of Homeland Security chose to accompany a single, terrifying command, “Remigration now.”It looks like a simple policy update, perhaps a bureaucratic shuffling of papers. But if you peel back the layers of that word, you find a history written in blood and a future that promises the same.Remigration is not just a synonym for deportation. It is a sanitized, academic-sounding euphemism for

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2:39

Podcast: The real cost of Black Friday

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/28

When I hear the name “Black Friday,” I think about how it perfectly shows what capitalism is really about. The name comes from accounting. Red ink means a store is losing money, while black ink means they are making a profit. So, this holiday is named after the moment businesses start making money. It is not about being thankful or being with family. It is about businesses making sure their bank accounts look good. I think this holiday hides some big ethical problems with how we buy things today.The

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5:45

Podcast: The Thanksgiving table is not overwhelmingly...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/27

When most Americans picture Thanksgiving, their minds drift almost automatically to Norman Rockwell. We all know the image. It is the famous painting titled Freedom from Want, featuring a matriarch placing a perfectly roasted turkey onto a table surrounded by smiling faces. The table is set with the standard pantheon of sides including bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It is an image of abundance and uniformity that has been sold to us as

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4:54

Podcast: Hateful rhetoric fans the flames, leads to...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/27

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.Today marks a dark stain on our national conscience. The news that two National Guardsmen from West Virginia were shot while patrolling Washington, D.C. is a horrifying realization of our worst fears. These are individuals with families, lives, and dreams who were deployed to support Homeland Security operations, and now they lie wounded in a hospital. While we wait for the full investigation into the motivations behind this attack, my heart breaks for them. I pray

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3:27

Podcast: When doing good is called fake,...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/21

I was pumping gas on Peterson Ave. near the Metra Station today when I overheard a conversation at the next pump. Two people, one in the Ford pickup and the other fueling up, were talking about local queer volunteers who help feed our neighbors. The tone was nasty. One of them laughed and called the volunteers “a bunch of t***** woke virtue signalers.”I flinched when I heard it. It felt like a physical blow. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell them that those volunteers spend hours packing

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4:23

Podcast: Making Native American policy without Native...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/19

Did you miss me? After two weeks in my native Honolulu, I’m back in my Edgewater home. And I’m glad to be back. But after traveling across tribal lands on my way home, it got me thinking about our indigenous friends and the progress they’ve made, or rather erasure of progress.The history of the 1968 Indian Civil Rights Act shows a pattern that is still happening today. In Washington and in statehouses across the country, decisions about Native nations are still being made without true Native

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4:54

Podcast: The tragic betrayal of Americans against...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/06

King David Kalakaua. Photo: Hawaii State Archives.The moment is always the same. As the wheels of my Delta jetliner touch ground at Honolulu International Airport, my heart stops a moment. Flying into Honolulu is a sacred act for me, a spiritual experience returning to the land of my birth and personal culture. This physical connection to the aina, the land, is what reminds me, even as I pass the tourist resorts and military bases, of the shadows of empire, and the tragic story of the Kingdom of

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5:27

Podcast: The tragic betrayal of America against Chief...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/04

I’m spending my Tuesday in Seattle before getting on a Delta flight to visit my parents. Each time I fly over the vibrant city, with its coffee shops and skyscrapers, I am reminded, as someone who writes and podcasts about the shadows of empire, of the sad story of Chief Seattle.His story is a profound betrayal that echoes the entire devastating history of American colonialism, a story of a man who extended his hand in friendship, only to have it slapped away, and his home taken.The year is the

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3:52

Podcast: The sandhill cranes arrived in Chicago...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/04

Today everything stopped when the sandhill cranes arrived. Not on a nature preserve, not out in the suburbs, but right along the downtown Chicago lakefront. Can you believe that? Against the backdrop of our towering skyline, these ancient, graceful birds descended for their brief layover, pausing on their long, southbound journey ahead of the full moon. It felt like a scene ripped right out of a dream, or maybe a celestial instruction manual. For so long, these cranes have been seen by Indigenous

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5:55

Podcast: SNAP beneficiaries aren't lazy people who...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/03

It drives me crazy to hear the same tired arguments wheeled out every time we talk about social safety nets. You hear it constantly: people claiming there are too many SNAP beneficiaries, that they’re all lazy, and that they just need to get jobs to support themselves. It’s a simplistic view that ignores the reality of who actually relies on this crucial program.The most vulnerable group, the one that loses the most when SNAP benefits are frozen, are the children, the elderly, and the disabled

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4:48

Podcast: Solidarity not charity; mutual aid emerges...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/11/02

Today, I wanted to talk about some unsung heroes working at food pantries, some makeshift pantries in particular, across the country.The recent halt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, driven by political disputes over contingency funds during a government shutdown, has thrust the phrase “mutual aid” into the public spotlight. For many, this concept of community support is entirely new. Yet, mutual aid groups have deep historical roots, often stepping in when the

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4:56

Podcast: What’s the deal with all those European...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/30

If you’ve ever looked at European politics and noticed how many parties have the word Christian in their names, you might wonder what’s going on. There are Christian Democrats, Christian Socialists, Christian People’s Parties, and more. It sounds like the churches decided to start their own political leagues. But really, it has more to do with history, values, and how faith shaped Europe after some of its darkest times.After World War II, Europe was in ruins. Fascism had collapsed, communism was

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5:27

Podcast: Shutting down ‘DEI’ programs in schools,...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/30

Texas Christian University, a private school, is closing its departments for Women and Gender Studies and Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies. They are combining these programs into the English department. While the school said it was due to low enrollment, this decision is happening as a clear political effort to shut down Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the country.This is more than just a change in departments. It shows a huge step backward in how we approach ideas. You

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5:03

Podcast: The Penny Auctions of the Great Depression...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/29

The story of the 1936 penny auction in Michigan is not just history. It is a powerful blueprint for community resistance that resonates deeply with the struggles we face right here, right now, in Edgewater and across Chicago.The Great Depression farmers resisted economic disparity. The banks held the power, threatening to strip families of their land and their very survival. The farmers’ response was one of radical, organized solidarity. They used collective action to disrupt the system that was

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4:32

Podcast: It’s time we feed every child at no cost up...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/26

Here at The Edgewater Podcast, I talk a lot about progressive politics and the history of colonization, which is really a history of power and who gets to eat. Today, I want to talk about how a simple meal in a Chicago school cafeteria is a powerful act of justice and a smart investment in our future. It’s about the connection between feeding our kids and their ability to learn.When kids go to school hungry, they can’t focus. It’s that simple. Their stomachs are growling, their energy is low, and

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4:08

Podcast: Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club thanks you for...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/26

This week, I just want to say thank you.Thank you to everyone who made the Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club’s Purple Pinkie fundraiser such a success.To the incredible folks at Sketchbook Brewing Co., you have once again proven that you are more than a brewery. You are a force for good. You craft not only great beer but great community. You give us a space to come together with purpose, to raise a glass and raise awareness for something that truly matters. Your commitment to sparking change and being

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3:50

Podcast: Doubling down on Asian American Pacific...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/24

I had a quick powwow recently with my friend Randy Kim, host of the podcast Bánh Mì Bites, going over some names.It got me thinking about why I’ve been posting more Asian American Pacific Islander content these few months. And the truth is, it’s not just content. It’s conviction. Because right now, we are under attack.The growing wave of xenophobia in this country isn’t just about rhetoric anymore. It’s seeping into public policy, into the way people look at us, and into the kind of America some

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3:01

Podcast: Eric Trump says they're saving God;...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/24

Eric Trump claimed his father is “Saving God.” Photo: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.When Eric Trump said on a podcast that his father’s administration was “saving God,” I froze for a moment. Because as absurd as it sounds, there are millions of Americans who truly believe that. They believe that one man—angry, vengeful, vulgar, and power-hungry—is somehow the savior of the Almighty.Let’s pause on the phrase “saving God.” The idea flips the entire foundation of faith on its head. Since when did

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3:50

Podcast: Chicago Public Schools lunchroom workers...

The Edgewater Podcast ·

2025/10/22

Chicago Public School lunchroom workers are struggling to pay for the most basic necessities, even as they fight tooth and nail for better wages, fully staffed kitchens, and something as simple as respect and dignity on the job. Let that sink in—this is Chicago, the birthplace of the labor movement, the home of the eight-hour workday, the city that built the modern union. And yet, in 2025, the very people feeding our children can’t afford to feed their own.This isn’t just a statistic—it’s a moral

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