WMC Talks is the Women's Media Center's first Instagram Live series. Hosted by WMC board members Soraya Chemaly and Erica González Martínez, WMC Talks will tackle issues of the day through a gender lens. Offering trusted perspectives, WMC Talks will analyze the news to expose the everyday impacts of current events and public policies.
Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist. As a cultural critic, she writes and speaks frequently about gender norms, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, politics, and technology. She is co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project and has long been committed to expanding women’s civic and political participation.
Erica González Martínez is a lifelong advocate for social justice and Latino issues, with expertise in news media, government communications and digital engagement. She is the Vice Chair of the Board of the Women’s Media Center and the Founding Editor of the IDAR/E journalism channel at the WMC, which is available in English and Spanish. She currently serves as the Director of Power 4 Puerto Rico, a national coalition of organizations working to clear hurdles in the way of the Island’s ability to become more self-sufficient.
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Who gets to tell our stories, who holds power, and whose voices are being left out? Erica González sits down with trailblazing journalist, public servant, and author Rossana Rosado to explore Latina power, representation, and the fight to reshape dominant narratives.
What would it mean to put women’s leadership at the heart of the fight for our planet? Zainab Salbi and Soraya Chemaly explore what women leaders can teach us about resilience, collective power, and the need to rethink our relationship with nature.
Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and executive director of Caring Across Generations, joins Erica Martínez González to discuss why care work is essential yet deeply undervalued in America. Ai-jen also shares her memories of Gloria Steinem.
In this special episode of WMC Talks, co-hosts Erica González Martínez and Soraya Chemaly reflect on the conversations and ideas that shaped the series’ first season. From housing and health care to protest, feminism, Indigenous history, racial and economic inequality, and the power of storytelling, they examine how traditional media narratives can overlook the experiences and expertise of those most affected by the issues being covered.
In this episode of WMC Talks, Soraya Chemaly interviews writer, planning commissioner, and former tenants’ rights attorney Leah Goodridge. Their conversation examines how the media frames America’s housing crisis and how tenants' perspectives are too often missing and explains why housing affordability is central to our elections.
In this episode of WMC Talks, Erica González Martínez and environmental leader and activist Annie Leonard discuss Annie's new book Protest. Annie makes the case for why peaceful public dissent remains one of the most effective tools for protecting democracy and driving social change.
In this thought-provoking episode of WMC Talks, writer and cultural critic Marcie Bianco challenges conventional ideas about feminism, equality, and freedom. Drawing on the work of thinkers like bell hooks and Audre Lorde, she explores why simply seeking “equality” within existing systems may not be enough—and why this moment calls for a more transformative vision of justice, community, and liberation. From the rise of “trad wife” culture to LGBTQ+ visibility, media narratives, and the power of feminist mentorship, this wide-ranging conversation offers fresh perspectives on some of today’s most urgent cultural and political debates.
In this WMC Talks conversation, Soraya Chemaly talks with activist and educator Jaclyn Friedman to explore why comprehensive sex education is largely absent from national discourse despite overwhelming public support for it. She explains how inclusive, K–12 sex ed goes far beyond health—shaping civic engagement, reducing violence and bullying, and strengthening democratic values like autonomy, respect, and critical thinking.
Erica González Martínez prompts journalist Rebecca Nagle to explore the ongoing erasure and misrepresentation of Native people in media and public discourse, highlighting how limited and often historical portrayals of Native Americans shape harmful perceptions today. Rebecca unpacks how Native perspectives have been excluded from foundational U.S. narratives—particularly around the country’s origins and expansion—and explains how understanding this history is essential to making sense of current political dynamics. The discussion emphasizes the importance of amplifying Native voices, supporting Indigenous journalism, and critically examining the stories we’ve been taught about America.
In this compelling WMC Talks conversation between Soraya Chemaly and author Tia Levings, Tia reflects on her journey escaping a high-control religious patriarchal system and connects her personal story to broader political and cultural dynamics shaping the U.S. today . Through discussion of her memoir The Well-Trained Wife and her upcoming book I Belong To Me, she explores themes of autonomy, trauma, and identity, while unpacking how systems of control, gender roles, and “trad wife” culture intersect with rising authoritarianism. The conversation offers a powerful lens on how intimate experiences of power and abuse can scale into societal structures—and how self-awareness and reclaiming agency are key to resisting them.
In WMC Talks episode 5, Erica González Martínez and Morehouse College professor, journalist and author Nicole Carr discuss her upcoming book The Price of Exclusion,The Pursuit of Healthcare in a Segregated Nation, tracing the deep historical roots of racial inequities in American healthcare. Through personal storytelling and archival research—including the story of her own ancestor—Carr reveals how systemic bias, exclusion, and overlooked Black medical contributions continue to shape patient experiences today. The discussion highlights the critical role of Black physicians, especially women, as innovators and community leaders, while challenging audiences to rethink how history, identity, and access intersect in modern medicine.
In this urgent and nuanced WMC Talks conversation hosted by Soraya Chemaly, award-winning journalist Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani unpacks the rapidly evolving war on Iran by the United States and Israel, shedding light on how media narratives shift away from human impact toward geopolitics and economics. Drawing on firsthand reporting and deep historical context, she explores the realities facing Iranians on the ground—from communication blackouts to the complexities of public sentiment—while challenging simplified “liberation” narratives. The discussion offers a powerful, human-centered look at war, media, and the global forces shaping both.
Go beyond the headlines with Erica González Martínez and into a vibrant conversation with author Jennifer Maritza McCauley, as she explores Black millennial “nerd” culture, speculative fiction, and the power of joy as resistance. From anime fandoms and blerd communities to rewriting traditional narratives that center trauma, McCauley shares how storytelling can create space, connection, and possibility. It’s a thoughtful, energizing discussion about creativity, identity, and why telling the stories you want to tell matters more than ever.
Soraya Chemaly discusses the status of women in Trump’s America, one year into his second term, with @nationalwomenslawcenter’s President and CEO Fatima Goss Graves.
For years, Latinas have been sidelined from podcast interviews, op-ed pages and news show panels. María Teresa Kumar of Voto Latino and Erica González Martínez get into the harm this has caused and the failure of media to show Latine power and agency.
