Podcast
The Domino Dialogues: Jugando con las Memorias
Hosted by Somos Society · EN
The Domino Dialogues: Jugando con las Memorias is a podcast series born from Somos Society, the award-winning docuseries documenting the personal stories that shaped Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Hosted by community leader Edwin Desamour, each episode brings guests to the domino table to share memories, reflections, and the everyday triumphs that often go untold.
Through warm, unscripted conversations, The Domino Dialogues: Jugando con las Memorias continues Somos Society’s mission to build a living archive, one that preserves the voices, culture, and resilience of a community that has called Philadelphia home for generations.
Join us as we honor oral history, celebrate identity, and remember that every story matters. One conversation, one tile, one memory at a time.
Visit our website to learn more about our Somos Society project, www.SomosSociety.com
🎧 Streaming on our website, Apple Podcast, and Spotify.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Puerto Rican Bread Gotta Be Warm | Domino Dialogues Short
1w ago00:01:02Tap to summarizeIn this short from The Domino Dialogues, the conversation turns to Puerto Rican bread, coffee, butter, cheese, and the kinds of food memories that instantly feel like home. Vanessa Vega, Ant Rivera, and Edwin Desamour reflect on neighborhood bakeries, pan sobao, and the small details tied to growing up Philly Rican. From dipping bread in coffee to stopping at spots around 5th & Cambria, the conversation captures how food carries memory, culture, and familiarity across generations. The conversation touches on Puerto Rican bakeries, neighborhood traditions, food memories, and the everyday moments that connect people back to home and community. This short is from Episode 8, Art as Responsibility, now available. Featured topics: Puerto Rican bread • Pan sobao • Philly Rican identity • Food memories • Neighborhood culture • Community traditions If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and continue the conversation with your own memories and traditions. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →“Our Stories Deserve To Be Told” | Domino Dialogues Short
1w ago00:01:58Tap to summarizeIn this short from The Domino Dialogues, filmmaker Ant Rivera reflects on Philly Rican identity, representation, and the importance of telling stories rooted in North Philadelphia. Ant speaks about growing up without seeing his community represented in film and how that shaped the work he creates today. From 2nd & Lehigh to family history, the conversation explores how storytelling becomes a way to document people, neighborhoods, and experiences that are often left out of history books. The conversation touches on representation, filmmaking, cultural memory, family stories, and the responsibility artists feel to preserve the humanity of their communities through their work. This short is from Episode 8, Art as Responsibility, now available. Featured topics: Philly Rican identity • Storytelling • Representation • Filmmaking • Cultural memory • North Philadelphia If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and continue the conversation with your own memories, stories, and experiences. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →“We Don’t Wanna Coexist. We Want You Out.” | Domino Dialogues Short
1w ago00:02:02Tap to summarizeIn this short from The Domino Dialogues, Vanessa Vega, Ant Rivera, and Edwin Desamour discuss gentrification in North Philadelphia and the ways longtime residents experience cultural and physical displacement in their own neighborhoods. The conversation reflects on changing blocks, disappearing cultural identity, housing politics, and the frustration many community members feel watching resources suddenly appear only after outside investment arrives. Vanessa and Ant also speak about erasure, development, and the importance of protecting the people and culture that shaped these neighborhoods long before redevelopment conversations began. The conversation touches on housing, redlining, neighborhood change, cultural memory, and the realities of trying to preserve community in a city that continues to shift around it. This short is from Episode 8, Art as Responsibility, now available. Featured topics: Gentrification • North Philadelphia • Housing • Cultural erasure • Philly Rican identity • Community memory If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and continue the conversation with your own experiences and reflections. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →“Open That Sh*t Up” | Domino Dialogues Short
1w ago00:01:43Tap to summarizeIn this short from The Domino Dialogues, Vanessa Vega and Ant Rivera discuss gatekeeping, mentorship, and the frustrations younger creatives often face trying to navigate community spaces and opportunities. The conversation reflects on generational differences, the importance of sharing knowledge, and why many younger artists feel they are still waiting to be taken seriously. Vanessa and Ant also speak about the role creatives play in shaping community identity and preserving culture. The conversation touches on leadership, access, collaboration, and what it means to create space for the next generation instead of making them repeat the same struggles. This short is from Episode 8, Art as Responsibility, now available. Featured topics: Gatekeeping • Mentorship • Young creatives • Philly Rican identity • Community leadership • Art and culture If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and continue the conversation with your own experiences and perspectives. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →Art as Responsibility | Episode 8 | The Domino Dialogues
1w ago01:23:15Tap to summarizeIn Episode 8 of The Domino Dialogues, Philly Rican artists Vanessa Vega and Ant Rivera join Edwin Desamour for a conversation about storytelling, art, identity, and the responsibility of preserving culture through creative work. Filmed inside the Taina Sisters cultural space on Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia, the conversation moves through filmmaking, murals, Puerto Rican history, neighborhood change, representation, family traditions, and the importance of documenting stories that are often overlooked or erased. Vanessa and Ant reflect on creating from where they come from and what it means to carry community memory into their work. The conversation touches on Philly Rican identity, gatekeeping, gentrification, cultural preservation, neighborhood bakeries, saying “bendición,” and why younger creatives deserve space to tell their own stories. This episode is Episode 8, Art as Responsibility, now available. Featured topics: Philly Rican identity • Storytelling • Cultural preservation • Gentrification • Murals • Filmmaking • North Philadelphia • Puerto Rican culture • Community memory If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and continue the conversation with your own memories, experiences, and reflections. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →Saying “Bendición” | Domino Dialogues Short
1w ago00:01:21Tap to summarizeIn this short from The Domino Dialogues, the conversation turns to the meaning behind saying “bendición” in Puerto Rican households. Vanessa Vega, Ant Rivera, and Edwin Desamour reflect on growing up asking elders for their blessing, how traditions shift across generations, and the small cultural practices that continue to connect families and communities. The conversation touches on respect, memory, family, and the ways culture gets carried forward through everyday moments. This short is from Episode 8, Art as Responsibility, now available. Featured topics: Family traditions • Puerto Rican culture • Generational memory • Philly Rican identity • Community If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and continue the conversation with your own memories and experiences. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →How We Take Care | Episode 7 | The Domino Dialogues
Apr 3001:46:30Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Domino Dialogues, Dr. Keith George and Charles DeLeon discuss the connection between mental health, physical health, and how care is practiced in everyday life. They share how stress builds over time, how cultural expectations shape the way people respond to it, and what happens when taking care of others becomes the priority over taking care of yourself. The conversation touches on long-term stress and its impact on the body, as well as the role of boundaries in protecting your energy. The discussion reflects on responsibility, community, and the ways people navigate care within their families and environments. It highlights how patterns learned early on can shape health over time. This episode is Episode 7, How We Take Care, now available. Featured Topics Mental health • Physical health • Stress and long-term health • Cultural expectations • Boundaries and energy • Community care If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to share it and help preserve these stories as part of this growing community archive. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →Inez Ramos on Machismo and Women in Community Movements | Domino Dialogues Short
Mar 2500:01:33Tap to summarizeIn this audio short from Episode 6 of The Domino Dialogues, Inez Ramos speaks about accountability in community leadership and the impact of machismo within movement spaces. She reflects on how women often carry significant responsibility in advocacy work while their contributions are sometimes overlooked, and why these conversations can be difficult but necessary for community growth. This short is part of Episode 6, The Courage to Fight Anyway, now available.
Transcribe →Who Decides If You're Puerto Rican Enough? | Domino Dialogues Short
Mar 1800:01:43Tap to summarizeIn this audio short from Episode 6 of The Domino Dialogues, Edwin Desamour reflects on identity, language, and what it means to belong when you feel caught between expectations. He speaks about the experience many Latinos face when they are told they are not “American enough” or not “Puerto Rican enough,” and how community acceptance often comes from lived relationships rather than cultural gatekeeping. This conversation explores how identity is shaped not just by language or labels, but by connection, presence, and commitment to community. This short is part of Episode 6, The Courage to Fight, now available. These conversations are part of Somos Society’s work to preserve the historical living archive of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community.
Transcribe →28 Years Wrongfully Incarcerated | Eddie Ramirez | Domino Dialogues Short
Mar 1800:01:08Tap to summarizeIn this audio short from Episode 6 of The Domino Dialogues, Eddie Ramirez shares his experience of being wrongfully accused and spending nearly 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He reflects on being arrested at 19 years old, entering the prison system with fear and uncertainty, and the people who encouraged him to prepare for freedom through education, discipline, and planning for life after release. His story is one of survival, preparation, and the long road back to community after decades of incarceration. This short is part of Episode 6, The Courage to Fight, now available. Stories like this are part of the living history Somos Society works to preserve through The Domino Dialogues.
Transcribe →