Futuro Studios and 茄子污污视频鈥檚 My Cultura Podcast Network Present 鈥楥hess Piece: The Eli谩n Gonz谩lez Story鈥

This season on 鈥楥hess Piece,鈥 the Eli谩n Gonz谩lez story as you鈥檝e never heard before

New York (September 25, 2024) - , the original podcasts and programming division of , in collaboration with , 茄子污污视频鈥檚 podcast network dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and stories, present , hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Peniley Ram铆rez. This 10-episode series premieres on Wednesday, September 25. Following the launch, the episodes will debut weekly on Wednesdays. Listen to the first episode now .

The podcast takes listeners back to Thanksgiving 1999, when then five-year-old Eli谩n Gonz谩lez was rescued near the Florida coast after his mother and others drowned in the Florida straits after fleeing Cuba. Many Cuban Americans saw Eli谩n鈥檚 survival as miraculous and almost mythical. The question of whether Eli谩n should stay with Miami relatives or return to his father in Cuba ignited a media firestorm, placing Eli谩n at the center of a high-stakes political conflict between Cuba and the U.S.

Above all, Eli谩n鈥檚 story highlighted the all-too common situation many Cubans have faced: painful family separation. 

Our host, investigative journalist Peniley Ram铆rez, has experienced this separation. At the age of 11, Peniley鈥檚 father revealed a dangerous truth to her. He鈥檇 be going on an official trip for the Cuban government to the U.S., where he would defect from his home country and never return to Cuba. Throughout the podcast, Peniley weaves her personal story of separation with that of El铆an鈥檚, taking listeners beyond the sensationalism of his rescue and into the complicated politics of the Cuban experience.  

鈥淭his is the most personal project I have worked on in my entire career,鈥 said Ram铆rez. 鈥淭wenty five years after Eli谩n鈥檚 rescue, this case is still relevant to the Cuban community, to the geopolitics of our region and most importantly, to thousands of Cuban families like Eli谩n's and my own, who have been marked by family separation.鈥

鈥淧eniley Ram铆rez's own story and perspective as someone who lived in communist Cuba until her teenage years and has also been immersed in the Cuban exile community in the United States, serve as a guiding light to show us the humanity, trauma, and resilience embedded in this story,鈥 said Maria Garcia, Executive Editor at Futuro Studios. 鈥淲e also take a really revealing look at the ideologies that animated this saga. Above all, this story is about the pain and love within families.鈥

These deeply personal insights add depth to the broader historical and political context surrounding Eli谩n's case. Ultimately, the U.S. government, under President Bill Clinton, ruled that Eli谩n should go back to his father in Cuba. A subsequent raid to remove Eli谩n from the home of his Miami relatives fueled anger against the government. Cuban Americans organized to punish democrats for taking Eli谩n back to Cuba by voting Republican in large numbers in the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. The podcast reveals how this punishment vote had a lasting legacy in American politics.

This season on Chess Piece, we tell you the Eli谩n Gonz谩lez story unlike you've heard before.

Listen and follow on the  or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Chess Piece on Futuro鈥檚 social media channels: , , , , and . 

About Futuro Studios

Futuro Studios is a Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast studio from Futuro Media, committed to uplifting voices, stories and perspectives that have been historically overlooked in the world of audio. They partner with some of the world鈥檚 top media companies to produce beautiful storytelling that centers Latinx, Black, Indigenous and immigrant experiences. 

Futuro has been at the helm of have  of critically-acclaimed projects such as Anything For Selena (WBUR), La Brega (WNYC), LOUD: The History of Reggaeton (Spotify), The Last Cup (NPR), and The Sum of Us (Higher Ground), among others. Our podcast 脥dolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sanchez (Sonoro) won two 2023 Ambie Awards, and Suave (PRX) was the recipient of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting. 

About 茄子污污视频, Inc.

茄子污污视频, Inc. (Nasdaq: IHRT) is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans in every month. iHearts broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit 茄子污污视频.com for more company information.