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A look at the Aztec Rebels, a family-oriented motorcycle club based in the Bronx

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A look at the Aztec Rebels, a family-oriented motorcycle club based in the Bronx

Jossiel Estefes, known as “Onex,” stands next to his bike at a gas station in Connecticut during a ride on March 17, 2024.

Mayolo López Gutiérrez


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“Look at what you built, we started with four men and now check this out,” Sergio Garcia, the sergeant at arms of the Aztec Rebels club, told Andrés Lucero as he pointed at the packed party, while their kids ran around the space and women chatted at one of the tables. Andrés didn’t say anything, but his eyes said it all — the pride of seeing his dream become a reality, surrounded by friends who had become family.

Thanksgiving night. The South Bronx.

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A small opening reveals concrete stairs that go down to the basement in a quiet New York City street. But the silence doesn’t last too long. The smell of lime and oregano mixes with the faint aroma of beer as the sound of banda music fills the basement space. Tables are filled to the brim with steaming bowls of pozole, and a soft murmur of conversations weaves through the room like an invisible thread.

Andres, the Club's founder and ex president, stands along members of the club during their Thanksgiving party in the South Bronx.

Andrés Morales, the club’s founder and former president, stands with club members during their Thanksgiving party in the South Bronx.

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The Aztec Rebels start their motors before departing on a night ride to a restaurant in the Bronx.g

The Aztec Rebels start their motors before departing on a night ride in the Bronx.

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Sergio Garcia "Toluco" jokes with his kid outside of "Mama Puebla", a mexican restaurant in the Bronx owned by one of the Aztec Rebels.

Sergio Garcia, known as “Toluco,” jokes with his son outside of “Mama Puebla,” a Mexican restaurant in the Bronx owned by one of the Aztec Rebels.

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All the leather-vested men look to the staircase. As Andrés removed his beanie, a bald eagle tattoo was revealed, glistening under the dim lights. He walked down the steps like an old Hollywood movie star entering a bar, eyes fixed on the gathering.

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The November wind blew in from the East River on to Intervale Avenue. But here, Andrés’ gaze softened as he watched his people together, sharing stories and laughter.

Jossiel Estefes and daughter pose for a portrait during a Thanksgiving party in the Bronx. He recently became an official in the club

Jossiel Estefes and daughter pose for a portrait during a Thanksgiving party in the Bronx. He had recently became an official in the club.

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The festivities that night were a testament to how far the club had come, and also spoke of how Latino communities tend to integrate into American culture: While they were celebrating Thanksgiving, there was no turkey or gravy, but rather pozole, chicken and black mole, traditional of Puebla, where most of the Mexican population in New York is from. But to truly understand the Aztec Rebels, you have to look back at how Andrés and his brother, Eddie Lucero, started their journey in a very different South Bronx.

Cumbia dancing during the Thanksgiving Party.

Aztec Rebels dance cumbia with their loved ones at the Thanksgiving party.

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Jociel's children sleeping during the Aztec Rebel's Thanksgiving dinner in the South Bronx.

Children sleep during the Aztec Rebel’s Thanksgiving dinner in the South Bronx.

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Andrés founded the Aztec Rebels with Eddie after learning the culture and politics in a Bronx motorcycling club called The Roadrunners. They dreamt of creating a space where they could hear their own music, speak their language, and be understood. “I started hanging out with The Roadrunners when I was 19. Eddie was 12, and he would tag along everywhere we went. My brother grew up in that club. He has always lived the life of a biker, so, in a way, we learned what a motorcycle club was. That’s why we were able to start our own club on the basis of what an actual club is.”

After deciding on brown to be the club’s color and designing the Aztec eagle insignia, the Aztec Rebels MC was officially founded in 2016 with five founding members. They’ve since expanded to over 20 full members and five prospects from every borough of NYC. Most of them live in the Bronx and Staten Island — “La Isla,” as they colloquially call it.

Toluco, the Aztec Rebels Master of Arms, smokes his cigar during a Thanksgiving party in a rental cellar in the South Bronx.

Sergio Garcia, known as Toluco, the Aztec Rebels’ Sergeant at Arms, smokes his cigar during a Thanksgiving party.

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Every full member goes through a sometimes years-long process that begins with an invite, becoming a prospect and learning the rules of the club through a current member before gaining their three distinctive vest patches. A flier for the club reads: “We accept every nationality. You don’t need a motorcycle to enter, but we do expect you to get one eventually.” The Aztecs, nonetheless, are primarily Mexican, speckled by a few Ecuadorians and a Honduran member.

Each has a different story and connection to Mexico.

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“For me, the journey here was more of a game, an adventure through the desert,” Andrés says when recalling his migratory journey. “I came in ’86 and have always been looking for the opportunity to improve my situation, even when I was a kid. I was 12, and for me, it was just normal. I didn’t see the danger back then, but if I had to do it again, I would be very scared, because I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from recent migrants.”

His parents had arrived five years earlier from Piaxtla, a town of 15,000 in the mountains of Puebla. They started a fabric factory in uptown Manhattan and rented an apartment on Southern Boulevard in the Bronx. “I come from a pueblo — I was never from the city — so it was a really drastic change to arrive here and see all the people. Especially in that time — the Bronx was in the middle of the drug pandemic. Crack.”

Breaking the piñata during a birthday party in Staten Island.

Children crack open a piñata during a birthday party in Staten Island on May 24, 2024.

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The Aztec Rebels kids jump to gather candies dropped after breaking a piñata during a birthday party.

The Aztec Rebels’ children jump to gather candies dropped after breaking open a piñata.

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Alfredo Ramirez, "Mad Max" recieves a birthday cake during a party in Staten Island.

Alfredo Ramirez, known as “Mad Max,” receives a birthday cake during a party in Staten Island.

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In the ’80s, the South Bronx still bore the scars of fires that burned entire neighborhoods to the ground the prior decade. “There were a lot of burnt buildings. It looked like a war zone. A lot of people are using drugs in the streets. I adapt quickly, nonetheless. In the end, it didn’t scare me; I just had to get used to everything. After a couple of years, it was just normal to see what was going on,” Andrés recalls from his youth.

Mexican immigration to the United States dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, with undocumented agricultural laborers traveling to work in the Californian fields. In the 1940’s, the Bracero program formalized the employment of many of these workers, who were needed to fill the gap created by the demand for men during World War II. Throughout the century, the practice of young men migrating to work in the United States grew more and more common.

In 1980, there were 39,000 people of Mexican origin in New York state, while 10 years later, the census registered an yearly increase of 8.8%. It is in this landscape that so many Mexicans have built a home in the United States, finding themselves and creating communities that make them feel safe and with a sense of identity.

Andrés Lucero stands for a portrait beside his Volkwswagen Beetle, coloquially called "Bochito" in Mexico. He migrated to the United States from Piaxtla, Puebla at age 12, and settled with his parents in an apartment in the South Bronx. He founded the Aztec Rebels Motorcycle Club after spending his youth with the American Roadrunners and looking to mix mexican traditions and culture with the passion for riding.

Andrés Lucero poses for a portrait beside his Volkswagen Beetle on Aug. 21, 2024.

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In 2020, Andrés handed the president’s badge to his brother and now spends most of his time running a deli on Third Avenue. The back of the store, adorned with a Virgen de Guadalupe sprayed in gritty black graffiti, doubles as his tattoo parlor. His home is still the apartment building where his parents settled in the ’80s. One of the doors belongs to Eddie.

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Stern and serious, Eddie carries an almost military posture in his shoulders — gained by private security training and a lifetime living among the club — along with five commanding officers, they keep the Aztecs riding. Eddie is not only the club president and a commanding presence amongst the Aztecs; he is also father to twin teenagers that often spend time with the club, when they are not playing soccer with the FC Harlem. Eddie, as part of a sort of training, tells his kids of the tough decisions he sometimes has to make as president, and asks them what they would do. Explaining and passing on the most important value of the club: the value of family. He is also the friendliest of the group when playing with the other members’ kids. He is loved and respected by everyone.

Blank, club treasurer is reflected on a motorcycle mirror before a ride to Long Island.gg

Christian Pérez, the club’s treasurer, is reflected in a motorcycle mirror before a ride to Long Island on Feb. 25, 2024.

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Some of the Aztec Rebels look out towards a lake in Long Island during a ride.

Some of the Aztec Rebels look out toward a lake in Long Island during a ride.

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Riders hold a lot of stigma and stereotypes of machismo and misogyny, sometimes supported by long-held traditions and questionable practices. To illustrate, in most motorcycle clubs, wives and girlfriends of the group wear vests that read “Property of X M.C.” As president, Eddie broke that tradition by writing “Protected by Aztec Rebels M.C.” on the women’s vests.

When looking at one of the Aztecs’ gatherings, one must see beyond the vests and the stereotypes surrounding motorcycle culture. Although they might look tough on the outside, the men that form this community are responsible family men. The club also provides a family to those who, in some cases, left their families behind and started a life completely on their own in the United States.

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“People are always looking for a family, and that’s why sometimes they get into gangs. We want to be that place where Mexicans can come and be in a safe environment, without violence, but with a family,” Eddie says.

"Diablo" stands for a portrait during a ride to Long Island. Age 19, he is the youngest member of the Aztec Rebels. He came to the United States after living his childhood in the working class neighborhood of Iztapalapa in Mexico City.

“Diablo” poses for a portrait during a ride to Long Island.

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At 19, ‘Diablo,’ is the youngest full member in the Aztecs. He asked us not to use his full name because of his immigration status. Most, or rather none, of the members know his actual name; they refer to him by the nickname he earned from his love of speed on his motorbike.

“I went straight into middle school and had a lot of fights. People tried to bully me because I didn’t speak English, so I just defended myself, and only then did they respect me and start hanging out with me,” Diablo recalls.

He sticks out from the other Aztecs only for his skinny build and the noticeable age difference. But he is just one of them when it comes to the brotherly rowdiness and banter.

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“My mother told me that the fights in high school were not irrelevant, but they meant knives and weapons. All my friends went to the same high school, but I didn’t tell them and went to a different one. Most of them are now in gangs and some of them are no longer around,” he says, while hanging out next to a food truck selling birria and tacos on a highway in Connecticut.

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Andrés Lucero, the Club's founder and ex president draws the outline of the club's logo on the wall of their first clubhouse in Hunt's Point.vg

Andrés Lucero, the club’s founder and former president, draws the outline of the club’s logo on the wall of their first clubhouse in Hunts Point on May 26, 2024.

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Members of the Aztec Rebels play pool in their recently opened clubhouse in Hunts Point.

Members of the Aztec Rebels play pool in their newly opened clubhouse.

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Christian Perez holds his newborn at the Aztec Rebels recently opened clubhouse in Hunts Point, in the Bronx.

Christian Perez holds his newborn at the Aztec Rebels recently opened clubhouse in Hunts Point, in the Bronx.

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Since 2016, the Rebels have been gathering in their personal apartments, garages and basements, from Yonkers to Staten Island, or “La Isla,” as they call it. But they’ve always wanted to have a permanent home.

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As their numbers increased, the commanding officers started looking for potential places to rent, primarily in the South Bronx. They visited more than 20 lots that they could use, but were always turned down.

Eddie Lucero, Club President poses for a portrait with his twin kids, Eddie and Ethan during an easter egg hunt in Randalls Island for the Aztec Rebels and their families.

Eddie Lucero, the club’s president, poses for a portrait with his twins, Eddie and Ethan, during an Easter egg hunt on Randall’s Island for the Aztec Rebels and their families.

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This year, their efforts finally came to fruition. A remote street next to the Hunts Point “marketa,” as the Latino community calls it, finally accepted the Aztec Rebels as tenants. Eddie called an emergency meeting at the new location without giving away the surprise. All the men answered the call. They came thinking that their president was in danger. They climbed up the stairs without removing their helmets, ready for anything. And there stood Eddie: he said. “Welcome to your new house.”

In the next couple weeks, they remodeled the space with their bare hands. Most have worked in construction, so it wasn’t hard for them. They added a classic pool and foosball table, and a TV, where they watched the Mexican soccer league’s final between Club América and Cruz Azul.

“There’s a different way to do things. You don’t have to follow a straight path. We broke the mold by being Mexican bikers in New York. You can be wholesome and be a family man. And you can be more than just a biker. You can be a leader in your community and help everybody out by being part of something big,” Eddie concluded.

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Sergio Garcia "Toluco" and Carlos Villatoro look at the skyline from the rooftop of the Aztec Rebels recently opened clubhouse in Hunts Point, in the Bronx.

Sergio Garcia and Carlos Villatoro look at the skyline from the rooftop of the Aztec Rebels recently opened clubhouse in Hunts Point, in the Bronx.

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The Aztec Rebels stand outside their recently opened clubhouse in Hunts Point in the Bronx. After several months of looking for a rental space and being rejected for being a motorcycle club, the club's leadership found this space and moved quickly to secure it.

The Aztec Rebels stand outside their newly opened clubhouse in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx on May 26, 2024.

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Skid marks during a ride to Long Island.

Skid marks left behind in a parking lot during a ride to Long Island.

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Mayolo López Gutiérrez is a photojournalist based in Mexico City. You can see more of Mayolo’s work on his website, mayolopezgutierrez.com, or on Instagram at @fotomayo

Photo edited by Virginia Lozano. Copy edited by Zach Thompson.

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This spring, have a tea ceremony inside of an art installation and shop the latest Givenchy

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This spring, have a tea ceremony inside of an art installation and shop the latest Givenchy

Givenchy by Sarah Burton introduces the Snatch

Givenchy’s “The Snatch” handbag.

(Marc Piasecki / Getty Images)

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Guess Jeans store interior.

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(Josh Cho)

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Sodalite bracelet by Louis Vuitton

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(Louis Vuitton)

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(Lora Piana)

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(Veronica Fernandez)

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The exterior of Rocky's Matcha x Oscar Tuazon at Morán Morán
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(Stade New York)

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(Mr Wash)

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Make your first BBQ of the season a meaningful one at the Art By Wash Studio & Community Center, where Compton artist and criminal justice advocate, Mr. Wash, will celebrate the release of his book “Artists in Space.” Proceeds from the book, which features interviews and studio visits with 20 Angeleno residents, go toward establishing the new community center where individuals returning home from incarceration will have access to art classes, creative residencies and housing. Mr. Wash will be in conversation with Patrisse Culllors and Evan Pricco (co-publisher and founder of the Unibrow) as well as displaying new works. The event is on March 7 from 2-6 p.m. 15 W. Rosecrans Ave., Compton. artbywash.com

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‘Hamnet’ star Jessie Buckley looks for the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters

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‘Hamnet’ star Jessie Buckley looks for the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters

Jessie Buckley has been nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for her portrayal of William Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet.

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Actor Jessie Buckley says she’s always been drawn to the “shadowy bits” of her characters — aspects that are disobedient, or “too much.” Perhaps that’s what led her to play Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet.

Buckley says the film, which is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel, offered a chance to counter a common narrative about the playwright’s wife: that she “had kept him back from his genius,” Buckley says.

But, she adds, “What Maggie O’Farrell so brilliantly did, not just with Agnes and Shakespeare’s wife, but also with Hamnet, their son, was to bring these people … and give them status beside this great man. … [And] give the full landscape of what it is to be a woman.”

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The film is nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best actress for Buckley. In it, she plays a woman deeply connected to nature, who faces conflicts in her marriage, as well as the death of their son Hamnet.

Buckley found out she was pregnant a week after the film wrapped. She’s since given birth to her first child, a daughter.

“The thing that this story offered me, that brought me into this next chapter of my life as a mother was tenderness,” she says. “A mother’s tenderness is ferocious. To love, to birth is no joke. To be born is no joke. And the minute something’s born into the world, you’re always in the precipice of life and death. That’s our path. … I wanted to be a mother so much that that overrode the thought of being afraid of it.”

Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Joe Alwyn plays her brother Bartholomew in Hamnet.

Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Joe Alwyn plays her brother Bartholomew in Hamnet.

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Interview highlights

On filming the scene where she howls in grief when her son dies

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I didn’t know that that was going to happen or come out, it wasn’t in the script. I think really [director] Chloé [Zhao] asked all of us to dare to be as present as possible. Of course, leading up to it, you’re aware this scene is coming, but that scene doesn’t stand on its own. By the time I’d met that scene, I had developed such a deep bond with Jacobi Jupe, who plays Hamnet, and [co-stars] Paul [Mescal] and Emily Watson, and all the children and we really were a family. And Jacobi Jupe who plays Hamnet is such an incredible little actor and an incredible soul, and we really were a team. …

The death of a child is unfathomable. I don’t know where it begins and ends. Out of utter respect, I tried to touch an imaginary truth of it in our story as best I could, but there’s no way to define that kind of grief. I’m sure it’s different for so many people. And in that moment, all I had was my imagination but also this relationship that was right in front of me with this little boy and that’s what came out of that.

On what inspired her to pursue singing growing up

I grew up around a lot of music. My mom is a harpist and a singer and my dad has always been passionate about music, so it was always something in our house and always something that was encouraged. … Early on, I have very strong memories of seeing and hearing my mom sing in church and this quite intense mercurial conversation that would happen between her, the story and the people that would listen to her. And at the end of it, something had been cracked between them and these strangers would come up with tears in their eyes. And I guess I saw the power of storytelling through my mom’s singing at a very young age, and that was definitely something that made me think I want to do that.

On her first big break performing as a teen on the BBC singing competition I’d Do Anything — and being criticized by judges about her physical appearance

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I was raw. I hadn’t trained. I had a lot to learn and to grow in. I was only 17. I think there was part of their criticism which I think was destructive and unfair when it became about my awkwardness, or they would say I was masculine and send me to kind of a femininity school. … They sent me to [the musical production of] Chicago to put heels on and a leotard and learn how to walk in high heels, which was pretty humiliating, to be honest, and I’m sad about that because I think I was discovering myself as a young woman in the world and wasn’t fully formed. … I was different. I was wild, I had a lot of feeling inside me. I could hardly keep my hands beside myself and I think to kind of criticize a body of a young woman at that time and to make her feel conscious of that was lazy and, I think, boring.

On filming parts of the 2026 film The Bride! while pregnant

I really loved working when I was pregnant. I thought it was a pretty wild experience, especially because I was playing Mary Shelley and I was talking about [this] monstrosity, and here I was with two heartbeats inside me. Becoming a mom and being pregnant did something, I think, for me. My experience of it, it’s so real that it really focuses [me to be] allergic to fake or to disconnection.

Since my daughter has come and I know what that connection is and the real feeling of being in a relationship with somebody … as an actress, it’s very exciting to recognize that in yourself and really take ownership of yourself.

I’m excited to go back and work on this other side of becoming a mother in so many ways, because I’ve shed 10 layers of skin by loving more and experiencing life in such a new way with my daughter. I’m also scared to work again because it’s hard to be a mother and to work. That’s like a constant tug because I love what I do and I’m passionate and I want to continue to grow and learn and fill those spaces that are yet to be filled — and also be a mother. And I think every mother can recognize that tug.

On the possibility of bringing her daughter to travel with her as she works

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I haven’t filmed for nearly a year and I cannot wait. I’m hungry to create again. And my daughter will come with me. She’s seven months, so at the moment she can travel with us and it’s a beautiful life. And she meets all these amazing people and I have a feeling that she loves life and that’s a great thing to see in a child. And I hope that’s something that I’ve imparted to her in the short time that she’s been on this earth is that life is beautiful and great and complex and alive and there’s no part of you that needs to be less in your life. You might have to work it out, but it’s worth it.

Lauren Krenzel and Susan Nyakundi produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.

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