Updated April 23, 2025 at 05:00 AM ET
These days in Boyle Heights, many people are laying low and keeping their heads down. Southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on the east bank of the Los Angeles River, Cesar Chavez Avenue is the backbone of this immigrant community.
It's usually busy with people selling fruit, tamales, clothing and trinkets on the street, but on a recent Friday afternoon, the sidewalks were quiet — residents feared Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Just off the avenue, in the broadcast studio of radio station KQBH, Kennia Camacho is using her weekly hour-long show, Crisis Communicator, to speak out.
"What I noticed is the lack of people showing up in places and how entirely scary it's been." She said, "How do we feel safe walking down the street?"
The 19-year-old takes to the airwaves every Friday evening for an hour to discuss her own fears and the crisis facing her community.
"I wanted my show to be something like a place where I can be myself and hopefully people can also be themselves."
The low-power station's broadcast covers an area of just 10 miles. It's located in the historic building that's home to the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, a nonprofit community hub offering classes in arts, media and technology.
Boyle Heights is more than 93% Hispanic, and more than 85% of households do not speak English at home, according to data from the LA Department of City Planning. Fears of ICE raids in Los Angeles have emerged in recent months, and many in the community are spending more time at home, which means fewer customers at local businesses.
"When I say things aloud, they make more sense than they do in my head," Camacho said. "So when I say out loud, 'I don't deserve to be here,' it's almost like, why am I saying that?"
Camacho created the show in 2023, when she was a 17-year-old high school senior. In this age of TikTok and Instagram, she said she grew up with the radio always on in her home and was drawn to the way that many of these broadcast personalities connected with their audiences.
"My whole purpose is to connect with people," she said. "I wanted my show to be a place where I can be myself and hopefully lead so people can also be themselves."
The theme of one recent show was impostor syndrome. Camacho discussed her anxiety of an upcoming summer internship. She looks up to older family members who have left LA to go to college and pursue careers, but wonders if success might mean giving up parts of herself.
On the air, she shares a story about one of her relatives, an immigrant from Mexico, working in cancer research at Harvard. Despite her elite education and accompanying success, she told Camacho she felt sad and lonely because her cultural culinary needs weren't being met. She had a hard time finding tortillas in Boston.
"First of all, I had to understand that not everyone has tortillas. This is something we eat every single day," Camacho said. "This tortilla is really a symbol that there aren't enough people like you for that to even be in the store near you. And this is the first time in your life you're not surrounded by people like you."
The second half of her show is dedicated to sharing crises sent to her during the week by friends, family and community members. The crises are commonplace for many college-age students: a nail artist anxious about charging his first professional client, or Camacho dealing with romantic rejection and balancing multiple part-time jobs alongside a full class schedule.
Camacho feels the weight of responsibility she has taken on as a young voice of her community. Since President Trump took office, discussion of ICE raids and deportation has been part of every show.
"How can we uplift our community at this moment and remind ourselves that we're not alone?" She said. "Tell your tios (uncles), your tias (aunts), your primos (cousins), know your rights. Don't open that door."
She also works with local nonprofits handing out red cards informing people what their rights are if they encounter ICE.
She credits her network of family, community and Crisis Communicator with giving her strength and confidence to succeed. She says she wants her show to be a way that people can understand that it's okay not to be okay.
"You need to acknowledge that, yes, this is happening, but yes, you are amazing. You are deserving of all of these good things."
"I'm 95% sure that nothing can stop me, and I think that's just come from my radio show," she said. "When I look at the state of the world, I think, they don't have a brown woman up there. And if I have to be the brown woman that beats it and makes it, then I will."
She's turning around and using that confidence to help her community face its own crisis.
The radio version of this story was produced by Paige Waterhouse.
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