Tony Aguilar brings a perspective based on his experience and accomplishments in the public square. Born and raised in the South Bronx, he has been an advocate, organizer, public speaker, writer, workshop leader for over 30 years. As a community organizer with the Industrial Areas Foundation, he served as the associate organizer in the building of Nehemiah Homes in the South Bronx and the efforts to improve Lincoln Hospital. He went on to become the lead organizer for economic development in Southeast Queens, before taking on environmental cleanup and passage of a prevailing wage ordinance in Jersey City, New Jersey. As Assistant to the Lutheran Bishop of New York, Tony created the Urban Leaders Institute, which trained congregational leaders and the Urban Empowerment Fund, which provided grants to congregations working with persons in poverty. He has served on the board of directors for non-profit institutions including Lutheran Social Services of Metropolitan New York, Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn New York (now NYU Langone) Council of Churches for the City of New York and the Inter-church Center. He was also one of the founding members of the Commission of Religious Leaders. He has hosted a radio talk show on WEVD where he interviewed public figures such as Alan Dershowitz, Bishop Stephen Bouman, former NBA star Charles Smith and author Jim Sleeper about issues such as race, athletics, religion and politics. He also hosted and produced a cable tv show. During his career he has been quoted in major newspapers such as the New York Times, Daily News, Newsday, Jersey Journal as well as being interviewed on tv stations such as NBC and CBS. Tony was also featured in the book by Jim Rooney, “Organizing the South Bronx.” He is a member of the President’s Club of the Chicago Council for Global Affairs and the Foreign Policy Association. In June 2023 he began hosting The Aguilar Conversations: A Global Perspective, a podcast about international issues. including the war in Ukraine, the Niger conflict, Brazil, Taiwan’s presidential election and the Israel/Hamas war. He is the author of four books including his latest, Is America Broken or Has It Always Been This Way?  which explores whether the challenges America faces today are truly new or part of a longer historical pattern. 

Listen to Tony being interviewed about his new book Is America Broken or Has it Always Been This Way? 

Interviewed by actor and film director Meosha Bean

Vigilante Radio