Nalleli Cobo Read by Lauren Markham

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

Rebel Girls

Kids & Family, Stories For Kids, Education For Kids

4.5 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Almost overnight, nine-year-old Nalleli Cobo started getting headaches, nosebleeds, and body spasms. When she and her mom connected the dots to an oil well 30 feet from their home, Nalleli fought for the survival of her family, her neighborhood and her city of Los Angeles. This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was narrated by Lauren Markham. It was produced by Danielle Roth and directed by Haley Dapkus. Sound design and mixing by Carter Wogahn. The story was written and fact checked by Danielle Roth. It was edited by Haley Dapkus. Our executive producers were Joy Smith, Anjelika Temple, and Jes Wolfe. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A special thanks to Nalleli Cobo and the whole Rebel Girls team, who made this podcast possible! Until next time, staaaay rebel!

Transcript

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0:00.0	One day, nine-year-old Naili Kobo was walking home with her big sister through their neighborhood in South Los Angeles.
0:14.7	They passed streetbenders selling elote.
0:17.1	A smiling woman was pushing a cart with ice cream.
0:24.6	The sisters walked by tall metal gates plastered with warning signs. Laili never knew what was behind those ominous gates.
0:28.6	Could there be a parking lot?
0:30.6	Sometimes she imagined the industrial doors bursting open to reveal an amusement park.
0:35.6	But that day, something else caught her attention.
0:39.3	She scrunched up her face when she caught a whiff of a strange smell.
0:43.3	Almost like rotten eggs, but mixed with guava and chocolate?
0:50.3	What on earth could smell like this?
0:53.3	Naili and her sister planned to ask their mom when they got home. What on earth could smell like this?
0:58.0	Naili and her sister planned to ask their mom when they got home.
1:01.1	Normally, their home was bustling with five generations.
1:04.8	But when she opened the front door, silence.
1:06.8	Where was everybody?
1:12.0	Naili's mom ushered the sisters into a room where they discovered the rest of her family.
1:18.8	I will do everything in my power to keep us safe, her mom said, looking at the faces of Naili's loved ones all crowded in one room. The mysterious smell swept through the neighborhood and
1:24.2	seeped into their home, even with the window shut tight.
1:31.8	This was the only room with an air purifier, hard at work keeping the air clean.
1:34.1	Could a smell be dangerous?
1:36.5	What was the source of the stench?
1:39.2	And what could nine-year-old Nyelli do about it? I'm looking at the same- journalist focusing on immigration and environmental justice, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
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