Saying those words out loud is pretty surreal, but last week, my wife Kathy and I became grandparents for the first time. Amelia Claire Smeraski was born on October 15th to our daughter Jaimie and her husband A.J. I can already tell that Amelia is a beauty, like her mom and grandma, with a calm and curious disposition. Auntie Marisa and uncle Aaron are mildly obsessed with their new family member and say they can’t stop staring at her pictures. Amelia was born at the tail end of a once-in-a-century pandemic. I think a lot about babies born in the last two years, and how different their lives have been as compared to other babies born in recent years. A lot has been written about the negatives, but maybe something good will come of it as well. I guess only time will tell. All I can say at this point is that everything people say about how it feels to be a grandparent for the first time is absolutely true. It is a life-changing experience and we are going to enjoy every minute of it.
I have been writing this blog for almost eight years. In two weeks, the format will change. I will start a video series on social media titled "The Latino Brand." I will supplement the videos with a weekly news sheet emailed to my database that includes links to the video series...
The country is experiencing significant disruption, unlike anything we've seen since the end of World War II. A perfect storm of demographic changes, AI advancements, and political upheaval will reshape the nation forever. Some changes will be beneficial, while others will be less clear. Here's my perspective on what to expect in the next decade
The large majority of undocumented immigrants are decent, hard-working people desperate for a better life in America. However, there are also some bad apples, violent criminals that not only terrorize our communities but also damage the image of Latinos in America. Trump promised to prioritize criminals in his deportation plans. In the first few weeks in office, the data shows that...