I had my annual physical this past week and I am thrilled to report that I am in good health. My vitals, metabolic panel, PSA and lipids were all clear. This is great news for someone of my advanced age…ha-ha. I’ve had the same doctor for about a decade. He’s a dry guy without much of a sense of humor. Nobody else in my family likes him, but he is a super fit guy who has always struck me as someone who does his research, and is always on the top of his game. Personally, I want my doctor to be really smart, and who looks like he practices what he preaches. I’m willing to sacrifice bedside manner for a little extra competence. While I was putting my shirt back on, I asked him, “so what’s the deal with COVID-19; is it really that bad?”. My doctor put his fist on his chin and went on to tell me that it is far worse than most people think. He added that he was concerned for me, because I had pneumonia last year and the virus could be riskier for me. He said the virus affects people differently, and that race and ethnicity appears to be a factor. He said kids are a lower risk of death because the virus tends to settle in their digestive tracts, but for adults it settles in their lungs, and from there it can spread like cancer to all of the major organs. He said that he personally has cancelled all travel for the balance of the year and that his colleagues who are virologists, say that we will be wearing masks and doing social distancing for another year. It was a little sobering. Especially because it appears like a lot of people are acting like the threat of the virus is over. I realize that everything is political these days, but COVID-19 does not care about politics. It is a devastating illness that will kill more than 200,000 Americans by September. That’s more than twice as many as the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. Please be careful out there.
In this episode, I break down how misinformation continues to shape the way undocumented immigrants are talked about in this country, and why that matters so much. I look at what a recent Dallas Fed report actually says about housing, wages, and jobs, and why some of the loudest headlines got the story wrong. But this is about more than bad reporting. It is about the human cost of turning people into scapegoats, the damage that misinformation does to families and communities, and why ending the division in this country begins with telling the truth.
Latinos make up about 20% of the U.S. population, and our economic power is growing even faster. In this episode, I talk about why that should change the way we see ourselves and the way we move in this country. We are driving household formation, workforce participation, GDP growth, and entrepreneurship, yet too often we still act like spectators instead of stakeholders. This is a conversation about economic power, confidence, and why controlling our narrative and asserting ourselves boldly is not optional — it’s our responsibility.
There are qualities in our community that no data point can fully capture, but this episode is about one of the biggest: grit. I talk about why perseverance, resilience, family, and purpose have always been among the greatest strengths of Hispanics and Latinos, and why those strengths can be a powerful advantage in a world being reshaped by technology, wealth, and access. But grit alone is not enough. If we want to translate all of that talent and determination into lasting economic and political power, we also need stronger networks, better platforms, and more intentional leadership. The opportunity is real. The question is whether we are ready to organize around it.