There is light at the end of the tunnel. A study of 1 million people conducted in Israel that was published by the New England Journal of Medicine confirms the Pfizer BioNTech’s vaccine is 94-95% effective in preventing COVID-19 with symptoms. The study is the largest to date and was greats news for all of us. As of February, Israel has vaccinated more than half of its population and is on track to achieve herd immunity in the next few months. An article and a link to the study appears here. Scientists estimate that 70% of the population would need to be vaccinated in order to achieve that herd immunity and keep the virus under control. Skepticism about vaccines in the U.S. has surged in recent years. I don’t subscribe to those opinions, but I don’t totally dismiss them either. The healthcare industry and big pharma are incredibly powerful forces in American politics, and people have good reason to question a system that is driven by profit as much as it is by science. On the other hand, vaccines are one of the top three discoveries of the 20th century, eradicating diseases like polio and the measles, and saving millions of lives worldwide. If enough people in our country reject vaccines altogether, the result could be catastrophic – especially for our children. Latinos, for some reason, appear to be among the most fearful of the coronavirus vaccine. This worries me, and is why research like the Israel study is so important. If you have concerns about the vaccine, read the study. I am hopeful that the anti-vaxxer movement in the U.S. doesn’t keep the rest of us from returning to a normal life in 2021. Get vaccinated, please.
The data tells a powerful story: Latinos are driving economic growth in America. If Latino Americans were a standalone country, we’d be the fifth-largest economy in the world, and without Latino homebuyers, the number of homeowners in America would have declined in 2025. So why doesn’t it feel like we’re winning? In this episode, I talk about the gap between growth and perception, why we still don’t have enough strong voices shaping the national conversation, and why purchasing power alone is not enough. Growth matters, but wealth matters more. This is a conversation about leadership, visibility, and what it will really take for our community to turn momentum into lasting power.
A bill known as the 21st Century Road to Housing Act recently passed the Senate with rare bipartisan support, and it raises an important question: could housing be the issue that brings Americans back together? In this episode, I talk about why housing has become too urgent for either party to ignore, how affordability is forcing elected officials to actually work together, and why this moment matters so much for our community. At a time when division feels constant, housing may be one of the few issues serious enough to cut through the noise.
A recent housing study confirms what many of us in this industry have already felt: Latinos are playing an increasingly vital role in keeping the housing market strong. In this episode, I break down why that matters so much. Latinos accounted for more than 100% of the net increase in U.S. homeowners in 2025, and when you combine that with our workforce participation, youth, and growing economic influence, the picture becomes clear — Latino buyers and workers are helping keep both housing and the broader economy afloat. This is a story of momentum, contribution, and the growing importance of our community in shaping America’s future.