On a sad note, I had four friends lose parents last week alone. Three died of COVID-19. It’s unbelievable. I recently made the decision to allow the NAHREP staff to work from home for the remainder of the year. We are lucky because not everyone has a job that can be done from home and I understand why some of the people out of work are questioning the closure policies. The fact is nobody knows everything about this disease.
That said, I would rather allow my staff to work from home, and be wrong, than require them to come in and be wrong. I would rather everyone wear a mask, and be wrong, than not wear a mask and be wrong. I would rather be safe for everyone around me, and be wrong, than not be safe and be wrong. To err on the side of safety, in the face of a life-threatening infectious disease, is a no-brainer for me. Stay healthy, everything else can be replaced.
There is no shortage of data showing the impact Latinos are having on the U.S. economy, from GDP and entrepreneurship to workforce participation and homeownership. So why hasn’t that growth translated into the kind of economic and political power our numbers suggest it should? In this episode, I focus on two things we can actually control: building wealth and owning our narrative. Cultural influence matters, but ownership is what turns influence into lasting power. And if we want the next generation to inherit more than momentum, we need a strategy for converting our work ethic, growth, and economic contributions into the institutions and assets that shape this country.
The World Cup reminded the world just how magnetic Hispanic and Latino culture can be. In this episode, I talk about why that popularity is more than a cultural victory—it is an economic opportunity hiding in plain sight. From music, food, sports, and fashion to the global appeal of our biggest stars, our culture already has the power to shape markets and influence how people see us. The question now is whether our business and political leaders are ready to turn that momentum into capital, representation, and lasting power. This is a moment we cannot afford to waste.
The World Cup gave Hispanics and Latinos an extraordinary global stage, but the opportunity goes far beyond sports. In this episode, I look at how cultural influence can shape perception, attract investment, and ultimately create economic power. South Korea understood this decades ago and built a global strategy around making its culture impossible to ignore. Now, the world has seen the energy, pride, and creativity of our community on its biggest stage. The question is whether we recognize the value of that moment and build something lasting from it.