A little over a month ago, I was in New Orleans for a conference. I took an Uber to the airport when I was leaving and the driver was a Latino guy. I had not been in New Orleans for many years, and did not recall seeing many Latinos the last time I was there. I asked the driver if there were a lot of Latinos living in New Orleans, and he said “there is now”. When I asked him to explain, he said that Latinos came to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina to help rebuild the city and many of them stayed. Today, Latinos in New Orleans are part of the fabric of the city’s local economy and are provide a foundation to its workforce and consumer base. This is a story that can be told for many of America’s great cities. The book Barrio America by A. K. Sandoval-Strausz chronicles how Latinos created the foundation that ultimately led to the revitalization of the now thriving downtown neighborhoods of Chicago and Dallas.
As experts ponder how America will pull itself out of the COVID-19 recession, one thing I know for certain is that Latino workers, homebuyers, and entrepreneurs will be at the epicenter of America’s renaissance. As this scenario comes to pass, I will use this blog and my upcoming podcast to share stories and help document this phenomenon. In fact, we all need to use our respective platforms to make sure that the contributions Latinos make in bringing America back don’t go unnoticed.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about socialism, communism, and democratic socialism—especially in New York City. I recorded something this week because I think we’re losing the ability to talk about these ideas with nuance. We throw labels around to scare or silence people, and it keeps us from having real conversations about affordability, ownership, and what it takes to build a society where people can live with dignity. If you have a moment, I’d appreciate you taking a look and letting me know what you think.
Lately, I’ve been hearing from a lot of people who are frustrated — with work, with the economy, with the state of the world. I get it. I’ve felt that too. But here’s something I’ve always believed: there is nothing more powerful than taking that energy and turning it into success. In this week’s episode of The Latino Brand, I talk about why building wealth isn’t just about money — it’s about agency, dignity, and control...
Jewish summer camps have helped preserve culture, build identity, and create lifelong networks for generations. In this episode, I talk about how Latinos can adapt this model to strengthen our own community and invest in our young people.