If you haven’t had the privilege of seeing Hamilton, The Musical, you’ll have a chance to see it on Disney+ starting on July 3rd. If you are not a fan of theater, you may not know how rare this sort of thing is. Broadway musicals are almost never shown on television, much less when they are currently running on Broadway. And, while I’m sure you lose a lot of the show’s energy by watching it on TV versus in a live theater setting, Hamilton is special and I think will be amazing to see it on the small screen. As most people know, Hamilton chronicles the extraordinary life of one of America’s least known founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Lin Manuel Miranda, the show’s creator, has been credited with reinventing the theater genre by using hip-hop music and Black and Latino actors, exclusively, to tell a traditional American story. I am an avid theater fan, but didn’t get a chance to see the show until two years after it premiered. By the time I saw Hamilton, there was so much hype around it, I was sure I was going to be disappointed. I was wrong, and can honestly say it was even better than I expected. I plan on hosting a watch party with my parents and sisters, who haven’t seen it yet. I can’t wait.
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.
For years, we’ve been told that mass deportations would mean more jobs and higher wages for U.S.-born workers. But this episode looks at why the opposite may actually be happening. I break down new research showing how immigrant and U.S.-born workers often play complementary roles in the labor market, why removing one group can hurt the other, and how these policies may be making labor shortages, housing challenges, and economic instability even worse. This is a conversation about jobs, economics, and the unintended consequences too many people still refuse to confront.
Something important is shifting, and this episode is about why it matters. For a young and fast-growing community like ours, the rise of AI may be opening doors that were previously harder to reach — not by eliminating every barrier, but by expanding access to knowledge, tools, and opportunity at a scale we’ve never seen before. But access alone won’t determine who wins. This moment calls for strategy, community, and a serious commitment to turning potential into power. The opening is real. What happens next depends on what we do with it.