1
00:00:01,626 --> 00:00:03,461
♪ (UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS) ♪
2
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Downloaded from
YTS.MX
3
00:00:03,545 --> 00:00:06,256
I did not speak English
when I got to the States.
4
00:00:06,339 --> 00:00:08,133
We did some pretty
audacious things.
5
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
6
00:00:08,216 --> 00:00:10,301
(LAUGHING)
Oh, my God, diosito, help me.
7
00:00:10,385 --> 00:00:11,886
What is this world
that we live in?
8
00:00:11,970 --> 00:00:14,556
You can get paid
for just being yourself. What?
9
00:00:14,639 --> 00:00:18,226
I had no idea of the magnitude
of what was happening.
10
00:00:18,309 --> 00:00:19,519
Habla, nena, habla.
11
00:00:19,602 --> 00:00:20,979
-Habla.
-Habla.
12
00:00:21,062 --> 00:00:22,731
-Habla.
-Habla.
13
00:00:22,814 --> 00:00:24,107
Loud.
14
00:00:24,190 --> 00:00:26,401
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪
15
00:00:27,277 --> 00:00:29,779
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
16
00:00:33,116 --> 00:00:34,784
My name is Nicolás Entel.
17
00:00:34,868 --> 00:00:36,786
Where I was born,
it doesn't matter.
18
00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:40,123
I am a Latino
who lives in the U.S.,
19
00:00:40,206 --> 00:00:42,542
has an American passport
and American kids.
20
00:00:42,625 --> 00:00:44,753
The first things
that you discover
21
00:00:44,836 --> 00:00:46,296
when you move to the U.S.,
22
00:00:46,379 --> 00:00:49,299
is that the second
that you arrive to the U.S.,
23
00:00:49,382 --> 00:00:50,967
you are no longer Argentine,
24
00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:53,636
you're no longer Venezuelan,
Mexican, or Cuban.
25
00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,307
You become a Latino in the U.S.,
26
00:00:57,390 --> 00:00:58,892
which I think
is the greatest thing
27
00:00:58,975 --> 00:01:00,101
that ever happened to me.
28
00:01:00,185 --> 00:01:01,478
I don't know if I arrived
29
00:01:01,561 --> 00:01:04,606
with any preconception
of Latinos in the U.S....
30
00:01:06,941 --> 00:01:09,027
but it took me nothing,
31
00:01:09,110 --> 00:01:12,155
five seconds
to adopt that identity.
32
00:01:12,238 --> 00:01:14,073
Like to understand that
33
00:01:14,157 --> 00:01:18,787
I have a lot in common
with Colombians, with Mexicans.
34
00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:20,789
You also have the ability
of understanding them
35
00:01:20,872 --> 00:01:23,208
in a way
that is not always available
36
00:01:23,291 --> 00:01:25,084
for those of us
in Latin America.
37
00:01:25,168 --> 00:01:27,796
And this means that
you have the possibility
38
00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:34,844
of exploring and open yourself,
lots of different experiences.
39
00:01:34,928 --> 00:01:38,348
Stories, histories, food,
traditions, art.
40
00:01:38,431 --> 00:01:42,018
You are exposed to
a bunch of different influences,
41
00:01:42,101 --> 00:01:44,062
and it's absolutely fascinating.
42
00:01:44,145 --> 00:01:47,273
Many of our countries
are not really connected.
43
00:01:47,357 --> 00:01:50,985
It's much easier to fly
from New York or Miami or L.A.
44
00:01:51,069 --> 00:01:55,073
to any Latin American capital
than it is to go from
45
00:01:55,156 --> 00:01:57,033
one Latin American capital
to the other.
46
00:01:57,116 --> 00:01:59,828
It's not even possible
to fly directly.
47
00:01:59,911 --> 00:02:03,331
If you want to fly from Asunción
to Mexico City,
48
00:02:03,414 --> 00:02:06,501
you might have to stop
in Fort Worth, Dallas.
49
00:02:06,584 --> 00:02:07,585
As a filmmaker,
50
00:02:07,669 --> 00:02:11,131
what I want to challenge
is the perception
51
00:02:11,214 --> 00:02:15,552
that Latino movies
and Latino TV shows
52
00:02:15,635 --> 00:02:17,554
are not part of the mainstream.
53
00:02:17,637 --> 00:02:19,889
I believe that we are
the new mainstream.
54
00:02:19,973 --> 00:02:22,225
My complaint is the following.
55
00:02:22,308 --> 00:02:24,811
It feels like everything
that's being commissioned
56
00:02:24,894 --> 00:02:27,063
by the studios
in the Latino space,
57
00:02:27,146 --> 00:02:31,025
a musical, big animation movie,
a sitcom,
58
00:02:31,109 --> 00:02:32,777
it still is a soap opera.
59
00:02:32,861 --> 00:02:36,447
It feels like studios
only wanna produce
60
00:02:37,615 --> 00:02:40,493
Latino content
that is inoffensive,
61
00:02:40,577 --> 00:02:45,623
that is uplifting
and a little sentimental.
62
00:02:45,707 --> 00:02:48,835
And there is so much more
that we can do.
63
00:02:48,918 --> 00:02:51,546
I mean, we come
from a very rich tradition.
64
00:02:51,629 --> 00:02:53,047
We are the continent
65
00:02:53,131 --> 00:02:56,259
of Borges and Cortazar
and Fuentes and Vargas Llosa.
66
00:02:56,342 --> 00:02:59,637
Latinos in the U.S.
gave the world Ritchie Valens,
67
00:02:59,721 --> 00:03:03,433
who transformed rock and roll
by the time he was 17,
68
00:03:03,516 --> 00:03:05,018
he even influenced The Beatles.
69
00:03:05,101 --> 00:03:09,439
Fania doesn't get the respect
and the credit it deserves,
70
00:03:09,522 --> 00:03:13,985
but it represents New York
as much as The Ramones
71
00:03:14,068 --> 00:03:16,988
or Talking Heads,
New York in the '70s.
72
00:03:17,071 --> 00:03:19,240
Chicano literature,
it's amazing,
73
00:03:19,324 --> 00:03:21,743
from Jovita to Sandra Cisneros.
74
00:03:23,328 --> 00:03:26,748
And yet it feels like they only
want us to do soap operas.
75
00:03:26,831 --> 00:03:29,792
I don't think there is only
one way of being universal.
76
00:03:29,876 --> 00:03:31,961
But we represent
77
00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:34,631
such a bigger portion
of the planet
78
00:03:34,714 --> 00:03:36,966
that we should be a way
of being universal,
79
00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:39,719
that the themes and the topics
that we want to touch
80
00:03:40,428 --> 00:03:41,971
can be universal.
81
00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:44,515
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
82
00:03:45,224 --> 00:03:46,351
CAMERA ASSISTANT: Take one...
83
00:03:47,352 --> 00:03:50,688
I'm Leonardo Nam, I'm an actor.
84
00:03:50,772 --> 00:03:51,856
Yeah, most people
when they meet me,
85
00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:53,566
they don't realize
that I'm Latino.
86
00:03:53,650 --> 00:03:57,820
You know, I was born
in Buenos Aires, so soy porteño,
87
00:03:57,904 --> 00:04:01,407
but I look Korean,
so soy coreano,
88
00:04:01,491 --> 00:04:05,078
but I sound Australian,
so soy australiano.
89
00:04:05,161 --> 00:04:08,873
And I'm in America,
so soy americano too.
90
00:04:10,041 --> 00:04:12,377
I only have really great
memories of Argentina.
91
00:04:12,460 --> 00:04:15,964
You know, in Argentina, I was
there until I was about seven,
92
00:04:16,047 --> 00:04:21,010
and I never really felt like
I didn't belong
93
00:04:21,094 --> 00:04:26,641
or wasn't part of the
Argentinian culture and stuff.
94
00:04:26,724 --> 00:04:30,520
It's only actually
after I left Argentina
95
00:04:30,603 --> 00:04:32,897
and then everyone else
reflected back to me like,
96
00:04:32,981 --> 00:04:36,567
"Oh, you're not from Argentina,"
or "You're not..."
97
00:04:36,651 --> 00:04:40,488
And I'd be like,
"But, I mean, I am."
98
00:04:41,614 --> 00:04:43,574
And that's the only answer
I can give them.
99
00:04:43,658 --> 00:04:45,576
Yeah, I never really
felt separate while I was there.
100
00:04:45,660 --> 00:04:51,124
Only, like I said, when I moved
to Australia or America
101
00:04:51,207 --> 00:04:53,543
would everyone kind of
reflect back to me
102
00:04:53,626 --> 00:04:56,546
what they thought
being Argentinian was,
103
00:04:56,629 --> 00:04:59,716
and I'd have to correct them.
104
00:04:59,799 --> 00:05:01,592
(LAUGHS)
105
00:05:01,676 --> 00:05:05,847
I remember when I first moved
to Australia from Argentina,
106
00:05:05,930 --> 00:05:07,765
and I only really spoke Spanish.
107
00:05:08,683 --> 00:05:10,893
And I was in Australia,
108
00:05:10,977 --> 00:05:12,562
and it was
my first grade teacher,
109
00:05:12,645 --> 00:05:15,481
and she only spoke English.
110
00:05:15,565 --> 00:05:18,901
And she brought in a kid
who was from Korea,
111
00:05:18,985 --> 00:05:20,695
who only spoke Korean.
112
00:05:20,778 --> 00:05:22,697
He's speaking Korean and crying,
113
00:05:22,780 --> 00:05:24,907
she's speaking in English
trying to connect it,
114
00:05:24,991 --> 00:05:27,535
and I'm crying,
speaking in Spanish.
115
00:05:27,618 --> 00:05:33,708
And I remember thinking,
"Wow, okay, I'm different."
116
00:05:33,791 --> 00:05:36,753
You know, I speak Spanish,
but people assume
117
00:05:36,836 --> 00:05:41,090
that I speak another language
or that I need to be
118
00:05:41,174 --> 00:05:44,761
something other than
literally how I am.
119
00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:46,804
But I remember
it was really difficult, man.
120
00:05:46,888 --> 00:05:48,097
It was so hard.
121
00:05:48,181 --> 00:05:52,477
I mean, I love food
and I love Argentinean food.
122
00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,480
I remember one of
my earliest memories
123
00:05:55,563 --> 00:05:57,899
of feeling so sad
when I recognized
124
00:05:57,982 --> 00:06:01,027
that I was not in my home
in Argentina
125
00:06:01,110 --> 00:06:03,196
was when in Australia
126
00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:05,907
no one understood
what dulce de leche was.
127
00:06:05,990 --> 00:06:08,117
I was like,
"That's my jam, man,"
128
00:06:08,201 --> 00:06:11,496
like, that's what I lived on,
you know?
129
00:06:11,579 --> 00:06:17,919
And there was definitely more
Italian culture kind of,
130
00:06:18,002 --> 00:06:19,462
you know, immigrants
in Australia,
131
00:06:19,545 --> 00:06:21,339
so they'd give me
the Italian equivalent.
132
00:06:21,422 --> 00:06:24,759
I'd be like, "No it's not
the same, it's not the same."
133
00:06:24,842 --> 00:06:26,803
I would say something
that's very Argentinian about me
134
00:06:26,886 --> 00:06:29,806
is that like I'm loud
and I'm like hugging.
135
00:06:29,889 --> 00:06:31,599
Because people are always
surprised by that with me.
136
00:06:31,682 --> 00:06:34,227
They're like, oh, they expect me
to be a little more standoff,
137
00:06:34,310 --> 00:06:35,978
I'm like no, man, I want in.
138
00:06:36,062 --> 00:06:38,106
I want in on the hug,
I want in on the beso.
139
00:06:38,189 --> 00:06:40,108
I wanna, I want, I want.
I love to hug people,
140
00:06:40,191 --> 00:06:42,944
I love to kiss people,
I love to be in their space.
141
00:06:43,027 --> 00:06:47,281
I think that's part of
being Argentinian for me.
142
00:06:47,365 --> 00:06:50,785
Being American is part of
who I am now too.
143
00:06:50,868 --> 00:06:53,621
I can't just deny that,
you know,
144
00:06:53,704 --> 00:06:57,041
I also have Australian
cultural aspects
145
00:06:57,125 --> 00:07:00,628
and Argentinian cultural aspects
and Korean cultural aspects.
146
00:07:00,711 --> 00:07:03,589
I am all those things
at the same time.
147
00:07:05,091 --> 00:07:07,802
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
148
00:07:11,639 --> 00:07:12,932
I am Isabella Gomez.
149
00:07:13,015 --> 00:07:16,769
I am from Medellín, Colombia,
and I am an actress.
150
00:07:16,853 --> 00:07:18,980
I immigrated
to Orlando, Florida,
151
00:07:19,063 --> 00:07:20,273
when I was around ten.
152
00:07:20,356 --> 00:07:22,608
I moved with my parents,
who are my best friends,
153
00:07:22,692 --> 00:07:23,901
and I moved to Orlando
154
00:07:23,985 --> 00:07:26,529
which has such
a huge Latinx community.
155
00:07:26,612 --> 00:07:28,990
A bunch of Colombians
and Puerto Ricans and Mexicans
156
00:07:29,073 --> 00:07:30,825
and everybody
and there was so much culture
157
00:07:30,908 --> 00:07:34,912
and so many of us that
I never really felt othered,
158
00:07:34,996 --> 00:07:37,623
or like being Latina
was different
159
00:07:37,707 --> 00:07:40,042
until later on in my life.
160
00:07:40,126 --> 00:07:42,837
I did not speak English
when I got to the States.
161
00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:46,257
I mean, I did in that
I took English classes
162
00:07:46,340 --> 00:07:49,886
in Colombia, but just like how
people take Spanish classes here
163
00:07:49,969 --> 00:07:53,014
and then don't really end up
learning the language.
164
00:07:53,097 --> 00:07:54,891
And I also, again,
was in Orlando,
165
00:07:54,974 --> 00:07:57,393
so a lot of my classmates
spoke Spanish,
166
00:07:57,476 --> 00:07:59,979
so it wasn't like
I wasn't able to communicate,
167
00:08:00,062 --> 00:08:01,522
it was more of, like,
a challenge.
168
00:08:01,606 --> 00:08:03,107
And I remember I got paired up
169
00:08:03,191 --> 00:08:05,026
with this girl, Marisol,
who was the coolest,
170
00:08:05,109 --> 00:08:07,653
and she helped me through.
And she was Mexican,
171
00:08:07,737 --> 00:08:09,614
so she spoke Spanish
and we were buddies,
172
00:08:09,697 --> 00:08:12,366
but it really wasn't traumatic
for me at all.
173
00:08:12,450 --> 00:08:14,160
Fun fact, on One Day at a Time,
174
00:08:14,243 --> 00:08:16,704
there was always
at least one word per episode
175
00:08:16,787 --> 00:08:18,581
that they would have to
write out of my lines
176
00:08:18,664 --> 00:08:20,958
because I just couldn't say it.
So...
177
00:08:21,042 --> 00:08:22,084
(CHUCKLES)
178
00:08:22,168 --> 00:08:24,378
My skin color and my features
179
00:08:24,462 --> 00:08:26,297
sometimes leads people
to believe
180
00:08:26,380 --> 00:08:29,592
that I am a White woman
instead of a Latina.
181
00:08:29,675 --> 00:08:31,844
And I am treated
very differently
182
00:08:31,928 --> 00:08:33,679
when people think
that I am a White woman
183
00:08:33,763 --> 00:08:36,766
than I am when people
know I am a Latina.
184
00:08:36,849 --> 00:08:39,227
And thus,
I have White privilege,
185
00:08:39,310 --> 00:08:40,895
which does not mean necessarily
186
00:08:40,978 --> 00:08:42,521
that you have
had a privileged life,
187
00:08:42,605 --> 00:08:46,192
but what it means is that
my life has not been made harder
188
00:08:46,275 --> 00:08:47,526
because of the color of my skin.
189
00:08:47,610 --> 00:08:49,570
But then I also see
a lot of people saying
190
00:08:49,654 --> 00:08:53,616
that maybe I shouldn't count
as Latinx representation.
191
00:08:53,699 --> 00:08:56,786
And I did see a few tweets once,
of people being like,
192
00:08:56,869 --> 00:08:58,955
"She doesn't count
as Latinx representation
193
00:08:59,038 --> 00:09:01,290
because of the color
of her skin."
194
00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:04,794
And I was born in Colombia
and I was raised there
195
00:09:04,877 --> 00:09:07,296
and to an age
where I remember living there.
196
00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:08,756
It's not like I came
when I was tiny,
197
00:09:08,839 --> 00:09:10,466
like, I was there
until I was ten.
198
00:09:10,549 --> 00:09:13,094
And so for people
to say that
199
00:09:13,177 --> 00:09:17,431
I do not count is,
frankly, really hurtful
200
00:09:17,515 --> 00:09:20,434
and I don't think that
that is most people's opinion.
201
00:09:20,518 --> 00:09:23,437
But it's a very nuanced
conversation right now
202
00:09:23,521 --> 00:09:26,148
that I don't really know
where to stand on it.
203
00:09:26,232 --> 00:09:29,568
But what I do know is that,
although I am very aware
204
00:09:29,652 --> 00:09:32,613
that I do not represent
all of our community
205
00:09:32,697 --> 00:09:35,449
and that I cannot speak to
all of our experiences
206
00:09:35,533 --> 00:09:37,410
and one single person
never could,
207
00:09:37,493 --> 00:09:39,912
I am wildly proud
of being a Latina
208
00:09:39,996 --> 00:09:43,291
and I will represent
and wave my flag
209
00:09:43,374 --> 00:09:47,086
and show up for my community
any chance I get.
210
00:09:47,169 --> 00:09:50,339
I've heard a lot of people,
and I'm sure others have too,
211
00:09:50,423 --> 00:09:53,217
talk about the crabs
in a bucket mentality.
212
00:09:53,301 --> 00:09:56,304
And basically, the story goes
that there was a fisherman
213
00:09:56,387 --> 00:09:57,430
and he brought in crabs,
214
00:09:57,513 --> 00:09:58,931
and somebody was like,
"Put a lid on it,"
215
00:09:59,015 --> 00:10:00,391
and he said, "Oh no,
these are Mexican crabs.
216
00:10:00,474 --> 00:10:02,852
They'll drag each other down
before letting themselves out."
217
00:10:02,935 --> 00:10:03,936
And it goes for--
218
00:10:04,020 --> 00:10:05,980
They use it for all of us,
for all Latinos.
219
00:10:06,063 --> 00:10:09,984
And I think that's a really
interesting concept.
220
00:10:10,067 --> 00:10:13,154
Because although I do think that
it's no secret that
221
00:10:13,237 --> 00:10:16,115
there is a lot of colorism
and racism and homophobia
222
00:10:16,198 --> 00:10:17,950
and all of these things
within our community,
223
00:10:18,034 --> 00:10:23,080
I also think that a crab's
environment is not a bucket.
224
00:10:23,164 --> 00:10:24,999
We were put in a bucket.
225
00:10:25,082 --> 00:10:28,252
And I think
we were made to believe
226
00:10:28,336 --> 00:10:30,046
that we have to fight
against each other
227
00:10:30,129 --> 00:10:32,506
and that there's only one seat
at the table
228
00:10:32,590 --> 00:10:35,426
and that we have to fight
for the one seat.
229
00:10:35,509 --> 00:10:38,804
But I also think that
we don't get enough credit.
230
00:10:38,888 --> 00:10:41,223
I think that although,
as a community,
231
00:10:41,307 --> 00:10:43,476
we have a lot of growing
and learning to do,
232
00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:44,727
and I think that
233
00:10:44,810 --> 00:10:48,689
we are better than the ways
that we behave sometimes,
234
00:10:48,773 --> 00:10:50,649
I also think that
we don't get enough credit
235
00:10:50,733 --> 00:10:52,318
for how lovely we are
236
00:10:52,401 --> 00:10:56,530
and how much love
and support we do give.
237
00:10:56,614 --> 00:10:59,575
And we have been put in
really unfair situations
238
00:10:59,658 --> 00:11:01,911
that we are trying to figure out
a way out of
239
00:11:01,994 --> 00:11:03,037
and that is not easy.
240
00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,832
And so I think we as a community
are pretty badass
241
00:11:06,916 --> 00:11:09,293
and I think we're on our way.
242
00:11:10,628 --> 00:11:12,922
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
243
00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,968
I am Ritchie Torres
from the Bronx.
244
00:11:18,052 --> 00:11:22,306
I'm the United States
Congressman for the South Bronx,
245
00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:25,351
and I do not fit
into the typical profile
246
00:11:25,434 --> 00:11:26,727
of a member of Congress.
247
00:11:26,811 --> 00:11:29,146
I was raised by a single mother
who had to raise three children
248
00:11:29,230 --> 00:11:32,400
on minimum wage,
which in the 1990s
249
00:11:32,483 --> 00:11:34,902
was a mere $4.25 an hour.
250
00:11:34,985 --> 00:11:37,947
I often ask people,
"Imagine being a single mother
251
00:11:38,030 --> 00:11:40,533
in the most expensive city
in America,
252
00:11:40,616 --> 00:11:45,204
raising three children
on $4.25 an hour."
253
00:11:45,287 --> 00:11:47,706
So I grew up in
a public housing development
254
00:11:47,790 --> 00:11:50,084
right across the street
from Trump Golf Course,
255
00:11:50,167 --> 00:11:52,378
living in conditions
of mold and mildew,
256
00:11:52,461 --> 00:11:53,629
leaks and lead,
257
00:11:53,712 --> 00:11:56,340
without reliable heat
and hot water in the winter.
258
00:11:56,424 --> 00:11:59,218
And as I saw the conditions
in my home get worse
259
00:11:59,301 --> 00:12:01,262
every single day,
260
00:12:01,345 --> 00:12:04,765
the government had invested
more than 100 million dollars
261
00:12:04,849 --> 00:12:07,685
in a golf course
named after Donald Trump.
262
00:12:07,768 --> 00:12:09,812
And I remember
asking myself at the time,
263
00:12:09,895 --> 00:12:12,231
what does it say
about our society?
264
00:12:12,314 --> 00:12:16,110
That we're willing to invest
more money in a golf course
265
00:12:16,193 --> 00:12:20,072
than in the homes of poor people
of color in public housing.
266
00:12:20,156 --> 00:12:23,325
And so that experience
of housing inequality
267
00:12:23,409 --> 00:12:25,619
is what inspired me
to become politically active.
268
00:12:25,703 --> 00:12:28,372
I got my start in politics
as a housing organizer
269
00:12:28,456 --> 00:12:31,959
and then at age 24,
I took the leap of faith
270
00:12:32,042 --> 00:12:34,044
and ran for public office.
271
00:12:34,128 --> 00:12:35,504
I had no deep pockets.
272
00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:38,174
I had no ties
to the party machine,
273
00:12:38,257 --> 00:12:40,134
but I spent a whole year
knocking on doors.
274
00:12:40,217 --> 00:12:43,387
And I won my first campaign
on the strength of door-to-door,
275
00:12:43,471 --> 00:12:44,763
face-to-face campaigning.
276
00:12:44,847 --> 00:12:49,351
I became the first openly gay
elected official from the Bronx.
277
00:12:49,435 --> 00:12:51,729
What makes my story distinctive
278
00:12:52,771 --> 00:12:55,274
is that seven years before then,
279
00:12:55,357 --> 00:12:56,817
I was at the lowest point
in my life.
280
00:12:56,901 --> 00:13:00,821
I had dropped out of college
because I was struggling
281
00:13:00,905 --> 00:13:02,031
with depression.
282
00:13:02,114 --> 00:13:03,949
I found myself
abusing substances,
283
00:13:04,033 --> 00:13:06,452
and there were moments when I
thought of taking my own life
284
00:13:06,535 --> 00:13:10,122
because I felt as if the world
around me had collapsed,
285
00:13:10,206 --> 00:13:12,166
that nothing seemed
to be going right.
286
00:13:12,249 --> 00:13:14,210
And then seven years later,
287
00:13:14,293 --> 00:13:16,003
I became
the youngest elected official
288
00:13:16,086 --> 00:13:17,546
in the largest city in America.
289
00:13:17,630 --> 00:13:21,091
And today
I'm a United States congressman.
290
00:13:21,175 --> 00:13:23,135
You know,
a wise person once said,
291
00:13:23,219 --> 00:13:25,721
"If you don't have a seat
at the table,
292
00:13:25,804 --> 00:13:27,765
then you're probably
on the menu."
293
00:13:27,848 --> 00:13:29,892
And every community should have
a seat at the table.
294
00:13:29,975 --> 00:13:33,229
The insurrection against
the United States Capitol
295
00:13:33,312 --> 00:13:35,689
during
the electoral college vote
296
00:13:35,773 --> 00:13:39,985
was not simply an assault
on a physical structure.
297
00:13:40,069 --> 00:13:43,072
It was an assault
on the very idea
298
00:13:43,155 --> 00:13:46,992
of America
as a multiracial democracy.
299
00:13:47,076 --> 00:13:49,787
And so, those from
communities of color,
300
00:13:49,870 --> 00:13:53,958
those from the Latino community
have to be politically active.
301
00:13:54,041 --> 00:13:55,417
We have to demonstrate
302
00:13:55,501 --> 00:13:59,630
that the future of America does
not belong to White supremacy.
303
00:13:59,713 --> 00:14:03,259
It belongs to multiracial
democracy, belongs to all of us.
304
00:14:03,342 --> 00:14:04,593
In general,
305
00:14:04,677 --> 00:14:09,139
people see politics
as something to be avoided.
306
00:14:09,223 --> 00:14:12,393
And we should learn
to embrace politics.
307
00:14:12,476 --> 00:14:14,436
Meet with
your elected officials,
308
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,398
lobby them on the issues
that matter to you.
309
00:14:17,481 --> 00:14:20,943
Be part of the civic life
of your community
310
00:14:21,026 --> 00:14:24,154
because if you do not care
enough about your neighborhood
311
00:14:24,238 --> 00:14:27,157
to be politically
and civically engaged,
312
00:14:27,241 --> 00:14:28,742
then no one else will.
313
00:14:28,826 --> 00:14:32,288
There's a quote I love
from Margaret Mead.
314
00:14:32,371 --> 00:14:38,002
She once said, "Never doubt that
a small group of committed,
315
00:14:38,085 --> 00:14:41,589
thoughtful citizens
can change the world.
316
00:14:41,672 --> 00:14:44,258
In fact, it's the only thing
that ever has."
317
00:14:44,341 --> 00:14:46,719
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
318
00:14:47,636 --> 00:14:48,679
CAMERA ASSISTANT: One.
319
00:14:51,265 --> 00:14:52,516
Well, most people ask me,
320
00:14:53,434 --> 00:14:55,728
"How did you get to be
so outspoken?"
321
00:14:55,811 --> 00:14:56,895
My mother would always say,
322
00:14:56,979 --> 00:14:58,272
"Habla, nena, habla."
323
00:14:58,355 --> 00:14:59,940
You know, "Speak, nena, speak."
324
00:15:00,024 --> 00:15:01,609
And my grandmother would add,
325
00:15:01,692 --> 00:15:03,736
"Habla fuerte, habla duro."
326
00:15:03,819 --> 00:15:05,029
You know, "Speak up."
327
00:15:05,112 --> 00:15:08,407
I was very little, I'm not tall,
you know,
328
00:15:08,490 --> 00:15:12,077
maybe four feet, 11 inches
and a half.
329
00:15:13,954 --> 00:15:17,166
And I would get bullied
in the playground a lot.
330
00:15:17,249 --> 00:15:21,462
So one time, my grandmother came
to pick me up at school,
331
00:15:21,545 --> 00:15:23,839
and I must have been,
I think first grade,
332
00:15:23,922 --> 00:15:27,301
and I had a bloody nose
and a little bit of a cut lip,
333
00:15:27,384 --> 00:15:29,887
and she said, "¿Que pasó?"
What happened?
334
00:15:29,970 --> 00:15:32,931
So I told her
this kid is bullying me.
335
00:15:33,015 --> 00:15:34,850
She-- I didn't use
the word "bully,"
336
00:15:34,933 --> 00:15:36,226
you know, he's picking on me.
337
00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:39,104
My grandmother was a pacifist,
but she also thought
338
00:15:39,188 --> 00:15:41,190
that you had every right
to defend yourself.
339
00:15:41,273 --> 00:15:43,067
She said, "Well, let me
tell you something.
340
00:15:43,150 --> 00:15:45,527
You have to hit
as hard as you can,
341
00:15:45,611 --> 00:15:48,238
you have to run
as fast as you can,
342
00:15:48,322 --> 00:15:52,201
and you have to scream
as loud as you can."
343
00:15:53,452 --> 00:15:54,995
And that stuck with me.
344
00:15:55,079 --> 00:15:57,331
It's September 20th, 2017.
345
00:15:57,414 --> 00:16:00,751
I was the mayor of San Juan,
and Hurricane Maria,
346
00:16:00,834 --> 00:16:04,880
a category four hurricane
with gusts of category five,
347
00:16:04,963 --> 00:16:06,048
hit Puerto Rico.
348
00:16:06,131 --> 00:16:08,384
And the San Juan
and the Puerto Rico that I knew
349
00:16:08,467 --> 00:16:09,802
were never gonna be the same.
350
00:16:09,885 --> 00:16:11,512
I knew that from the get-go.
351
00:16:11,595 --> 00:16:14,431
The minute you see that vision
352
00:16:14,515 --> 00:16:17,518
of that fierce, you know...
(BLOWS AIR) ...hurricane
353
00:16:17,601 --> 00:16:21,605
just engulfing the island nation
of Puerto Rico,
354
00:16:21,689 --> 00:16:23,315
you say, "Oh, my God."
355
00:16:23,399 --> 00:16:26,110
We went out in the street
September 20th.
356
00:16:29,488 --> 00:16:34,576
I have never...
felt the eerie silence.
357
00:16:35,828 --> 00:16:37,830
It speaks volumes.
358
00:16:38,914 --> 00:16:40,749
It is so desolate
359
00:16:40,833 --> 00:16:43,794
that it just runs
through your core.
360
00:16:43,877 --> 00:16:48,799
And the only thing that broke
the silence was the sorrow,
361
00:16:48,882 --> 00:16:54,638
and the screams,
and the tears of people
362
00:16:54,722 --> 00:16:56,932
going back to their homes
363
00:16:57,015 --> 00:17:00,227
while there still
were tropical storm winds
364
00:17:00,310 --> 00:17:02,396
and saying, "I have nothing."
365
00:17:02,479 --> 00:17:06,525
And no aid and respect
from those
366
00:17:06,608 --> 00:17:08,944
that were supposed
to be there to help us.
367
00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:11,697
And they're telling us to do
things that we can't do.
368
00:17:11,780 --> 00:17:13,574
"Fill out this form
on the internet."
369
00:17:13,657 --> 00:17:15,576
We have no internet.
370
00:17:15,659 --> 00:17:19,747
And on September 29th,
I got fed up.
371
00:17:19,830 --> 00:17:23,375
I told the truth
in a very loud way,
372
00:17:23,459 --> 00:17:26,128
and the truth was
that we were dying.
373
00:17:26,211 --> 00:17:27,629
That we were dying and that--
374
00:17:27,713 --> 00:17:30,758
My exact words said,
"We are dying here,
375
00:17:30,841 --> 00:17:32,259
and you are killing us
376
00:17:32,342 --> 00:17:35,262
with your bureaucracy
and your inefficiency."
377
00:17:35,345 --> 00:17:38,640
And I pleaded, I said, I mean,
378
00:17:38,724 --> 00:17:41,143
you know, people that know me
must have said,
379
00:17:41,226 --> 00:17:43,604
"What the heck
is that woman saying?"
380
00:17:43,687 --> 00:17:44,897
You know, "She's begging."
381
00:17:44,980 --> 00:17:47,232
I said,
"I'm begging the president
382
00:17:47,316 --> 00:17:49,610
of the United States
to help us."
383
00:17:49,693 --> 00:17:51,737
Well, he threw paper towels
at us.
384
00:17:51,820 --> 00:17:53,906
That was--
that was his response.
385
00:17:53,989 --> 00:17:56,867
And the fact
that four years later,
386
00:17:56,950 --> 00:18:00,370
only about six percent
of the homes have been fixed,
387
00:18:00,454 --> 00:18:02,581
it's criminal.
388
00:18:02,664 --> 00:18:04,958
We don't, we don't know--
389
00:18:05,042 --> 00:18:09,171
we don't deserve that,
but no one deserves that.
390
00:18:09,254 --> 00:18:13,634
I was very criticized
by people in Puerto Rico
391
00:18:13,717 --> 00:18:17,721
who thought that by speaking up,
I was endangering the help.
392
00:18:17,805 --> 00:18:21,934
And I'm thinking, "What help?
He's not sending anything.
393
00:18:22,017 --> 00:18:24,520
How does being
submissive y arrodillaos
394
00:18:24,603 --> 00:18:26,688
has worked out for you
up to now?"
395
00:18:26,772 --> 00:18:28,857
If they say
you need to be quiet,
396
00:18:28,941 --> 00:18:30,275
you speak up even louder
397
00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:32,486
because that means
you're saying something
398
00:18:32,569 --> 00:18:35,114
that is worth being listened to.
399
00:18:35,197 --> 00:18:36,990
And the amazing thing is,
400
00:18:38,742 --> 00:18:42,412
where the federal government
turned their back on us,
401
00:18:42,496 --> 00:18:45,040
the American people
took care of us,
402
00:18:45,124 --> 00:18:48,585
brought food and water
and took care of our wounds.
403
00:18:48,669 --> 00:18:51,171
People from New York,
Pittsburgh, Chicago,
404
00:18:51,255 --> 00:18:52,464
people from the diaspora.
405
00:18:52,548 --> 00:18:53,924
Everybody came together
406
00:18:54,007 --> 00:18:57,511
and people were really
dying of hunger,
407
00:18:58,554 --> 00:18:59,930
they were dying of thirst.
408
00:19:00,013 --> 00:19:04,893
Three thousand is the amount
of people thought to have died.
409
00:19:04,977 --> 00:19:07,980
I just hope they know
we couldn't get to them,
410
00:19:09,147 --> 00:19:12,484
not that we didn't want
to get to them.
411
00:19:13,235 --> 00:19:15,737
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
412
00:19:19,992 --> 00:19:22,202
My name is Olga Merediz.
413
00:19:22,286 --> 00:19:24,788
(IN AMERICAN ACCENT)
Or Olga Merediz, depending.
414
00:19:24,872 --> 00:19:29,126
I'm Cuban American,
I am an actress, I am a singer.
415
00:19:29,209 --> 00:19:32,671
I have done theater,
television, and film.
416
00:19:32,754 --> 00:19:36,842
I went to a high school
in Puerto Rico.
417
00:19:36,925 --> 00:19:38,802
And I had these incredible
teachers,
418
00:19:38,886 --> 00:19:41,972
Joan Delvecchio
and Lara Rifkold at--
419
00:19:42,055 --> 00:19:45,434
And they-- I was doing musicals
at that time
420
00:19:45,517 --> 00:19:46,894
and I was playing
Annie Get Your Gun,
421
00:19:46,977 --> 00:19:47,936
I was playing Annie.
422
00:19:48,020 --> 00:19:50,856
And I was doing, you know,
Hello, Dolly!,
423
00:19:50,939 --> 00:19:52,149
and I was playing Dolly.
424
00:19:52,232 --> 00:19:55,485
And I was doing all these,
you know, "American" musicals
425
00:19:55,569 --> 00:19:56,862
and I was playing the lead.
426
00:19:56,945 --> 00:19:58,322
I didn't even think twice,
427
00:19:58,405 --> 00:20:01,241
"Oh, I'm Latina
and I'm playing Dolly.
428
00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:04,703
I'm Latina and playing Annie
in Annie Get Your Gun."
429
00:20:04,786 --> 00:20:07,539
It's just,
that's the way I grew up.
430
00:20:07,623 --> 00:20:13,045
And then you get
to New York and L.A.,
431
00:20:13,128 --> 00:20:16,715
and all of a sudden, you're La--
you're "Latina."
432
00:20:16,798 --> 00:20:20,135
And you're like, okay,
you're gonna play the maid.
433
00:20:20,218 --> 00:20:21,303
(LAUGHS)
434
00:20:21,386 --> 00:20:24,389
And I would sometimes turn
the maid down three times,
435
00:20:24,473 --> 00:20:26,433
and they would come back,
"We'll give you more money,
436
00:20:26,516 --> 00:20:28,644
we'll pick you up in a car,
we'll give you--
437
00:20:28,727 --> 00:20:31,230
you'll be recurring,
you'll be the recurring maid."
438
00:20:31,313 --> 00:20:35,317
And basically they would--
I would shoot the episode
439
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:37,527
and then they would
never call me back.
440
00:20:37,611 --> 00:20:40,489
They just needed
that one episode or whatever,
441
00:20:40,572 --> 00:20:43,116
but things have changed
and I'm glad.
442
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:44,368
But occasionally, you know,
443
00:20:44,451 --> 00:20:46,912
they still want to
offer you the maid.
444
00:20:46,995 --> 00:20:48,914
I'm like, really?
445
00:20:48,997 --> 00:20:52,250
I feel like I've given
everything up for this business.
446
00:20:52,334 --> 00:20:55,963
On the one hand, I feel like
I did what I wanted to do.
447
00:20:56,046 --> 00:20:58,382
But yes,
when I was doing Broadway,
448
00:20:58,465 --> 00:21:02,052
I missed my brother's wedding
because the show must go on.
449
00:21:02,135 --> 00:21:04,888
It's also extremely challenging
physically.
450
00:21:04,972 --> 00:21:06,390
You have to take care
of yourself.
451
00:21:06,473 --> 00:21:09,393
You can't drink,
you gotta eat well,
452
00:21:09,476 --> 00:21:11,103
you gotta do
your Epsom salt baths,
453
00:21:11,186 --> 00:21:13,230
you got to go to
the chiropractor, the massage,
454
00:21:13,313 --> 00:21:14,356
the physical therapy.
455
00:21:14,439 --> 00:21:18,443
And you spend a lot of time
just preparing your--
456
00:21:18,527 --> 00:21:20,988
propping your body up
to do the show.
457
00:21:21,071 --> 00:21:24,866
Vocally, if you're singing
eight shows a week,
458
00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:28,662
for example, on Broadway,
and you have a challenging song,
459
00:21:28,745 --> 00:21:31,665
you might have to spend
the whole day,
460
00:21:31,748 --> 00:21:34,668
you know, quiet, and I would
bring a little notebook,
461
00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:36,878
you know, to the grocery store.
462
00:21:36,962 --> 00:21:39,840
Because I had to rest my voice
463
00:21:39,923 --> 00:21:42,801
in order to sing
a very challenging song
464
00:21:42,884 --> 00:21:45,846
because it's okay to sing
a challenging song once, twice,
465
00:21:45,929 --> 00:21:47,931
three times, five times,
ten times,
466
00:21:48,015 --> 00:21:51,768
but when you have to sing
a song a thousand times,
467
00:21:51,852 --> 00:21:55,856
you have to, sometimes, you
can't speak for the whole day
468
00:21:55,939 --> 00:21:59,818
in order to give the audience
that performance
469
00:21:59,901 --> 00:22:02,738
that they deserve
and that you want to give.
470
00:22:02,821 --> 00:22:05,282
These are the challenges
that people don't know about.
471
00:22:05,365 --> 00:22:07,868
You know, they go see
a show on Broadway
472
00:22:07,951 --> 00:22:10,537
and they go,
"Oh, my God, I loved it.
473
00:22:10,620 --> 00:22:11,830
It was so good.
474
00:22:11,913 --> 00:22:16,460
I laughed, I cried," but they
don't see the work behind.
475
00:22:16,543 --> 00:22:18,628
I've left the business
I don't know how many times.
476
00:22:18,712 --> 00:22:20,255
I've always wanted to
go back to school
477
00:22:20,338 --> 00:22:21,840
and do something else,
478
00:22:21,923 --> 00:22:24,760
but it's like something
that you just have to
479
00:22:24,843 --> 00:22:28,597
express and you can't not do it.
480
00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,059
I think when people,
especially the young people
481
00:22:32,142 --> 00:22:36,605
that stop me on the street
right now, they see themselves.
482
00:22:36,688 --> 00:22:39,566
They see themselves
and I remind them
483
00:22:39,649 --> 00:22:45,739
of their tías, their abuelas,
the people in their family,
484
00:22:45,822 --> 00:22:49,409
the people that maybe
didn't have the spotlight
485
00:22:49,493 --> 00:22:51,369
or never had the spotlight.
486
00:22:51,453 --> 00:22:55,290
And it's very emotional,
it's very touching
487
00:22:55,373 --> 00:22:56,458
when you see somebody
488
00:22:56,541 --> 00:22:59,169
that reminds you of
somebody in your family.
489
00:22:59,252 --> 00:23:01,630
I think what makes it all
worth it for me is when
490
00:23:01,713 --> 00:23:04,132
I get stopped on the street
by a young person
491
00:23:04,216 --> 00:23:06,093
and they say,
"You are an inspiration to me.
492
00:23:06,176 --> 00:23:08,220
You don't know how
you inspire me,
493
00:23:08,303 --> 00:23:09,221
you're an example."
494
00:23:09,304 --> 00:23:12,057
And I go, "Oh, my God,
what did I do
495
00:23:12,140 --> 00:23:13,809
to make this person
think this way?"
496
00:23:13,892 --> 00:23:17,562
But hey, I'll take it.
It's very fulfilling.
497
00:23:19,064 --> 00:23:21,525
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
498
00:23:24,820 --> 00:23:28,782
My name is Bianca Marroquín.
I'm a dancer, singer, actress,
499
00:23:28,865 --> 00:23:33,411
and I am very privileged
to do what I love for a living
500
00:23:33,495 --> 00:23:35,539
and very privileged
to be on Broadway.
501
00:23:35,622 --> 00:23:39,000
I was born in Monterrey,
Nuevo León, in Mexico.
502
00:23:39,084 --> 00:23:40,669
When I was a year
and a half old,
503
00:23:40,752 --> 00:23:42,879
my parents moved to the border.
504
00:23:42,963 --> 00:23:46,758
Matamoros, Tamaulipas border
with Brownsville, Texas.
505
00:23:46,842 --> 00:23:48,301
So my mother used to
always tell us
506
00:23:48,385 --> 00:23:49,845
that we were
very privileged kids
507
00:23:49,928 --> 00:23:53,348
because we got to grow up
between two worlds,
508
00:23:53,431 --> 00:23:55,725
two traditions, two cultures,
two languages.
509
00:23:55,809 --> 00:23:59,020
I, from a very early age, knew
exactly what I wanted to be.
510
00:23:59,104 --> 00:24:00,021
I wanted to be a dancer,
511
00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:01,606
I wanted to be
a professional dancer.
512
00:24:01,690 --> 00:24:04,818
And I was very lucky that
I had parents who supported me
513
00:24:04,901 --> 00:24:07,320
and took me to ballet class
since I was three,
514
00:24:07,404 --> 00:24:08,989
and my journey began there.
515
00:24:09,072 --> 00:24:11,408
I actually wanted to become
a flamenco dancer,
516
00:24:11,491 --> 00:24:14,327
but my life took
a slightly different path
517
00:24:14,411 --> 00:24:18,623
and I wound up doing
musical theater in Mexico City.
518
00:24:18,707 --> 00:24:20,125
My first show
was Beauty and the Beast,
519
00:24:20,208 --> 00:24:24,379
then Rent, Phantom of the Opera.
Chicago comes to Mexico.
520
00:24:24,462 --> 00:24:27,507
They wanted women
between 35 and 47 years of age
521
00:24:27,591 --> 00:24:28,967
and preferably famous.
522
00:24:29,050 --> 00:24:32,053
I was 25 and no one knew
who I was,
523
00:24:32,137 --> 00:24:34,723
but they trusted me
with Roxie then.
524
00:24:34,806 --> 00:24:37,642
And so that's where my journey
as Roxie began.
525
00:24:37,726 --> 00:24:40,228
That was 2001 in Mexico,
in Mexico City.
526
00:24:40,312 --> 00:24:41,646
Six months later,
527
00:24:41,730 --> 00:24:45,650
our producer Morris Gilbert
calls me to his office and says,
528
00:24:45,734 --> 00:24:47,485
"I just got off the phone
with Broadway,
529
00:24:47,569 --> 00:24:50,447
and they're inviting you
to come over to Broadway
530
00:24:50,530 --> 00:24:54,034
and do a three week stint
of Roxie.
531
00:24:54,117 --> 00:24:55,452
So we gotta learn it
in English,
532
00:24:55,535 --> 00:24:57,370
so here's the script
in English."
533
00:24:57,454 --> 00:24:59,915
So I would study the script
in English during the day,
534
00:24:59,998 --> 00:25:01,875
and I would do the show
in Spanish at night.
535
00:25:01,958 --> 00:25:04,586
It took me about three weeks
and then the day came,
536
00:25:04,669 --> 00:25:08,006
and I took my flight
and I arrived to New York City.
537
00:25:08,089 --> 00:25:10,425
I had four days of rehearsal,
forgot about my Spanish,
538
00:25:10,508 --> 00:25:11,885
just focused on my English.
539
00:25:11,968 --> 00:25:18,141
And when my Broadway debut came,
which was June 18th, 2002,
540
00:25:18,225 --> 00:25:22,229
I had no idea of the magnitude
of what was happening.
541
00:25:22,312 --> 00:25:26,650
I've been doing the show
Chicago the Musical on Broadway
542
00:25:26,733 --> 00:25:28,485
for the past 20 years.
543
00:25:30,111 --> 00:25:31,071
It's true.
544
00:25:31,154 --> 00:25:34,115
When I got my opportunity
to come to Broadway,
545
00:25:34,199 --> 00:25:37,994
a lot of people in Mexico City
told me, "Be careful, beware.
546
00:25:38,078 --> 00:25:39,871
People are not going to
treat you nice,
547
00:25:39,955 --> 00:25:41,873
and you're not going
to be accepted.
548
00:25:41,957 --> 00:25:44,709
And take protection,
and here's a crystal,
549
00:25:44,793 --> 00:25:45,961
and here's this necklace."
550
00:25:46,044 --> 00:25:50,298
And to tell you the truth,
I never felt any of that.
551
00:25:50,382 --> 00:25:53,218
The only time
that I then understood
552
00:25:53,301 --> 00:25:55,220
what they were talking
about was...
553
00:25:55,303 --> 00:25:57,389
There was this reporter
that did an interview
554
00:25:57,472 --> 00:25:58,890
with me over the phone.
555
00:25:58,974 --> 00:26:00,850
And we did the interview
in English.
556
00:26:00,934 --> 00:26:03,645
And then at the very end
of the interview, he says,
557
00:26:03,728 --> 00:26:05,814
"I'm gonna tell you the truth.
558
00:26:05,897 --> 00:26:07,732
When they told me
I needed to interview you,
559
00:26:07,816 --> 00:26:09,776
I said I'll call her
and I'll do the interview,
560
00:26:09,859 --> 00:26:13,321
but if she speaks
with an accent,
561
00:26:13,405 --> 00:26:15,115
I'm going to discontinue
the interview."
562
00:26:15,198 --> 00:26:16,408
I didn't know what to tell him.
563
00:26:16,491 --> 00:26:17,993
I was so young
and I was so, like, afraid
564
00:26:18,076 --> 00:26:22,497
and I... I didn't know, like,
thank you? What are you saying?
565
00:26:22,580 --> 00:26:24,457
That's mean. Why?
566
00:26:24,541 --> 00:26:26,418
And then I remembered
what they had told me
567
00:26:26,501 --> 00:26:29,629
before I left Mexico City.
I'm like, I see.
568
00:26:29,713 --> 00:26:31,923
My mom used to tell us
we were so privileged
569
00:26:32,007 --> 00:26:34,092
because we were raised
on the border,
570
00:26:34,175 --> 00:26:37,846
and so I got to learn English
when I was a baby, a kid.
571
00:26:37,929 --> 00:26:43,351
And so, because of that now,
cut to when I'm 25, 26 years old
572
00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:46,187
and I get this opportunity
to come to Broadway,
573
00:26:46,271 --> 00:26:47,981
I don't have
that thick of an accent.
574
00:26:48,064 --> 00:26:51,234
I don't have...
and so they accept me more.
575
00:26:51,318 --> 00:26:54,362
And I understood
my friends' journey,
576
00:26:54,446 --> 00:26:57,949
people who spoke
with an accent back then
577
00:26:58,033 --> 00:26:59,951
didn't receive
those opportunities
578
00:27:00,035 --> 00:27:02,078
and they were rejected a lot.
579
00:27:02,162 --> 00:27:03,455
After the show,
580
00:27:03,538 --> 00:27:06,124
I come out to sign autographs
and maybe there was somebody
581
00:27:06,207 --> 00:27:08,043
from Mexico there too, like...
582
00:27:08,126 --> 00:27:10,295
(IN SPANISH)
583
00:27:10,378 --> 00:27:14,424
(IN ENGLISH) And then
the English-speaking people
584
00:27:14,507 --> 00:27:18,720
around at the stage door
were like, "You speak Spanish?"
585
00:27:18,803 --> 00:27:22,432
I said, "Read your playbill,
yeah, read my bio.
586
00:27:22,515 --> 00:27:24,017
I come from Mexico."
587
00:27:24,100 --> 00:27:26,603
But it was sort of like
a compliment too
588
00:27:26,686 --> 00:27:31,232
because I didn't want to be,
you know, typed or put in a box
589
00:27:31,316 --> 00:27:32,692
or labeled or anything.
590
00:27:32,776 --> 00:27:36,529
So I wanted them to just love me
because of my talent.
591
00:27:36,613 --> 00:27:39,491
Because I was funny,
because I made them feel,
592
00:27:39,574 --> 00:27:41,409
because they believed me
when I was telling
593
00:27:41,493 --> 00:27:43,161
the story of Roxie Hart
in Chicago,
594
00:27:43,244 --> 00:27:45,705
that took place
in Chicago, Illinois.
595
00:27:45,789 --> 00:27:46,831
And yeah.
596
00:27:46,915 --> 00:27:52,879
(IN SPANISH)
597
00:27:52,962 --> 00:27:54,589
(CHUCKLES)
598
00:27:54,672 --> 00:27:57,384
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
599
00:28:00,845 --> 00:28:02,180
(IN ENGLISH)
My name is Curly Velasquez.
600
00:28:02,263 --> 00:28:04,265
I am born and raised
here in Hollywood.
601
00:28:04,349 --> 00:28:09,145
I'm a Salvadorian actor,
personality, influencer, writer.
602
00:28:09,229 --> 00:28:10,230
(IN SPANISH)
603
00:28:10,313 --> 00:28:11,731
(IN ENGLISH)
When I first started
604
00:28:11,815 --> 00:28:12,941
working on the internet,
I guess,
605
00:28:13,024 --> 00:28:15,110
I was hired at this company
and when I got there,
606
00:28:15,193 --> 00:28:17,237
they said, "We're going to hire
you as the receptionist."
607
00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:18,863
But when I walked in,
there were no phones.
608
00:28:18,947 --> 00:28:21,616
So I actually started
in the canteen.
609
00:28:21,699 --> 00:28:23,785
I would stock the food,
stock the snacks.
610
00:28:23,868 --> 00:28:26,746
It was kind of like being at the
right place at the right time.
611
00:28:26,830 --> 00:28:30,458
I remember I was walking back
to the kitchen,
612
00:28:30,542 --> 00:28:32,293
my station if you will,
613
00:28:32,377 --> 00:28:34,254
and I was holding stuff
and I could hear
614
00:28:34,337 --> 00:28:36,047
the actual influencers
of where I worked,
615
00:28:36,131 --> 00:28:39,300
the big personalities,
the big internet YouTubers.
616
00:28:39,384 --> 00:28:42,095
And I remember walking by them
and they were like,
617
00:28:42,178 --> 00:28:43,763
"I think we're being called,
618
00:28:43,847 --> 00:28:45,682
something called, like,
influencers now."
619
00:28:45,765 --> 00:28:48,935
And I was with my stuff,
I'm like, "What? Influencers,
620
00:28:49,018 --> 00:28:50,311
what does that mean?"
621
00:28:50,395 --> 00:28:52,147
And they were like,
"We can influence people.
622
00:28:52,230 --> 00:28:53,898
We can talk about the things
that we use,
623
00:28:53,982 --> 00:28:55,358
the places that we stay at."
624
00:28:55,442 --> 00:28:57,193
People were
getting things for free
625
00:28:57,277 --> 00:29:00,155
and I was like, ahí limpiando,
like what? Like la chismosa.
626
00:29:00,238 --> 00:29:02,532
Like, listening.
What? Free stuff?
627
00:29:02,615 --> 00:29:04,075
What is this world
that we live in?
628
00:29:04,159 --> 00:29:06,077
You can get paid
for just being yourself.
629
00:29:06,161 --> 00:29:07,036
What?
630
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,539
And they started
to put me in videos,
631
00:29:09,622 --> 00:29:11,249
and I'm talking about things
632
00:29:11,332 --> 00:29:14,210
that people necessarily
weren't talking about.
633
00:29:14,294 --> 00:29:16,004
I was like,
"Yo soy centroamericano.
634
00:29:16,087 --> 00:29:17,464
I was born and raised in L.A.
635
00:29:17,547 --> 00:29:19,549
I have a pussy nipple ring
right now."
636
00:29:19,632 --> 00:29:21,593
It was revolutionary
for a lot of people
637
00:29:21,676 --> 00:29:24,179
to see a queer
Central American person
638
00:29:24,262 --> 00:29:26,681
on a mainstream
digital network like that.
639
00:29:26,764 --> 00:29:28,391
I'm either amongst the first
640
00:29:28,475 --> 00:29:31,352
or the first queer Central
American on the internet.
641
00:29:31,936 --> 00:29:33,897
(LAUGHS)
642
00:29:33,980 --> 00:29:35,440
And I'll fight somebody
over that.
643
00:29:35,523 --> 00:29:36,649
I'm kidding, I can't fight.
644
00:29:36,733 --> 00:29:38,276
My best friend does that.
I don't want to copy him.
645
00:29:38,359 --> 00:29:40,528
Anyways, so it kind of blew up.
646
00:29:40,612 --> 00:29:42,322
People would stop me
on the street,
647
00:29:42,405 --> 00:29:44,240
people would be like,
"Oh, my God, I love you."
648
00:29:44,324 --> 00:29:47,785
And I'm like, how do you
even know who I am?
649
00:29:47,869 --> 00:29:51,164
And it literally changed
my entire life.
650
00:29:51,247 --> 00:29:53,166
I am growing and thriving,
651
00:29:53,249 --> 00:29:55,043
but suddenly,
I'm about to lose it all.
652
00:29:55,126 --> 00:29:57,754
I grew up in a time when
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie,
653
00:29:57,837 --> 00:30:00,340
Lindsay Lohan, all those people
were like,
654
00:30:00,423 --> 00:30:02,175
the people that we looked up to.
655
00:30:02,258 --> 00:30:06,554
And it was like opulence,
drugs, sex,
656
00:30:06,638 --> 00:30:09,557
and it was like, of course,
I want to grow up to be that.
657
00:30:09,641 --> 00:30:12,227
So that's what I tried to do,
that's what I tried to be.
658
00:30:12,310 --> 00:30:14,729
By the time I was 14, 15,
I was doing drugs
659
00:30:14,812 --> 00:30:16,898
and I was getting drunk
by the time I was 17.
660
00:30:16,981 --> 00:30:19,025
And you have to understand,
during the daytime,
661
00:30:19,108 --> 00:30:22,570
I was like the sweetie pie.
Like, hello, how are you?
662
00:30:22,654 --> 00:30:24,364
Like, I would cuddle up
with my abuela.
663
00:30:24,447 --> 00:30:26,783
I would take, you know, drive my
mom wherever she wanted to go.
664
00:30:26,866 --> 00:30:31,329
But by night,
I was a ho, a big one.
665
00:30:31,412 --> 00:30:34,165
If you gave me something that
I could snort, I would snort it.
666
00:30:34,249 --> 00:30:38,253
I was waking up to busted lips
and black eyes,
667
00:30:38,336 --> 00:30:40,880
on random bridges
in the heart of L.A.,
668
00:30:40,964 --> 00:30:42,966
not remembering how I got there.
669
00:30:43,049 --> 00:30:46,594
I almost lost my job
and family and friends
670
00:30:46,678 --> 00:30:48,596
that had loved me for so long.
671
00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,641
I had what a lot of addicts call
a rock bottom.
672
00:30:51,724 --> 00:30:53,810
It was that moment
where it was like,
673
00:30:53,893 --> 00:30:56,437
either you get your sh...
together,
674
00:30:57,313 --> 00:30:58,940
or you're about to lose it all.
675
00:30:59,023 --> 00:31:00,650
I decided to go sober
and the minute I do,
676
00:31:00,733 --> 00:31:03,403
my life just went... (WHOOSHES)
It just blew up.
677
00:31:03,486 --> 00:31:06,155
Suddenly, I had more money
in my bank account.
678
00:31:06,239 --> 00:31:08,116
Suddenly, I was having
real conversations,
679
00:31:08,199 --> 00:31:09,367
making real connections.
680
00:31:09,450 --> 00:31:12,120
Suddenly I was on TV,
playing myself.
681
00:31:12,203 --> 00:31:15,290
Suddenly, I was hosting and
talking about celebrity fashion,
682
00:31:15,373 --> 00:31:19,085
being myself, getting paid
for literally being the person
683
00:31:19,168 --> 00:31:21,421
that would get made fun of
their entire life.
684
00:31:21,504 --> 00:31:22,505
Back in the day,
it was like,
685
00:31:22,589 --> 00:31:24,007
"You're a boy,
why are you wearing makeup?"
686
00:31:24,090 --> 00:31:27,093
Now, it was like, "Hey,
what eyeliner are you using?"
687
00:31:27,176 --> 00:31:28,678
Yeah, it's not easy to be sober
688
00:31:28,761 --> 00:31:30,638
and it's interesting
because being Latino,
689
00:31:30,722 --> 00:31:33,808
like, alcohol, people think
it's a personality trait.
690
00:31:33,891 --> 00:31:34,809
(IN SPANISH)
691
00:31:34,892 --> 00:31:36,060
(IN ENGLISH)
Like, what do you mean?
692
00:31:36,144 --> 00:31:37,478
I went to a wedding in Mexico
and they were like,
693
00:31:37,562 --> 00:31:39,814
"He doesn't drink?"
I'm like, "No, I don't drink."
694
00:31:39,897 --> 00:31:41,983
It was like, I might as well
have said that, I don't know,
695
00:31:42,066 --> 00:31:43,610
I'm the worst person
in the world.
696
00:31:43,693 --> 00:31:44,777
People just, you know,
697
00:31:44,861 --> 00:31:46,863
people think that it is
a personality trait.
698
00:31:46,946 --> 00:31:48,364
It doesn't have to be.
699
00:31:48,448 --> 00:31:52,368
I think for me,
in an ideal world,
700
00:31:52,452 --> 00:31:55,622
people who were amazing
and have a great message
701
00:31:55,705 --> 00:31:57,373
would be the ones
that would be celebrated.
702
00:31:57,457 --> 00:32:02,170
Unfortunately, we live in
a world where if you're hot,
703
00:32:02,253 --> 00:32:04,839
you'll probably get followers
and stuff.
704
00:32:04,922 --> 00:32:08,009
But I think that my main focus
is not so much to be
705
00:32:08,092 --> 00:32:09,510
another voice on the internet
706
00:32:09,594 --> 00:32:12,347
telling you to learn this new
dance, learn this new trend.
707
00:32:12,430 --> 00:32:14,724
The only thing that I ever want
to influence people to do
708
00:32:14,807 --> 00:32:16,434
is call your grandma,
call your family,
709
00:32:16,517 --> 00:32:20,021
tell the people that you love
in your life, "I love you."
710
00:32:20,104 --> 00:32:22,440
I hope to be somebody
that can share humanity,
711
00:32:22,523 --> 00:32:23,983
both the ugly and the good
712
00:32:24,067 --> 00:32:26,110
and tell you that
you're doing great, sweetie.
713
00:32:26,194 --> 00:32:27,195
Keep going.
714
00:32:28,988 --> 00:32:31,658
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
715
00:32:34,827 --> 00:32:39,123
My name is Carla Morrison,
and I am a singer-songwriter.
716
00:32:39,207 --> 00:32:45,213
And yeah, been in the business
for 15 years, I think.
717
00:32:45,296 --> 00:32:48,591
I thought just making--
having my dream job,
718
00:32:48,675 --> 00:32:51,386
which was songwriting
and making songs
719
00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:54,430
was just going to be
a happy place all the time.
720
00:32:54,514 --> 00:32:58,726
But then I realized that
to do that, I had to be famous
721
00:32:58,810 --> 00:33:02,438
and with fame comes
a lot of sacrifices.
722
00:33:02,522 --> 00:33:04,524
Fame just makes you
very self-conscious.
723
00:33:04,607 --> 00:33:08,361
It just makes you
want to be perfect all the time.
724
00:33:09,987 --> 00:33:12,657
It also changes
the people around you.
725
00:33:12,740 --> 00:33:14,033
They perceive you different.
726
00:33:14,117 --> 00:33:17,578
They think you're special,
but we're all special.
727
00:33:17,662 --> 00:33:20,873
As Mexicans, we are taught that
we just need to work hard.
728
00:33:20,957 --> 00:33:22,333
We don't have to pay attention
729
00:33:22,417 --> 00:33:24,752
to our feelings
or to our struggles sometimes,
730
00:33:24,836 --> 00:33:26,337
we just have to work and work.
731
00:33:26,963 --> 00:33:28,464
(IN SPANISH)
732
00:33:28,548 --> 00:33:30,925
(IN ENGLISH) Literally and so,
when I was working
733
00:33:31,008 --> 00:33:34,053
and doing all these tours
and albums,
734
00:33:34,137 --> 00:33:35,596
I was always, always working.
735
00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:37,807
And so I got burned out.
I got burned out
736
00:33:37,890 --> 00:33:42,437
and I had to just face the fact
that I was depressed.
737
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:46,357
And I was anxious 'cause
I had no time for myself,
738
00:33:46,441 --> 00:33:51,571
no self-love, no time for me
to reflect or have friends
739
00:33:51,654 --> 00:33:52,947
or be with my family.
740
00:33:53,030 --> 00:33:57,326
So I just had to take a hiatus,
take a pause and move to Paris.
741
00:33:57,410 --> 00:34:02,790
Why Paris? Because I suddenly
was invited by my now husband.
742
00:34:02,874 --> 00:34:03,833
That one time he told me,
743
00:34:03,916 --> 00:34:05,251
"Oh, I would love to
live in Paris
744
00:34:05,334 --> 00:34:06,461
and study a master's degree."
745
00:34:06,544 --> 00:34:08,171
And so I said, "You know what?
746
00:34:08,254 --> 00:34:10,214
I'm so burned out,
it doesn't matter."
747
00:34:10,298 --> 00:34:11,799
(LAUGHS) "Let's just go."
748
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:13,676
And we moved to Paris, France,
749
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,596
to study music
and to study French.
750
00:34:16,679 --> 00:34:18,431
Paris just stopped me
in my tracks.
751
00:34:18,514 --> 00:34:20,558
It told me to have my coffee
752
00:34:20,641 --> 00:34:23,144
and not bring the laptop
to the coffee.
753
00:34:23,227 --> 00:34:26,272
It told me to,
"Get some wine, girl,
754
00:34:26,355 --> 00:34:29,734
and get some cheese,
sit at a park, and chill."
755
00:34:29,817 --> 00:34:33,654
It taught me that I could learn
a new language when I was 33.
756
00:34:33,738 --> 00:34:34,947
I never thought I could.
757
00:34:35,031 --> 00:34:38,367
It taught me that I could
go to music school at 33
758
00:34:38,451 --> 00:34:39,827
and learn jazz.
759
00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:42,663
It taught me that
I could just start over.
760
00:34:42,747 --> 00:34:45,583
And I don't think it was
necessarily Paris.
761
00:34:45,666 --> 00:34:49,128
I just think it was the fact
that I was in a foreign country
762
00:34:49,212 --> 00:34:50,421
with a foreign language.
763
00:34:50,505 --> 00:34:54,550
So spending the first couple
of months, almost a year,
764
00:34:54,634 --> 00:34:56,469
learning the language.
765
00:34:56,552 --> 00:34:58,387
It taught me a lot about silence
766
00:34:58,471 --> 00:35:01,766
and how all these voices
within me came out
767
00:35:01,849 --> 00:35:05,561
and were like, "Hey." (LAUGHS)
"We've been here for years.
768
00:35:05,645 --> 00:35:06,687
Wanna talk?"
769
00:35:06,771 --> 00:35:07,980
And I cried a lot.
770
00:35:08,064 --> 00:35:11,651
I had to really just learn
how to say no too.
771
00:35:11,734 --> 00:35:15,071
French taught me to say no
and that it was fine,
772
00:35:15,154 --> 00:35:17,031
and that nothing
was going to happen.
773
00:35:17,114 --> 00:35:18,991
Nobody was going to die
if I said no.
774
00:35:19,075 --> 00:35:22,286
I remember a manager
that was working with me said,
775
00:35:22,370 --> 00:35:25,706
"But you can't take
too much time off.
776
00:35:25,790 --> 00:35:27,208
They're going to
forget about you."
777
00:35:27,291 --> 00:35:29,794
And I said, "Well, let them
forget about me.
778
00:35:29,877 --> 00:35:31,921
I gotta go.
I have no songs, girl."
779
00:35:32,004 --> 00:35:34,674
I said, "I have no songs
and I need to live."
780
00:35:34,757 --> 00:35:36,676
I was scared, obviously,
when I left.
781
00:35:36,759 --> 00:35:39,720
(LAUGHING) I was like,
"Oh my God, diosito, help me.
782
00:35:39,804 --> 00:35:42,014
I hope I'm not like, effing up."
783
00:35:42,098 --> 00:35:46,269
But when I left and then a lot
of things started to happen.
784
00:35:46,352 --> 00:35:49,605
Like, one of my songs
called "Disfruto"
785
00:35:49,689 --> 00:35:51,440
became viral in Colombia.
786
00:35:51,524 --> 00:35:55,403
Nicky Jam did a remix
because the song meant to him
787
00:35:55,486 --> 00:35:57,154
a lot during quarantine.
788
00:35:57,238 --> 00:35:58,906
Ricky Martin sent me a WhatsApp
789
00:35:58,990 --> 00:36:01,158
and wanted me to write
a song with him.
790
00:36:01,242 --> 00:36:04,036
And all these things,
as if music was saying,
791
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:07,623
"We got you girl, don't worry,
take your time."
792
00:36:07,707 --> 00:36:08,749
For the longest time,
793
00:36:08,833 --> 00:36:11,627
I told myself I couldn't sing
in R&B style
794
00:36:11,711 --> 00:36:13,337
because I'm Mexican.
795
00:36:13,421 --> 00:36:15,131
I'm not supposed to do that.
796
00:36:15,214 --> 00:36:18,759
And then I went to jazz school
and they were like,
797
00:36:18,843 --> 00:36:21,012
"You have a good voice, girl.
Like, you should try it.
798
00:36:21,095 --> 00:36:22,263
You know,
you have a different range,"
799
00:36:22,346 --> 00:36:24,932
and I was like, "You think so?"
"Yeah, you can."
800
00:36:25,016 --> 00:36:28,352
You're told a story.
You're this, you're a woman,
801
00:36:28,436 --> 00:36:30,271
you're a Latina,
you're a Mexican.
802
00:36:30,354 --> 00:36:32,481
Your dreams go to
a certain level.
803
00:36:32,565 --> 00:36:37,069
But, no, my dreams
can reach any level.
804
00:36:37,153 --> 00:36:38,571
It doesn't matter
where I'm from.
805
00:36:38,654 --> 00:36:39,655
I had to learn that.
806
00:36:39,739 --> 00:36:41,407
That I had to make time
for myself,
807
00:36:41,490 --> 00:36:44,035
I had to enjoy
the simple things in life,
808
00:36:44,118 --> 00:36:47,914
and I had to
believe in myself again
809
00:36:47,997 --> 00:36:51,417
and make my job my hobby again.
810
00:36:51,500 --> 00:36:54,587
Enjoying making music,
not having expectations,
811
00:36:54,670 --> 00:36:58,174
not letting the business
get into my life.
812
00:36:58,257 --> 00:36:59,926
Just, you know,
813
00:37:00,009 --> 00:37:02,219
let it be the dream
that it was always.
814
00:37:04,221 --> 00:37:06,682
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
815
00:37:10,061 --> 00:37:14,732
My name is Wilson Cruz.
I am an actor, an activist,
816
00:37:14,815 --> 00:37:17,944
I am Puerto Rican,
and I am a gay man.
817
00:37:18,027 --> 00:37:19,195
How about that?
818
00:37:19,278 --> 00:37:23,449
I came out in 1994.
1994, yes.
819
00:37:23,532 --> 00:37:25,618
You know, I came out because
I knew I was going to do
820
00:37:25,701 --> 00:37:27,411
this little show
called My So-Called Life.
821
00:37:27,495 --> 00:37:29,538
I was actually
in the process of making it.
822
00:37:29,622 --> 00:37:31,123
This character not only
was going to be
823
00:37:31,207 --> 00:37:34,669
the first gay teenager
on network television
824
00:37:34,752 --> 00:37:37,338
in the States,
but I knew that he--
825
00:37:37,421 --> 00:37:39,590
that a lot of people
were going to relate to him.
826
00:37:39,674 --> 00:37:40,716
And...
827
00:37:41,592 --> 00:37:43,678
it was important for me to...
828
00:37:44,679 --> 00:37:46,889
infuse him with
as much of myself
829
00:37:46,973 --> 00:37:49,684
and my experience
growing up as I could.
830
00:37:49,767 --> 00:37:52,019
And I needed to tell my parents
before I said that
831
00:37:52,103 --> 00:37:53,521
on The Phil Donahue Show.
832
00:37:53,604 --> 00:37:56,148
Phil Donahue was a talk show
back in the day, kids.
833
00:37:56,232 --> 00:37:58,693
So I wanted them to hear it
from me first obviously.
834
00:37:58,776 --> 00:38:02,154
And, you know,
my father especially
835
00:38:02,238 --> 00:38:06,450
had some very, um,
concrete ideas about gender
836
00:38:06,534 --> 00:38:08,828
and about
what those gender roles were
837
00:38:08,911 --> 00:38:10,997
and about masculinity
and femininity.
838
00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,000
It was a tough conversation
and he did not take it well,
839
00:38:14,083 --> 00:38:15,835
and he threw me
out of the house.
840
00:38:16,293 --> 00:38:18,004
And, um...
841
00:38:18,087 --> 00:38:20,589
And I survived, right?
I made it through.
842
00:38:20,673 --> 00:38:22,800
And it was a difficult year
in which I didn't speak to him.
843
00:38:22,883 --> 00:38:24,927
You know, my family is
everything to me.
844
00:38:25,011 --> 00:38:27,221
We were very close.
845
00:38:28,639 --> 00:38:30,850
And the best part of that story
for me is that
846
00:38:30,933 --> 00:38:33,436
once the show started
airing on ABC,
847
00:38:34,937 --> 00:38:38,190
we did an episode
where my character, Rickie,
848
00:38:38,274 --> 00:38:39,567
gets kicked out of his home
849
00:38:40,276 --> 00:38:43,237
and when that episode aired,
850
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:46,449
the credits at the end
were rolling and my phone rang
851
00:38:46,532 --> 00:38:52,538
and it was my father asking if
we could finally have a talk.
852
00:38:52,621 --> 00:38:56,333
And through the process of being
vulnerable in front of him
853
00:38:56,417 --> 00:39:00,796
and allowing him to be
as transparent
854
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:02,506
as he could possibly be,
855
00:39:02,590 --> 00:39:04,508
we have created
this relationship
856
00:39:04,592 --> 00:39:09,930
in the last 30 years
that I'm so proud to say
857
00:39:10,014 --> 00:39:14,727
is based on truth
and real love for each other,
858
00:39:14,810 --> 00:39:18,606
that's based in a real knowledge
of who we actually are.
859
00:39:18,689 --> 00:39:20,274
So when people come up to me
and they say,
860
00:39:20,357 --> 00:39:21,984
"Rickie Vasquez
changed my life."
861
00:39:22,068 --> 00:39:25,237
I can honestly and authentically
say to them,
862
00:39:25,321 --> 00:39:27,073
"Oh, I know,
he changed mine too."
863
00:39:27,156 --> 00:39:29,366
I think there's a lot
that the Latino community
864
00:39:29,450 --> 00:39:32,787
can learn
from the LGBTQ community
865
00:39:32,870 --> 00:39:38,709
about how to advance
our political and social needs.
866
00:39:38,793 --> 00:39:40,795
You know, you look
at the LGBTQ community,
867
00:39:40,878 --> 00:39:42,463
we have the lesbians,
we have the gays,
868
00:39:42,546 --> 00:39:44,131
the bisexuals, the transgenders,
869
00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:47,259
those are all different
communities who come together
870
00:39:48,052 --> 00:39:49,428
and latch onto each other
871
00:39:49,512 --> 00:39:51,055
because there's strength
in numbers.
872
00:39:51,138 --> 00:39:54,058
We are an enormous
umbrella community,
873
00:39:54,141 --> 00:39:57,853
very much like
the Latino community really is.
874
00:39:57,937 --> 00:40:00,981
You're not gonna find
a prouder Puerto Rican than me,
875
00:40:01,065 --> 00:40:06,487
but I also know that in order
for my people to rise up
876
00:40:06,570 --> 00:40:10,074
and to live up to their
potential in this country,
877
00:40:10,157 --> 00:40:14,036
I have to also see myself in my
Mexican brothers and sisters,
878
00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:18,499
in my Colombian siblings, right?
That their plight is mine.
879
00:40:18,582 --> 00:40:24,922
I think there is power in that
enormous number of people
880
00:40:25,005 --> 00:40:28,634
coming together
to fight for each other.
881
00:40:28,717 --> 00:40:31,220
I think we can learn that
from the LGBTQ community.
882
00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:35,766
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
883
00:40:38,853 --> 00:40:40,146
My name is Mickey Melendez.
884
00:40:40,229 --> 00:40:42,982
I'm one of the cofounders of the
Young Lords in New York City.
885
00:40:43,065 --> 00:40:45,860
The Young Lords
was the most significant
886
00:40:45,943 --> 00:40:50,156
cultural, political, and social
movement of my generation.
887
00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:51,657
I consider myself an activist
888
00:40:51,740 --> 00:40:54,827
and had been an activist
since 1969.
889
00:40:54,910 --> 00:40:58,038
The Young Lords was a primarily
Puerto Rican organization,
890
00:40:58,122 --> 00:41:01,041
although 30% of the organization
was not Puerto Rican,
891
00:41:01,125 --> 00:41:04,211
it was African American
and other Latinx.
892
00:41:04,295 --> 00:41:06,005
We were part of
the civil rights movement
893
00:41:06,088 --> 00:41:07,840
that was going on
in this country.
894
00:41:07,923 --> 00:41:09,508
People reclaiming their culture,
895
00:41:09,592 --> 00:41:12,219
people reclaiming their history
and learning about the history.
896
00:41:12,303 --> 00:41:13,554
I was born in East Harlem.
897
00:41:13,637 --> 00:41:15,973
A Puerto Rican father
who was a merchant marine
898
00:41:16,056 --> 00:41:17,349
and a Cuban mother.
899
00:41:17,433 --> 00:41:19,977
My mother
had a third-grade education,
900
00:41:20,060 --> 00:41:23,189
but she was an economist
because she was able to,
901
00:41:23,272 --> 00:41:25,149
you know, with my father's pay,
902
00:41:25,232 --> 00:41:28,027
you know, make everything
happen for us.
903
00:41:28,110 --> 00:41:29,695
Very Catholic, very religious.
904
00:41:29,778 --> 00:41:32,865
You know, I think I became
an altar boy because of her.
905
00:41:32,948 --> 00:41:36,202
The family always came to her
for advice,
906
00:41:36,285 --> 00:41:37,494
although she wasn't the oldest,
907
00:41:37,578 --> 00:41:40,247
she was kind of somewhere
in the middle of 12 children.
908
00:41:40,331 --> 00:41:42,458
I learned of service
very early on in life,
909
00:41:42,541 --> 00:41:46,420
watching my mother translate
for patients in a hospital.
910
00:41:46,503 --> 00:41:47,796
They would hear her
speak English
911
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:50,758
and the doctor would say,
"Would you mind translating?"
912
00:41:50,841 --> 00:41:55,804
So it was for me, very simply,
very early on in life, you know,
913
00:41:55,888 --> 00:41:59,391
was understanding
the value of service
914
00:41:59,475 --> 00:42:01,852
and the fulfillment
that it gives you as well.
915
00:42:01,936 --> 00:42:03,562
The Young Lords in New York
were active
916
00:42:03,646 --> 00:42:07,358
from 1969 to about 1973, '74.
917
00:42:07,441 --> 00:42:10,277
We were between 18 and 22
years old during that time.
918
00:42:10,361 --> 00:42:14,907
We were rooted in service
to our people and direct action.
919
00:42:14,990 --> 00:42:17,576
We were able to identify
problems and issues
920
00:42:17,660 --> 00:42:21,622
in our community and also offer
solutions to them,
921
00:42:21,705 --> 00:42:24,416
and try to negotiate
with government.
922
00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:27,795
If they did not acquiesce to,
they didn't grant to
923
00:42:27,878 --> 00:42:30,005
whatever the things
that we were asking for,
924
00:42:30,089 --> 00:42:32,132
we would get involved
in direct action.
925
00:42:32,216 --> 00:42:34,969
The first one was
the Garbage Offensive.
926
00:42:35,052 --> 00:42:36,553
We would pick up the garbage,
927
00:42:36,637 --> 00:42:38,430
we went to
the sanitation department
928
00:42:38,514 --> 00:42:41,558
to see if we can get brooms
and bags, they denied it.
929
00:42:41,642 --> 00:42:43,477
So we then went back
to the neighborhood,
930
00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:46,105
swept up the garbage,
put it on Third Avenue,
931
00:42:46,188 --> 00:42:50,442
and mysteriously,
lighter fluid and a match
932
00:42:50,526 --> 00:42:53,404
appeared and burned the garbage.
933
00:42:53,487 --> 00:42:55,990
Immediately,
the fire department came.
934
00:42:56,073 --> 00:42:59,326
Immediately,
the sanitation department came.
935
00:42:59,410 --> 00:43:01,745
And then after that,
the mayor sends
936
00:43:01,829 --> 00:43:04,415
a representative
to talk to us about,
937
00:43:04,498 --> 00:43:07,042
what is it?
Why did this happen?
938
00:43:07,126 --> 00:43:08,544
We tell him, very clearly,
939
00:43:08,627 --> 00:43:11,046
the garbage isn't being
picked up in East Harlem.
940
00:43:11,130 --> 00:43:13,507
In our community,
it's a health issue
941
00:43:13,590 --> 00:43:15,509
and that was one of
the first health issues
942
00:43:15,592 --> 00:43:16,677
that we dealt with.
943
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,430
We did TB testing,
we did lead poison testing.
944
00:43:19,513 --> 00:43:22,766
We took over hospitals,
free breakfast program,
945
00:43:22,850 --> 00:43:25,227
clothing drives,
legal assistance.
946
00:43:25,311 --> 00:43:28,480
We never spent a day in jail
for anything that we did,
947
00:43:28,564 --> 00:43:31,233
and we did some
pretty audacious things.
948
00:43:31,317 --> 00:43:33,110
When we took over
Lincoln Hospital,
949
00:43:33,193 --> 00:43:34,320
we got away with it.
950
00:43:34,403 --> 00:43:36,155
When we took over
Lincoln Hospital the second time
951
00:43:36,238 --> 00:43:38,073
for the development
of a drug program.
952
00:43:38,157 --> 00:43:39,116
In a lot of ways,
953
00:43:39,199 --> 00:43:40,701
the Black Panthers
were our model.
954
00:43:40,784 --> 00:43:42,328
So we had
a free breakfast program.
955
00:43:42,411 --> 00:43:44,997
You know, today, every school
in the United States
956
00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:46,623
has a breakfast program.
957
00:43:46,707 --> 00:43:48,334
Again, things that are rooted
958
00:43:48,417 --> 00:43:50,586
in the legacy
of that period of time.
959
00:43:50,669 --> 00:43:53,047
I think one of the things that
people can look at today,
960
00:43:53,130 --> 00:43:57,593
nationally, is the Patient Bill
of Rights, which everyone has,
961
00:43:57,676 --> 00:43:59,386
which is rooted in
the health programs
962
00:43:59,470 --> 00:44:01,388
of the Black Panther Party
and the Young Lords.
963
00:44:01,472 --> 00:44:04,600
Activism now, really I believe
should be focused
964
00:44:04,683 --> 00:44:08,228
on local politics
and getting people
965
00:44:08,312 --> 00:44:11,231
that are going to come back
and be responsive
966
00:44:11,315 --> 00:44:13,567
and responsible
to an organization
967
00:44:13,650 --> 00:44:14,860
that helped elect them.
968
00:44:14,943 --> 00:44:16,362
I also believe that, you know,
969
00:44:16,445 --> 00:44:18,197
the activism
that needs to take place,
970
00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:22,701
it's an activism that includes
an intergenerational formation,
971
00:44:22,785 --> 00:44:25,454
to be able to be there
to provide
972
00:44:25,537 --> 00:44:26,955
the lessons that we learned.
973
00:44:27,039 --> 00:44:30,542
There's a whole body of mistakes
that the Young Lords made
974
00:44:30,626 --> 00:44:33,170
that we can learn from
that don't have to be repeated.
975
00:44:33,253 --> 00:44:36,632
Activism is not a hobby
or an event,
976
00:44:36,715 --> 00:44:38,425
activism is a lifestyle.
977
00:44:38,509 --> 00:44:43,847
It's a long-term commitment
rooted in love and commitment,
978
00:44:43,931 --> 00:44:48,894
and that's what I've done for
the past 55 years of my life.
979
00:44:48,977 --> 00:44:50,896
I am a little older than 55.
980
00:44:52,898 --> 00:44:55,567
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
981
00:44:58,153 --> 00:45:01,782
I always introduce myself in
one of my languages,
982
00:45:01,865 --> 00:45:04,910
which is the Mojave language,
Aha Makav,
983
00:45:04,993 --> 00:45:07,204
so I would say Natalie...
984
00:45:07,287 --> 00:45:10,290
(SPEAKING MOJAVE)
985
00:45:10,374 --> 00:45:12,042
(IN ENGLISH)
Which is me saying my name
986
00:45:12,126 --> 00:45:14,878
and also saying,
"It's very lucky for me
987
00:45:14,962 --> 00:45:16,296
to be here with you."
988
00:45:16,380 --> 00:45:18,715
And for me,
that feels really important
989
00:45:18,799 --> 00:45:21,176
because my language
is so rooted in my land.
990
00:45:21,260 --> 00:45:23,971
And one of the ways I think
about Indigeneity is that
991
00:45:24,054 --> 00:45:27,307
it also includes, you know,
being Latina and being Latinx
992
00:45:27,391 --> 00:45:31,228
because the languages,
we have a lot of borrowed words
993
00:45:31,311 --> 00:45:34,106
in Mojave from Spanish,
but also,
994
00:45:34,189 --> 00:45:37,818
I grew up in the lands
that were Indigenous
995
00:45:37,901 --> 00:45:39,778
meaning Mojave, Aka Makav,
996
00:45:39,862 --> 00:45:43,365
and very much related
to what was once Mexico.
997
00:45:43,449 --> 00:45:46,076
So that's often how I lead.
998
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,829
And then I think the other
things I like people to know is,
999
00:45:48,912 --> 00:45:51,999
you know, one I'm a poet,
I'm a sister,
1000
00:45:52,082 --> 00:45:54,001
I'm one of nine siblings.
1001
00:45:54,084 --> 00:45:56,795
I'm a former
professional basketball player,
1002
00:45:56,879 --> 00:45:58,839
which again, has very much
shaped the ways
1003
00:45:58,922 --> 00:46:00,924
I imagine the world.
1004
00:46:01,008 --> 00:46:03,135
And those are kind
of the things.
1005
00:46:03,218 --> 00:46:05,512
I'm a professor, you know.
1006
00:46:05,596 --> 00:46:08,474
Pretty normal,
pretty normal things I guess.
1007
00:46:08,557 --> 00:46:12,769
(INSTRUMENT JANGLING)
1008
00:46:17,566 --> 00:46:22,154
Often to succeed, we have to go
so far from our families.
1009
00:46:22,237 --> 00:46:25,115
Like, to succeed
in the communities we come from,
1010
00:46:25,199 --> 00:46:26,950
we have to leave our families.
1011
00:46:27,034 --> 00:46:28,827
And so I decided to come back
1012
00:46:28,911 --> 00:46:31,747
and work with my elders
on that language.
1013
00:46:31,830 --> 00:46:34,333
It's one of the most difficult
things I've ever done.
1014
00:46:34,416 --> 00:46:37,044
It's almost a practice of loss.
1015
00:46:37,127 --> 00:46:40,214
You know, every time we gained
a word or remembered a word
1016
00:46:40,297 --> 00:46:41,924
or remembered a story,
1017
00:46:42,007 --> 00:46:44,092
I also had to realize that
1018
00:46:44,176 --> 00:46:46,803
we were constantly
losing those things.
1019
00:46:46,887 --> 00:46:49,223
One of the ways
that I approach poetry
1020
00:46:49,306 --> 00:46:50,641
is the way I approach language
1021
00:46:50,724 --> 00:46:54,561
and it was something, again,
given to me by my grandparents,
1022
00:46:54,645 --> 00:46:57,356
you know, on one side,
a Mojave language
1023
00:46:57,439 --> 00:47:00,234
that has been taken away
in a lot of respects.
1024
00:47:00,317 --> 00:47:02,110
You have to fight
to get that language.
1025
00:47:02,194 --> 00:47:05,030
And then on the other side,
I have my grandparents
1026
00:47:05,113 --> 00:47:08,492
who were from Spain and Mexico,
who had really rough lives,
1027
00:47:08,575 --> 00:47:11,870
and part of why
they didn't insist
1028
00:47:11,954 --> 00:47:13,705
on my father speaking Spanish--
1029
00:47:13,789 --> 00:47:15,999
I speak Spanish,
my father does not,
1030
00:47:16,083 --> 00:47:17,209
but they insisted on that
1031
00:47:17,292 --> 00:47:20,003
so that he would do better
in school, you know.
1032
00:47:20,087 --> 00:47:24,091
And so I think just having
that condition of language
1033
00:47:24,174 --> 00:47:25,592
in which I grew up,
1034
00:47:25,676 --> 00:47:28,053
it just makes me
really appreciate,
1035
00:47:28,136 --> 00:47:30,305
like every single word matters.
1036
00:47:30,389 --> 00:47:32,766
And I think one of the things
I've learned from my elders,
1037
00:47:32,849 --> 00:47:35,477
whether it's my grandmother
and my grandfather
1038
00:47:35,561 --> 00:47:40,107
who are from Mexico and Spain
or whether it was my elders
1039
00:47:40,190 --> 00:47:44,403
in Fort Mojave is that
the saddest thing probably
1040
00:47:44,486 --> 00:47:48,073
in my entire life
is to see their loss.
1041
00:47:48,156 --> 00:47:50,117
And I don't yet know
if I understand
1042
00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:53,120
what that loss means,
but to ask them something
1043
00:47:53,203 --> 00:47:54,621
and for them to say,
1044
00:47:55,539 --> 00:47:57,249
"I don't know the answer
1045
00:47:57,332 --> 00:48:00,127
and there's nobody left
for me to ask."
1046
00:48:00,210 --> 00:48:03,589
And there's something very just,
I don't--
1047
00:48:03,672 --> 00:48:04,840
the word is not humbling,
1048
00:48:04,923 --> 00:48:08,844
but it's just a reality
that makes you realize that
1049
00:48:08,927 --> 00:48:11,555
yes, all of--
yes loss, yes pain,
1050
00:48:11,638 --> 00:48:13,390
and this incredible living.
1051
00:48:13,473 --> 00:48:15,809
This incredible wonder
and curiosity
1052
00:48:15,892 --> 00:48:19,229
for who we've yet to be
and yet to become.
1053
00:48:19,313 --> 00:48:21,607
And I think one of
the most important things
1054
00:48:21,690 --> 00:48:22,816
I've learned is that
1055
00:48:22,899 --> 00:48:24,985
we're not the stories
that people have told about us,
1056
00:48:25,068 --> 00:48:28,113
but we're the stories
that I might tell
1057
00:48:28,196 --> 00:48:30,073
or that my children might tell
1058
00:48:30,157 --> 00:48:32,034
or that my nieces
and nephews might tell.
1059
00:48:32,117 --> 00:48:34,786
You know, we're very much
in the future.
1060
00:48:34,870 --> 00:48:37,539
And that's something
it took me looking deeply
1061
00:48:37,623 --> 00:48:39,541
into the past to arrive at.
1062
00:48:39,625 --> 00:48:43,962
How do we move from
being descendants of our people
1063
00:48:44,046 --> 00:48:46,548
to becoming the next group
of ancestors?
1064
00:48:46,632 --> 00:48:50,927
And the only way we can do that
is to connect with them.
1065
00:48:51,011 --> 00:48:54,222
If I can offer anything
to anyone,
1066
00:48:54,306 --> 00:48:57,517
I think it would be
just the invitation
1067
00:48:57,601 --> 00:49:01,396
to talk to our elders, to spend
the time with them.
1068
00:49:01,480 --> 00:49:03,148
One of my elders told me,
1069
00:49:03,231 --> 00:49:05,067
"The reason why
I opened up to you
1070
00:49:05,150 --> 00:49:07,110
is because
you kept coming back.
1071
00:49:07,194 --> 00:49:09,071
I could have told you
anything fast,
1072
00:49:09,154 --> 00:49:10,822
and then you would have
taken off,
1073
00:49:10,906 --> 00:49:12,741
but you kept coming back.
1074
00:49:12,824 --> 00:49:15,035
And what it made me realize
is not only that
1075
00:49:15,118 --> 00:49:18,789
you wanted to hear,
but that I had a lot to tell."
1076
00:49:19,748 --> 00:49:22,334
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
1077
00:49:25,087 --> 00:49:29,883
I'm a big believer
in creating my own path
1078
00:49:29,966 --> 00:49:32,302
when that path doesn't exist.
1079
00:49:32,386 --> 00:49:36,473
And definitely, the role of
1080
00:49:36,556 --> 00:49:38,892
talking about Latin music
in this country,
1081
00:49:38,975 --> 00:49:41,687
of chronicling Latin music
in this country,
1082
00:49:41,770 --> 00:49:44,606
of talking about the artists
and the business,
1083
00:49:44,690 --> 00:49:45,941
that didn't exist.
1084
00:49:46,024 --> 00:49:49,361
When I started writing about
music, that just wasn't a thing.
1085
00:49:49,444 --> 00:49:52,531
No one was really covering
Latin music first of all.
1086
00:49:52,614 --> 00:49:53,699
And if they were,
1087
00:49:53,782 --> 00:49:56,159
it was being done in
a very superficial manner.
1088
00:49:56,243 --> 00:49:58,328
The vast majority
of my colleagues,
1089
00:49:58,412 --> 00:50:00,706
they didn't know
this music at all.
1090
00:50:00,789 --> 00:50:04,209
So it was a permanent education
1091
00:50:04,292 --> 00:50:06,670
and from this, it became
kind of a mission.
1092
00:50:06,753 --> 00:50:10,340
And the mission was you have
to learn about this music.
1093
00:50:10,424 --> 00:50:11,967
You have to learn
about these artists.
1094
00:50:12,050 --> 00:50:14,094
You have to hear them.
They're so amazing.
1095
00:50:14,177 --> 00:50:15,429
How can you not know them?
1096
00:50:15,512 --> 00:50:18,014
It's happening
right under your noses.
1097
00:50:18,098 --> 00:50:20,142
Why isn't anyone talking
about it?
1098
00:50:20,225 --> 00:50:22,477
Why is no one saying
that Vicente Fernández
1099
00:50:22,561 --> 00:50:24,980
is selling out
Madison Square Garden
1100
00:50:25,063 --> 00:50:28,400
or that Shakira is selling out
all over the country?
1101
00:50:28,483 --> 00:50:31,111
Ricky Martin. Ricky Martin
was playing stadiums,
1102
00:50:31,194 --> 00:50:34,740
he had been part of Menudo,
he had been in General Hospital,
1103
00:50:34,823 --> 00:50:39,035
and yet when he played
the Grammys in 1999,
1104
00:50:39,119 --> 00:50:41,455
Rosie O'Donnell
very famously said,
1105
00:50:41,538 --> 00:50:43,415
"I had never heard of him
before tonight."
1106
00:50:43,498 --> 00:50:46,126
We knew Ricky Martin.
No one else did.
1107
00:50:46,209 --> 00:50:48,628
I remember when Celia Cruz died,
1108
00:50:48,712 --> 00:50:53,717
and I raised my hand,
I said, "Celia Cruz died.
1109
00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:55,969
We have to cover this
in a big way."
1110
00:50:56,052 --> 00:50:58,513
And somebody said,
"Who is Celia Cruz?"
1111
00:50:58,597 --> 00:51:02,726
Which is quite frankly,
a very legitimate question.
1112
00:51:02,809 --> 00:51:05,771
I explained who Celia Cruz was
and then they were still like,
1113
00:51:05,854 --> 00:51:07,522
"Oh, I don't know
if this is for us."
1114
00:51:07,606 --> 00:51:09,566
And then of course,
there was a big parade
1115
00:51:09,649 --> 00:51:11,109
down Fifth Avenue in New York
1116
00:51:11,193 --> 00:51:13,403
and they shut down
the entire city.
1117
00:51:13,487 --> 00:51:15,947
And at that point,
I got the phone call saying,
1118
00:51:16,031 --> 00:51:17,616
"Oh, we should be doing this."
1119
00:51:17,699 --> 00:51:21,578
You needed New York City
shut down to recognize this?
1120
00:51:21,661 --> 00:51:23,163
That's fine, we did it.
1121
00:51:23,246 --> 00:51:26,416
But the fact that you didn't
believe me when I said it
1122
00:51:26,500 --> 00:51:28,919
because maybe
I wasn't the right person
1123
00:51:29,002 --> 00:51:30,253
to be making the call.
1124
00:51:30,337 --> 00:51:33,423
Maybe you needed
someone who wasn't Latin
1125
00:51:33,507 --> 00:51:35,008
telling you
that it was important.
1126
00:51:35,091 --> 00:51:38,845
That is the kind of thing
that has to change.
1127
00:51:38,929 --> 00:51:41,848
I think the fact
that there are so few Latins
1128
00:51:41,932 --> 00:51:43,683
in newsrooms across the country,
1129
00:51:43,767 --> 00:51:46,561
the fact that big newspapers
like the New York Times
1130
00:51:46,645 --> 00:51:50,023
and the Washington Post
and even the L.A. Times,
1131
00:51:50,106 --> 00:51:53,693
until very recently,
didn't have Latinos
1132
00:51:53,777 --> 00:51:55,570
in the newsroom
or had very little
1133
00:51:55,654 --> 00:51:57,697
just shows that
there is a big bias.
1134
00:51:57,781 --> 00:52:01,910
And I think a lot of the bias
comes because of the language,
1135
00:52:01,993 --> 00:52:04,162
because a lot of Latinos
speak Spanish.
1136
00:52:04,246 --> 00:52:05,664
Spanish is their first language.
1137
00:52:05,747 --> 00:52:09,459
And there's this belief,
I think,
1138
00:52:09,543 --> 00:52:12,879
maybe it's not articulated,
but I've certainly found it,
1139
00:52:12,963 --> 00:52:15,090
that if you speak
another language
1140
00:52:15,173 --> 00:52:17,384
as your first language,
especially if it's Spanish,
1141
00:52:17,467 --> 00:52:20,428
and if you speak with an accent,
you are less than.
1142
00:52:20,512 --> 00:52:23,515
Latin was covered
during Hispanic Heritage Month,
1143
00:52:23,598 --> 00:52:27,519
or it was covered because okay,
we got to do one Latin thing.
1144
00:52:27,602 --> 00:52:29,396
It was never covered
1145
00:52:29,479 --> 00:52:31,690
because people realized
that it was valuable.
1146
00:52:31,773 --> 00:52:33,358
That was very frustrating to me.
1147
00:52:33,441 --> 00:52:35,569
It's not supposed to be a quota.
1148
00:52:35,652 --> 00:52:37,779
It's supposed to be
your reality.
1149
00:52:37,863 --> 00:52:40,532
Why are you ignoring
this piece of reality?
1150
00:52:40,615 --> 00:52:42,200
That's what was aggravating.
1151
00:52:42,284 --> 00:52:46,121
Bad Bunny is the most listened
to artist on Spotify,
1152
00:52:46,204 --> 00:52:49,207
and you better figure out
how to talk about this guy
1153
00:52:49,291 --> 00:52:51,418
because if half the world
is listening to him,
1154
00:52:51,501 --> 00:52:55,088
and you're not because he's
in a language you don't like,
1155
00:52:55,171 --> 00:52:56,423
then you have a problem.
1156
00:52:56,506 --> 00:52:59,092
It's not the problem
of the other billion people
1157
00:52:59,175 --> 00:53:01,428
who are on to it,
it's your problem.
1158
00:53:01,511 --> 00:53:03,555
I'm not saying
you have to accept it
1159
00:53:03,638 --> 00:53:04,890
because it's Latin,
1160
00:53:04,973 --> 00:53:08,476
I'm saying you shouldn't reject
it because it's Latin.
1161
00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:11,730
And so kind of "translating,"
if you will,
1162
00:53:11,813 --> 00:53:13,231
became very much a mission.
1163
00:53:13,315 --> 00:53:17,027
And I think we've seen
the results of that mission
1164
00:53:17,110 --> 00:53:19,738
because now Latin music
is very normalized.
1165
00:53:19,821 --> 00:53:23,450
It's thanks to, of course,
many people and many elements,
1166
00:53:23,533 --> 00:53:25,035
not just me, obviously,
1167
00:53:25,118 --> 00:53:27,120
but it's a beautiful thing
to see,
1168
00:53:27,203 --> 00:53:29,539
and I think we're all richer
because of it.
1169
00:53:30,916 --> 00:53:33,460
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
1170
00:53:36,046 --> 00:53:37,088
(IN SPANISH)
1171
00:58:05,356 --> 00:58:07,108
(INSTRUMENT RATTLING)
1172
00:58:07,192 --> 00:58:12,906
♪ ("LA CUCARACHA"
BY ANDREA ROCHA PLAYS) ♪
1173
00:58:27,045 --> 00:58:30,757
♪ (SONG CONTINUES) ♪
1174
00:58:46,856 --> 00:58:49,442
♪ (SINGING IN SPANISH) ♪
1175
00:59:04,916 --> 00:59:08,920
♪ (CONTINUES SINGING
IN SPANISH) ♪
1176
00:59:23,643 --> 00:59:26,437
♪ (SONG FADES) ♪