Authentic Leadership: Navigating Relationships with Vulnerability ft. Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
This week we welcome the first Latina to serve as the Secretary of New York State and current Commissioner of the New York City Department of Aging, Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez to the podcast.
Lorraine has dedicated her life to advocacy for Latinos both in corporate and the government sector, highly respected for her ability to build community and lead movements.
In this episode:
08:13 - Who You Surround Yourself With Determines Your Future
18:33 - How Do You Mobilize Others Around Your Mission
31:37 - How Can You Cultivate Authentic Relationships
38:32 - The Power Of Conviction
47:48 - How Pivotal Is The Latino Community's Voice In Shaping Election Outcomes
In this episode:
How to mobilize and build community for any mission
How to cultivate and foster authentic relationships
The power of conviction
How Latinos can use their voices to shape the upcoming presidential election
Follow Our Guest:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraine-cortes-vazquez-50a829a
If you liked this episode, you'll love our next one—it's packed with similar insights and inspiration!
When is the Right Time to Pivot and Prioritize Your Happiness?
LIMITED TIME ONLY: FREE Workbook
Top Hacks For Entrepreneurs
Claim it Here: https://www.victoriajenn.com/freeworkbook2025
Your opinion matters! Help us improve the podcast. Complete Our 1min Survey Here: https://forms.gle/iEDvZFiTqQuKCsVH7
Join Our VIP Email List & Never Miss an Episode: Sign Up here: https://www.victoriajenn.com/bankingoncultura_vip
Connect with our Host Victoria Jenn Rodriguez
Banking On Cultura:
Don't forget to tag #BankingOnCultura or @ us to let us know what you think of this week's episode!
Full Transcript:
What's up, mi gente? Welcome back to Banking on Cultura. I am your host, Victoria Jenn Rodriguez. Super excited to see you again. And of course, I'm joined by another amazing, fabulous guest. And this guest, it is so interesting because I actually ran into her at the Puerto Rican Day parade uh last year. And I was like, she looks so familiar. And it was because she was a friend of a very near and dear mentor of mine, Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski, who was like my second mom, God bless her soul. And I was like, I need to talk to her. I need to reconnect because I hadn't seen her in years. The last time I had seen you was probably in Albany or something. It was a long time ago. And I just felt like it was like God was just like, "Listen, there's your opportunity. She's in front of you. Go chitchat with her." And it was after the parade had already finished. They had already they like packed up everything ready to go. I'm walking back towards my car and and there she is. So, we had to make it happen.
So, my guest is the commissioner for the Department for the Aging appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in New York City. She has held numerous positions in public office and most notably was the first Latino to serve as New York State's 65th Secretary of State. In addition to public service, she has held a number of executive roles in corporate including Emblem Health as well as Cablevision and across the nonprofit sector working at AARP, the Hispanic Federation and ASPIRA of New York. And I'm talking about none other than Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. Thank you so much for being on Banking on Cultura. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I just love the story of how you got here. So, thank you. Well, listen, I we're going to have to go more into that story one day because there's a lot of details I didn't share, but but ultimately, you guys know this, you know, Banking on Cultura came to light because I got a sign. I got a sign from God that I needed to double down on my community, that I needed to tap in, educate, provide resources and tools for us to build generational wealth, let go of all the trauma around money, and really embrace our Latinidad and use it as a competitive advantage versus an Achilles heel. So, here we are. Now, I have distinguished guests like Lorraine on the show.
So, we like to start with some chisme. So, tell us what's some you could share with us. There's so much I can share with you. Well, I'll share about me. Yes, please. But the best chisme is about yourself because other people's story you shouldn't be telling. That's their story. So, my chisme is how I got involved, right? So, I come from a long line of activist women. They didn't know that they were activists. They were just some strong strong Puertorriqueñas and Dominicanas from East Harlem. And my uh grandmother was a union organizer. So that's where we get our passion. My mother worked in a group called the CCNY in East Harlem. It was like a coalition of New Yorkers or algo así, but they were all very much involved in East Harlem. So I knew nothing else but to do right and to serve. And you know like when I was growing up my what was I and I laugh about this now. All of our holidays we spent in union halls. We didn't know it was a union hall. It was just where all our friends and family met and that's how we thought about it. So that's my chisme. It's easy good background stuff. Um, and the other thing that people don't know about me is I'm really shy. And everybody will laugh when I say that, but I'm really a shy person. I'm extroverted, but in a lot of ways, my best times are reading and contemplating and being alone because I am shy. Interesting. I definitely would have never thought that you are a shy person. I am not. And most of my friends would start are laughing out there saying, "Mira, are you saying this?" But I am interesting. Especially because you've been most of your career has been so front-facing like you've been like the face of many movements. How how are you shy and operating in this space? Because that is definitely not something I would ever use to describe you.
The thing there is uh there's another part of that that it's it really is about service because it's not about me. The one thing when I was in ASPIRA that I would always tell the young people if anyone wants to really develop and be introspective and figure out who you are, go work with teenagers for a while. They they there is no space for you to hide when you're working with young people. They call you out on your stuff. Uh they make your integrity in check. They really do check your integrity and you have to constantly check your integrity because if you give them their word, they're going to hold you to it. Uh so that was like the best experience and I went to ASPIRA already as a seasoned professional. I mean I had been working u maybe 15 years when I started to run ASPIRA. But what I learned in ASPIRA and what I would always tell young people because we talk about servant leadership in ASPIRA and it's about your rich being uh proud of your rich heritage but you're also very very proud of your community service. It's not only proud that you have for your personal self but it's about a development very much like you were talking about like how do I make sure that people respect my Latinidad I respect my Latinidad. So we would always have this uh analogy of limelight or flood light. Who are you? Are you a limelight person, you know, like I want the lime to beam on me or are you a flood light that embraces others? And so I've always chosen to be a flood light. So even in that I could hide in a way, right? Because I have other people around me. Um so that there is a shyness in here somewhere. But no, there really is. But my natural self is is shy. Interesting. Okay.
So, you've had an amazing career in public service and you have been able to change the lives of many people uh with your work. So, how how was that? How was that transition from working in corporate to then getting into public service and becoming the first Latino to be the Secretary of State? Like, that's huge. Well, the one thing that I I and I learned this very early on from my mother and my grandmother, tell me who you will surround yourself with and I'll tell you who you are. I have been very blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by incredible leaders and incredible uh leaders in all arenas. Um so when when I get to the story about my my uh becoming secretary of state, that wasn't me. That was a community behind me saying tiempo and I wasn't the first to deserve it and I wasn't the first that should have gotten it, but I was just the first that had the opportunity and the timing to have it, you know. And I think about I don't want to get political, but I think about Justice LaSalle who we lost as the greatest uh the judge, the head of New York State court. And it was timing, right? the Latino community and the Puerto Rican community were obviously not galvanizing enough to make that possible. So even though um I was Secretary of State, it really was about who was around me, who promoted me uh and who made it possible and who gave me the platform. And then you know I I have a a dear friend who I love who's been very instrumental in many of these ascents that I have had was Roberto Ramirez and Luis Miranda. And you know Roberto used to always say no I can get you a job. Your job is to keep the job. So you've got to go in there with excellence and and and uh really make it and was one of the things he would always say not not as much to me but I knew that that was sort of the undercurrent. and Luis Miranda who has always been, you know, um an advocate and a supporter. So, I mean, I've been very very fortunate, you know, and I come from good stock, man. I come from I come from Puerto Rican women from El Barrio. Can't get any stronger than that, Punto. Right.
So, family grew up in El Barrio. Were you familiar with the Young Lords? Like, did your Was there a family involved? Yeah. Yeah. You know, we were No, we weren't involved. Okay. you know, we we um my family, my my grandmother admired what they were doing. She didn't admire some of the approaches and so that influenced a lot. I loved what they were doing and I attended a lot of uh meetings and gatherings, but I was never a a young Lord. That was not that was not part of my pathway. I and I think when I when I think of really breakthrough individuals they did um and the example that I think that they did was such elegance and that taught us that it's not just an act but it's the thought of what you want in the long term cuz taking over um Lincoln Hospital was great but what they did was that they changed health policies. They came up with a public health approach. they came up with a um what is it a Patient's Bill of Rights so they had a lot there was a whole systemic change and that's what they always promoted the act itself that was brilliant the way they got out and I I remember when seeing the documentary that they all wore so many of them wore blended in with with the employees of the hospital so that they could leave the hospital before the police came in it was brilliant strategy but it was always about leaving a legacy building changing systems and that's what they did. And for those who don't know the Young Lords, would you consider them a political party? No, they were they were they were an activist group. They were not a political party. As a matter of fact, they would challenge political systems. Um they were they were in the sense that they had a political strategy and they had a political perspective which was self-determination and independence. Yes. Um and that you determine what's what's right for you that that you do not have it being dictated by others. So in that sense you would say yeah but it wasn't a political party as we know a political party but it was definitely the best kind of thinking around political activism. Yes they were. Would you compare them to the Black Panthers? Very much so. Yes. And so did they. So did they. Yes. So, so that's who the Young Lords were. They were very prominent in New York, uh, within the Latino community, specifically Puerto Ricans, primarily Puerto Ricans because that was the primary population at the time. There was, you know, like few of us, you know, there was some Dominicans, but primarily it was the Puerto Rican population. Yes. And and they did change a lot of systemic programming like taking over Lincoln Hospital. They also had started after school programs. Started after school programs. They did amazing community-driven work that really changed the scene for a lot of Latinos. Um, and like with any organization that is focused on breaking barriers and setting a new set of rules, they had to break some rules too. So they broke a lot of rules but they ne but they always were wide-eyed about why they were breaking that rule. And I think one of the other things that they did which was you know so wonderful for those of us who were in that generation of that time they really made a connection to Puerto Rico. They taught you about you know how we were a colonized people in Puerto Rico. So there was always lass and a relationship to who you are today, why you are being this way today. So it was always historical context but also with a political uh activism view of what the future should be and could be for us. Yeah. Yeah. And and they shut [ __ ] down like they did. They stormed the capital. They did. They did with Lolita. Lolita. Well, no, that was before them. Oh, that was before them. Before them. Yeah. Oh, I didn't know that. No, that the the if you're going to talk about los that was Albizu Campos. Oh, he was the the independence party of Puerto Rico. Okay. And uh man was genius. He was educated in Harvard and he was uh an incredible statesman and and um was real clear that that every people have the right to be free and every nation is has the right to be a sovereign nation. So it was that independence party that um took you know never stormed the capital. So, I always I was very upset when the I think it was the New York Times recently compared it to January 6. Very very different course of events. This was about Puerto Ricans and their independence and their right to self-determination. And they uh but they didn't storm the capital in the same possible way. Um and they but and they also you know did some work around Blair House which is the vice president's um the vice president's dwelling. So same kind of philosophy which you have the right uh you have independent rights and you have the right to self-determination different era different times and different means. Yeah. For those of you who are not familiar with the young lords definitely encourage you to check them out. I actually went to a museum. I think it was the New York Museum and they had a beautiful spread and I was just I felt so There's also a documentary that you may want to see. There's a wonderful documentary on the Young Lords that um gives you a good perspective as to why they uh why they did what they did and and what was going on in the times that really propelled them. Yeah. to lift up their voice and be unflinching and unapologetic about it. You know, when you think about leadership, you know, Victoria, that's one of the things you you have to make choices. You know, everything in life is cause and effect, right? And and if you really have a philosophy and a belief, you decided to do this, it's unflinching. It's unapologetic. you go there, you do it, and you keep moving to what your northstar is. And they were very much like that. And they were unapologetic about some of the positions that they took, some of the strategies they had to use because the times called for nothing less than that. Check it out, guys. It's super inspiring the story and what they were able to accomplish, especially for my boricquas who are tuning in, but all Latinos should know this history. So, and all of us have one in our cultures. There's some in the Dominican culture. There's some in the Mexican culture. There's definitely some in Costa Rica. So, all of us have our folks who stood up and said, "Basta, enough is enough. Let's go. We're taking over here." So I want to get into your experience operating in a space where you were constantly having to influence a lot of folks who had influence and politics can be very much like any uh industry ego-driven. and you being the first Latino to hold this prestigious role, how how are you able to manage the egos and able to manage the behind the scenes of what goes into being a political figure and mobilizing people and creating buy in and that kind of stuff to move your agenda ahead. All right, so there those are three different conversations. All right, so the first one is ego. We all have ego. Um, we all bring it, you know, to wherever we are. Some of us bring it at different degrees to wherever we are. And you need to learn that what is it that I want to engage with you on and with and for. And then I've got to kind of like take you for who you are, ego and all. So either I work with that or I'm going to be against that, right? And so those are decisions and it doesn't matter. Politics is no different than than the politics in the C-suite. Trust me, sometimes I think the politicians are more out there and more forthright than politics in the C-suite. Um but you know you have to deal with that. What is your goal? You know people are people. We all come with that. Now if you think if you walk into a room and you are dominated by your ego, just know that you will your influence will be minimal because you're going to meet other large egos there. So large egos either learn how to dance with each other or they try to annihilate each other. And uh that's one of the things that you have to make a conscious decision all the time. Who am I going to be in this situation? This is an arrogant no nothing individual. Do I want to sit here and fight or do I want to try to get something done with them? And they may be looking at me. This is a smartass badass woman who thinks that she's going to come and tell me what to do, you know? So like I I their my their opinion of my ego is meeting their opinion, my opinion of their ego. So in that, who's going to be dominant? And I always choose to get what I want. All right? What was my goal? And not not that I always have to get my way, which I would always love if the world gave me everything I wanted, but not not but it's more about how do I manage this situation so that I can get to where I what was my intention with this person so that we can get there. uh rather than to be Clash of the Titans, you know, that doesn't work. Only in movies Clash of the Titans works. So, how how did you learn this strategy? Like, was it loses? No. A few good losses, a few a few punches in the belly, a few kicks in the ass. Excuse me. Can I say that here? Yes, you can. But, uh, you know, you learn that, you know, and you you go and you say, "Okay, okay. How do I do this differently?" you go lick your wounds and you learn, you know, and you do that. Um, or you know, some of us, some of you are have enough, you've got the gift of having people be in these multiple roles. So, see what they've done, see what they've succeeded. You know, when I was um when I was moving in these circles, they weren't we didn't have a lot. We didn't have a lot to uh and particularly as women, we had Olga Mendez, you know, Nydia came later. Um we had Carmen Arroyo later, you know, there weren't a lot of models that we could role models that we could look to and say, "Oh, how does she navigate this?" So, you know, you you sometimes had to like do it on your own, get punched in the face, get kicked on the floor, lick your wounds, and then start all over again. But today, we have so many people, and I mean, I think of Latinas have so many people in C-suites and and C-suites and and so many different women in politics that you you ask the questions, how did you do it? Where did it go? What can you tell me? I keep hitting this wall, you know, and it's sort of like, yeah, that's the wall you created. Okay. So, the pressure because back then there weren't many that look like you that were women. How how did you manage that pressure? Because till this day there are still rooms where we are the only, right? The only woman, we're the only Latina. So, how do you manage that pressure? Where did you like talk to yourself in the mirror and be like, "You got this. You going to go kill it." Like, how did you how did you manage? Sometimes Sometimes. Sometimes you have to do that. Sometimes you go to that trusted ally and say, "I'm at my wit's end. If I walk into that room one more time, I'm gonna kill somebody." And that's not a good thing. uh or you you literally have to sometimes role play it in your head and sometimes you get an ally. I you might not know this person, but I might get someone who can then endorse you in a very subtle way to say, you know what, Victoria is not like that. Let me just tell you a little bit about her so that it kind of like takes that edge that they might have about you. So there it's this I keep talking about it the way I talk about fundraising these concentric circles of relationships. When do you use them? When do you tap into them and how do you use them to reach this goal? But the most important thing and I say this all the time to all of us and to myself all the time. What's your goal? Where are you going with this? If it's just for name recognition, if it's just for limelight, that's going to be short-lived. But if it's structural purpose and uh long-term then you have a road map that you can follow it. You know it a marathon is a lot lot harder to do than a sprint. So you know it takes a lot more practice and training to do that marathon.
Help us understand this a little more because I actually struggle with this because I know so many incredible people. I'm blessed with a very vibrant network and sometimes I think to myself like okay I know all these incredible people like how am I strategically either building relationships or making sure my asks make sense. What if you don't have a goal, but you know that this is someone special or someone that you want to build with, but you don't have necessarily a goal in or an ask, right? But you want but you want to like them and know them, right? Perhaps build rapport. So then be who you are. If you bring your authentic self, we interrupt our program to bring you this important message. Ooh, this is really good. You should know about this. So, I don't know about you, but I've been known to procrastinate. especially when things scare the hell out of me. The fear alone would have me stuck, overwhelmed, confused, and all types of self-doubt. And don't even get me started on the imposter syndrome. Okay. Okay. After getting laid off, not once but three times, honey. E, I realized that the security blanket that I made up in my head was just an excuse because I didn't really want to bet on myself. The corporate benefits that had me in that headlock girl, huh, they went out the window once my job decided that they no longer needed me. It turns out that I'll save a whole nickel if I cut your salary completely. The truth is, the only security blanket guarantee is the one that you create for yourself. In other words, until you start a business, you will always be at the mercy of a company's headcount, and you will never have complete control over your time. which means you'll be renting out your thought leadership and helping build someone else's dream instead of your own. If you've been waiting for a sign, this is it. Don't you think it's time you stop playing small and tap all the way into your powers? Click on the link above or below this video to learn my three-step process, the exact three steps that I took to make the transition from corporate to entrepreneurship. And this is helpful even if you don't know what type of business to start and have only one source of income. And this is absolutely free. It is my gift to you. I want you to win. It's winning season. In fact, what's that? It smells like winning season. Okay, so tap in and I'll see you inside the training. Let's go. Mi gente, I need your help. Look, the real game behind podcast is we need to really understand our demo, aka you, our audience, so that when we go out to sponsors who help us put on this amazing show and deliver this content to you, that they can clearly understand who we serve and what is significant to you and what you value. And the only way for us to get that information is for you to give it to us. So, we just created this survey. I'll put it in the show notes. It will take you less than three minutes, literally, but it will be so helpful for us to get a better understanding of what it is that you care about, what's important to you, what do you value, so that when we're out in these streets trying to secure the big bag and get sponsors for this show, they know exactly who our audience is and what you care about. So we can bring you the best products. We can bring you the best organizations that are out here serving the cultura, the community, you. So please take a moment and fill out the survey. I'll link it in the show notes. I appreciate you.
Right? If you come to me and you say, "Will you be my mentor?" That question always like, "Why do you want a mentor?" Right? What do I have that I can give you that you don't have within yourself? So, but if you always approach me like that, then I'm always thinking, okay, this is somebody who needs something. But if someone says, Lorraine, how was your day? Tell me, you know, like, tell me a little bit about those shoes. Then you tapped into me. All right. And you tap tapped into your authentic self taps into their authentic self. Someone could say like these shoes they look fabulous but they hurt like hell. What you know? But there is something there's a sincerity. There's authenticity. And sometimes we lead with what we want rather than the you know what I really want to connect with you. You know I don't want anything from you. Or maybe not even now. right now I think there was something about you that made me gravitate towards you you know and share that in a an authentic way there's everybody you know is as we call them no bueno you know you don't want to be in that circle you know you have a mission and a path and what you want to do is say who do I want on that road with me you know who do I want in my foxhole you know who do I want you know who do I want in front of me, you know, who do I want to promote? So that then we can see that, yeah, we're really talking seriously about Latinas and Latinidad. You do that here with your podcast. You're bringing people to join you on this trip. Enter into the foxhole. That's interesting. I've never heard that before. And managing relationships is is such a skill. And I find for me, I admire politicians because I find that there's so many conflicting agendas and everybody is trying to get buy in for something and there's hands that need to be shook that don't want to be shook. Like there's just a lot that compromising and um so the relationship element has always been something that I admired and always look to observe. And that's why I'm asking you like because I think that this is a skill that can serve you for life once you are able to really hone in and double down. So what else can you share in terms of relationship management? I heard leading authentically allowing yourself to communicate vulnerably and humbly like listen something made me gravitate towards you. I don't want anything. How's your day kind of thing, right? And and and the other thing is people will know you and get to know you through your actions, through what you don't do as much as what you do do. Um how you express your what you said, not not that you're articulate or not. It's what you said. Um all of us have non-negotiables, right? There's certain things like if you want me to promote Latinos for your benefit, wrong woman. Go call somebody else. If you want me to promote Latinos because it's going to benefit my community, right person, right? So, you know, you know what your limits are, you know what your non-negotiables are. people don't come to me to to come and how what what can I what I want the Latino community for this and I would say okay what what what are they going to get in return you know like every there has to be a benefit for my community there can't be you know so you'll know that you'll know what your thresholds are and when I was talking about the foxhole I always think about the military who do you want in your foxhole I want the guy who's not or the woman mostly. I want the woman who's not who's even though she's quaking in her feet is not going to stop. I don't want the person who the minute it gets rough that they start crying and you know like oh my god we all the attention is now on you and we are on the mission we're going to get killed right now. So people who are focused, who are deliberate, who are unflinching, who are fierce, who will have my back, like when the other person jumps into the foxhole who's not supposed to be there, that both of us can kick them out. Not that they let me do that alone. Um, that's what you want. You want your crew, you know, you want your posse. Call it whatever you want, but the people that you know that when you turn your back, they got it. Mhm. Not the people that when you turn your back, you're like wondering, uh, where is everybody, right? You know, and how do you how do you assess that? Because I find that a lot of people have become very good at performing and presenting themselves as somebody that they are not. How are you assessing through that? Like how are you kind of identifying someone's character? Is it time? Like what is the process? Well, I I usually go more by what you've done and what you've said than what you're showing me right now. Right. So, it really is about character. It's about integrity. It's about my own character and integrity. What am I bringing? Am I Am I just dogging them because I want something from them, too? You know, so it's it really is I and I and I don't want to underestimate that authentic self. You can't hide authentic self. You could be somebody else, but in the at the end, if you're a coward, you show up as a coward. You might mask it by looking like a tough guy. You might mask it by looking like if you're a billionaire and it's other people's money that you're flaunting around. And there's a lot of ways you can mask it, but authentic self is is hard to sustain. Inauthentic self and bravado is hard to sustain for a long long period of time. But as a politician, you let me know cuz I'm assuming I'm Yeah, but I'm not a politician. I'm I'm in a political arena, but I'm not a politician. I wouldn't know how to negotiate in a body of 61 other city council people, right? Okay. I think that's a gift cuz you've got to negotiate what you want for your community versus what they want for theirs. Make sure that we we both can have win-win and then the city could win, right? Um and you think about that in the Senate, you know, there's a hundred of you with different perspective representing 50 states, you know, and how are you going to do this? So I don't know that that but being in the political arena and all of us are in a political arena every day. One of some of it is elected uh political arenas but all of us are playing politics at some level every day in our in our place of work in our families and uh in everything that we do. What is the biggest lesson that you've learned operating in the political arena? Your word is your bond. The one thing that I've seen kill people quickly is when you caught and you can't stand behind your word or you or you you become we have we have a few of them right now when I think about the US Senate people that you knew who was stood for X Y and Z and nowadays you're like who is this shell of a person right that they've gone you that's not to say that you don't change your mind but you do that and you can explain that um but your word is your bond. Like if I said I am going to be with you so that we can grow the Puerto Rican Day parade then and I'm going to do it for you this that way then that you're counting on me. Mhm. Right. So, I've already I' I've put you in a vulnerable space by telling you I'm going to deliver this for you. And then if I pull it back, I've just discredited myself, but I've also damaged you because it was a goal you weren't able to meet that you were counting on me for. You don't you don't recover from that easily. You'll never look at that person the same way. And whenever you describe that person or someone asks you of that person, if you're a person like me, that's when I give my thoughts, no tongue. I say, "Well, I don't really have much to say about them." And that says everything. Interesting. Have you ever been in a situation where I've just revealed a whole lot. No names. No names. Um, but have you ever been in a position where there were a group of people who were coming for you and like talking badly on your name and influencing people to take on their thinking? What What is What was your approach in those situations? How did you power of conviction? Power of conviction. Power of conviction and being unflinching. What does that mean? like being being it's non-negotiable. I'm I'm going to give you an example. The uh Puerto Rican Day parade when we made the decision to honor Oscar Lopez Rivera. Oscar Lopez is one of the men who went to prison who was part of the whole independence movement. Okay? And this man was in prison for 27 years. And the entire world, Mandela, the Pope, people were asking for his release. He had more than served his time and he was, you know, there was an entire global movement for his release. He had served, I forget how many years, something in an in an incredible amount of time, more than 10 years in in isolation, you know, solitary confinement, you know, talk about subhuman. Um, and this man is still intact, still true to his convictions. Whatever your political persuasion is, whatever you thought about Albizu Campos, they were men of valor. They were a man of integrity, right? That's where Oscar was, right? He is because he's still alive. So, we we decided to honor him because the world was saying, you know, this man deserves justice. He's paid for his his time. Society should honor him. and we thought, what greater way of honoring him? I've never seen people come out of the woodwork that I would not believe attack me personally, even people from France uh France Tavern where they say that he committed a crime and it's never been actually proven. Um, I'm not going to adjudicate it here, but the point is that Oscar was released. Oscar paid for his time and the Puerto Rican community wanted to recognize this man and this man's story, right? And the way I used to say it, he was our Mandela. The kind of assault that we got, the kind personally Melissa Mark-Viverito and I were constantly bashed. I was called a terrorist. I said, "You know what? These people don't realize that I have a mother, I have nieces, I have a grandchild who are listening to people say these things about me. You know, it's like you have they have no responsibility for their words cuz they didn't. They just wanted to prove a point. And I have to say that the allies that I had, some were surprising that I thought were allies and they weren't. But there was a board of directors that we stood together and we said, "We're going to do You know there was governors and mayors pushing us in a particular direction. And I said sir this is larger than me. This is a community speaking. I do not have the decision the sole decision. I have an influence but I don't have the sole decision. That year we raised all of the money we needed for the Puerto Rican Day parade scholarships. We had an incredible parade. It was a community parade. People came out. But the assaults on the on our community, on that man, on the people who supported that man, uh, and putting everything in jeopardy, people didn't care. They just wanted to make their point. Um, and it was a reactionary faction of of a movement uh, that had nothing to do with him or it had not it was all about another political agenda and we stood strong.
So, did you feel that you needed to, I don't know, do some type of damage control cuz your name was being dragged through the mud? I couldn't do damage control. The damage was the assault was happening every minute, every day. Um, and rapid fire. There was no time for damage control. It was survival and conviction, literally. So, when you're in that kind of a It wasn't anything that I forced it on myself. It wasn't an action. Well, it was an action that we all decided to take, but it wasn't a personal action that I took, right? Cuz then I have to question myself. Like, if I went and I bashed a police officer, then I have culpability there. In this one, I was just standing for a principle about a man's the right to justice, right? Um, and so therefore, I had to take the assault. I mean, the I didn't have to take them, but I did. The assaults were rapid. I could do no damage control other than the conviction of why we were honoring him and reminding people to the best of our ability when as they were putting their knee in our throats that the world had asked for this man to have justice. And you know you so you live through those experience but you also learn that you keep moving forward and you keep marching and you keep you you don't retreat the foxhole. And who do you have in that foxhole to make sure that you can keep moving forward? And you, you know, I I I was very proud of the Latino elected officials and the Puerto Rican ones who chose to march in that parade that day. You know, I mean, they too were taking a risk. Pobrecito, some of them were intimidated, but they also knew even though they might not have agreed with Oscar, even their political perspectives are so different than Oscar, they knew that this was an assault much bigger than the assault on Oscar. Mhm. And for those of you who are tuning in and you're like, what's the thing about this parade? It is the largest, right? The largest national parade in the country. It's the largest in the country. It spans, you know, in New York, it has the highest viewership of most parades. But more than anything, it was started, if you know the history of the parade, then you know why, like why why are people so wonderfully in love with this parade? uh the young men that started this 1957, it was in defiance to the fact that the Puerto Rican flag couldn't be flown for so many years, right? And when the when the law changed and the Puerto Rican flag could display haram at the a lot of brilliant young men in those days, whatever your differences are, they took a stance and said, "You know what? We're going to honor our community. we're going to and we're going to fly that flag. So it, you know, it was a it was really in almost like a defiance. And uh so that's when the Puerto Rican parade was started. I didn't know that. And this past year when we met at the parade was the first year I was actually in the parade. Usually I'm like in the crowd and to be in the parade on the float seeing the sea of flags and orgullo it is like such an amazing feeling. I can tell you I've been in that parade, you know, like my grandmother used to take us to those early parades, you know, like it was it was mandatory, right? That was what you did the second Sunday of June. That's right. You know, and you went with your little pot of chicken and you ate in the sidelines and you were there all day, right? Rain or rain. rain or or hot because that was Yeah, that was always in June. But the one thing that I can say about that parade, it never tires me in all these years that I've seen the the work of that parade to see that sea of flags. I mean, I still get teary-eyed thinking about that vision. It I don't ever tire of seeing it. I used to always say if we could get a quarter for every time that somebody had a flag or um una bonita banda if I could get a quarter for all of imagine how large my scholarship fund would be. Yes. Yes. Our scholarship. It is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing to see and be a part of. It's a display of any kind of food. I think like you can appreciate it whether you're Puerto Rican or you're not. You just feel the energy and the pride. And then what I love is that it has served as a model. Now we have a Mexican parade and we have the Latin American parade. You know, like each one of those it is just a display of of who we are. Look at the assets that we bring. Don't listen to the narrative. There is another side to these people. There's a richness to these people um to us. Yes. And uh and displaying that in full view. The Irish have done it for years. if you're going to see it a few days from now in St. Patrick's. The Italians have done it with with the uh Columbus Day parade. You know, it's that's what this city is about. You know, that's what this nation is about. We're not poisoning anybody's blood. We're enriching everybody's blood. Yes. I love it.
So speaking about orgullo, taking a stand and marching to the beat of your own drum and being a part of history, we are in an historical year, an election year, a big big big election. And unfortunately, many Latinos have a sentiment of, well, my vote doesn't really matter, so I'm not going to show up. What is the point? What are what are your thoughts about that? That is one of the dumbest things you could ever say in your life if you say that. I go back to when um when uh Gore was running for president against Bush and they had to tally the votes in Florida one by one by one and how that vote was lost one by one. Every vote counts. There are some elections that are won in the Bronx by less than 200 300 votes. There are some elections that are won in Arizona by less than a thousand votes. Every vote counts. We are very good because I can't think of one Latino that doesn't have a political opinion. Everybody loves to do the Monday night quarterbacking and we love to criticize our politicians. Well, you know what? Be in the game. And the way you are in the the way you're in the game in this country is you vote. You know what? We do not count untallied votes. They have no weight in the game. All right? So, like people are like, "Oh, well, well, you know," and I said, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. There's no such thing as, you know, well, it was only 20%. Yeah. You know what? That 20% was who who counted and who made a decision. That 80% who chose to sit out, guess what? All you can do is talk about what you wanted, but you didn't put any action in it. I ask each and every Latino, now more than ever, if you honor who you are, if you honor where you come from, if you have a lot of pride, I want you to vote. I'm not even going to tell you who you should vote for, but you should also vote for people who respect you and who think that you are worth something and that you are bringing contribution to this country because we are. I don't care what the narrative is out there. Each and every one of us, my grandmother and great-grandmother came to this country and from them architects, uh, computer scientists, engineers, social workers, secretary of state, lawyers up the gazoo. You know what? That is our legacy. We all are walking on somebody's shoulders to you want to honor that vote and make sure that no one gives a narrative about who we are. That is not who we are. And I don't care where you come from. We all have something to contribute. We've all made contributed to making this country great and what it is. No one can ever say immigrants is what has always made this country function. Why we're different than everybody else because we bring new youth and uh we have a generational uh perpetuation in this in this world. The way you replicate, right, is how you continue legacy and how you continue populations and how you have strength. You can't have an army if you don't have people, right? And we bring that Latinos have the highest number of Purple Hearts. We've contributed to this country in a lot of ways and many of our families with the lives of our loved ones. I say to you, if that doesn't make you want to vote and have a voice, then who are you?
That's a good question to ask. Who are you? Right? So, you know, in the talk that talk segment, we talk about something taboo. So, we've already touched on it with people who feel like their vote doesn't count. But what about the idea of, well, I don't like anyone who's running, so therefore I don't have an opinion, so I'm not voting. No, I'm sorry. You You are paying taxes. If you don't like any of them, then run for office. But in the meantime, you have a choice to make. You have a choice to make for your family. You have a choice to make for your community. You have a choice to make for yourself. You know that I don't I I don't have to love them. I don't think I can think of maybe 10 politicians that I've loved in my entire life and I've been around a whole lot of them. All right. You don't have to love them, but I have to say who is going to benefit me and my community more. I don't you know the other thing is and I'm going to talk to you now with Commission of Aging. This conversation about age and that age diminishes you is the biggest insult to all of us because you know ability is ageless. What makes me who I am is not my age. It's my character, my experience, my knowledge, who I surround myself with. That's the conversation. But this conversation about disposing us. I would never want anyone to have disposed of my grandmother. I got the best of who I am from her and my great-grandmother. How would I say that they're because they were older, they were useless. They were the most powerful things in our family. I hope that my grandson thinks of me that way and my great nieces, you know, it's like, come on. It has nothing to do with age. It has to do with who you are, your character, and your ability. But you don't have to love them. You just have to start thinking about what's going to be best for my family. M and if you vote, vote that way. I like that. And why why should they show up this year in particular? Because there's a lot at stake. We came many people came to this country because of a dream. And that dream was freedom and democracy. And that is at stake more than ever. If you're a young woman today, I for most of I lived um before Roe v. Wade. All right, you people my mother and those people know what it was like for women before that. I can't even imagine I can't that my nieces and my great nieces are going to have less rights than me. I can't even imagine that world. Mhm. I can't even imagine a world where people are telling you as a woman have no power over your body. You and your doctor cannot make the choices for you that are the most essential that somebody else can. I'm not saying that you have to believe in abortion. I you know that's another conversation. But the right to self-determination goes right back to that all the time, doesn't it? and the right to control that you make that decision. You, your God, your doctor and your family, not the law. Then you know like every woman think about that. Mhm. Think about the world that your your now your 10-year-old, your 15-year-old, your 18-year-old niece or daughter. May they never have to confront the situation. But think about what that's like. Imagine being that in Texas. Imagine being that in Alabama today, wanting to have a baby and the only way that I can is to have my my ovaries, you know, uh, and my my my eggs fertilized elsewhere. The the the the that's taboo. That's a taboo conversation. And you know what? That conversation should only be had in your family, with your doctor, with your husband, with your mate, your partner, um, whomever it is. And those are the kind of conversations that are had between you and your maker also, not between you and your politician.
M so what would be your advice for those in the community who are thinking about public service who want to pursue it but they are hesitant because of what they see in terms of how politicians are being treated right now and just how the world operates with you're literally on front center. do it. You if you everybody has a boss, right? Everybody has challenges. If that's what you want, then go for it. But go for it not for the aggrandizement of it. Don't go for it to be in the limelight. Go for it because you have something to say and that you want to you stand for something. I don't even care what you stand for. As long as you stand for something and you have conviction, go for it. Because what happens right now is that people think of politics as a job. It's not a job. It's supposed to be a vocation and a passion, you know, and it it supposed to be grounded in something. That's why I love all these young, you know, people that are throwing themselves in, you know, um be a little wise in how you do it. Um make sure that you have enough money or resources. The only two ways you run, you win uh elections in New York. I mean, in the in this country, it's either money or you have troops. So, if you don't have either one of those, it's going to be a hard battle. That's not to say you won't be able to win it. But do it. Do it. I love all these young people who have that enthusiasm. And please, you know, we haven't done a good job. You know, we need some new, young, fresh blood to, you know, to handle some of these situations that that, you know, this older generation has not done a good job. You know, we want you in there. But just respect where you came from and respect the path that others built for you. You don't have to destroy the past to honor who you are today. I love that.
Well, thank you so much for being here and sharing your thought leadership and thank you being the badass that you are. Like, I feel that energy. I hope you guys feel it as well listening or or watching and tuning in. Uh, we really appreciate you being here on Banking on Cultura. I appreciate you guys for tuning in and I'll see you on the next episode. Hey guys, if you enjoyed this video, I'm pretty sure you're going to love the next one. So, make sure to click right here and tap in to the next episode.