- you know how they used to say the streets of new york were paved with gold? and then wave after wave of immigrants came here to make their lives better for themselves. the you know when the immigrants came here to make their lives better for themselves, the irish the italians, they all got neighborhoods named after them.

but what about us latinos? we've been here in the city and this is where i grew up. when i was a kid, i don't know what the streets were paved with but it was not gold. and that did not stop latinx new yorkers for making the contributions. cardi b, dominican. even the very first person to work on the island of manhattan in the 1600s was juan rodriguez. right from the start we've been here making the city great. i don't know what new york

would be without latinos, but it sure as would not smell as good or taste as good, and it definitely would not sound as good. salsa music was invented here in new york. that's right. you're welcome. i want to retrace my steps. i want to show you how latinos have contributed to the culture of the greatest city on earth. and you cannot tell latinos stories without plenty of good food, music, and dancing. let's go.

welcome to jackson heights. that's right, this is the place where i grew up, where i was formed, welcome erjackson heights. this is where i got beat up and this is where it started to happen. if you don't believe me, google it. jackson heights is in queens. the largest borough in new york city. it's made up of asian, black, and white communities. but latinos reign supreme at 65% of the population. that included my family. we are from columbia with big dreams when i was just three years old. and the more that people came that looks like us, the faster the white people looked around

and got a case of white flight. >> it has deteriorated. due to the influx of undesirables. >> it was there last because there's nothing like a new york city melting pot to create culture and just magic. right here, this is the building i grew up in an apartment for a and the subways right there and we would be watching tv and they would be about to tell you the murderer and that's how i learned to write. i had to make up my own stories. my parents were like immigrant parents so i had to read the encyclopedia otherwise i would not get my bicycle. and i brought it out here and i

got jumped by this kid, but it made me who i am today. manhattan was like there. it was something to achieve and something better. but it was close enough. you could always dip your toe into what wealthy people and people who had privilege, you saw it and you could taste it and you wanted it so bad. jackson heights was not an easy place to grow up in, but it gave you character. those of us who lived here, we took care of one another because we had a sense of community and there was one place that became the hub for everyone. the bodega. that is spanish for storeroom.

they really took off in the late 1940s after transplants from puerto rico recognized the needs for products that were native to their culture and then other immigrants followed suit. today every new yorker calls a little corner market a bodega. see what happened there? we get everyone speaking spanish. bodegas are the lifeline to let neighborhoods because people like fresh fruits and that's what we grew up with having these essentials and the only place to get them is a bodega because we don't have whole foods, so this is the >>. that's a beautiful thing. you knew the owners. if you didn't have credit, they would front you some cash. and this is where you could get your latin food. and avocados, the aztecs gave

us avocado. it's an aztec word for testicle. without tomatoes, half the world cuisine would be over. zucchini, you know we gave squash to the world. don't make me have to my teeth that you. how you doing. what do you think is so special about a bodega? >> i've seen people grow up. and i've known these kids since they were babies. and it's like a family. like you said about giving credit, we help everyone out. it makes it feel like one big family. i see people coming home from school and i stand out there.>> one big reason i am here is i'm dying for a chopped cheese. >> i will make it myself. i do everything here.

>> it's like the new york version of a philly cheesesteak but it's better. and word on the street is the genius behind this iconic staple was someone from east harlem. how did you learn how to make it?>> i learned how to cook here and speak spanish. they just molded me here. >> we start to dance a little bit. >> 30 ago. >> that is really tasty. so it filled your heart and your belly. if you are from new york city,

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your day, me - now, if you wanna to be with me, you gotta walk fast 'cause we new yorkers, we don't wait for you. and if you can't keep up, you're gonna have to step off. new york-- it's famous for baseball, pastrami on rye, and, of course, hip-hop. if you want to be with me have to walk fast. and if you cannot keep up, you have to step off. new york is famous for baseball, pastrami on rye and

hip-hop. ever heard of jay-z? in snoop dogg? of course you have. they are hip-hop royalty. but what you probably have not heard is that my people played a big role in getting that's enough the ground. it all started right here in the city that never sleeps. it's always been so important to me on so many levels because it was counterculture. it was subversive because we were kept out of the limelight so this culture came out from the neighborhood and its black culture but we assisted and now you will meet a legend. legend in the house. for those of you who may not know who this legend is, he's the mix tape king.

a new york city 1990s hip-hop institution and the most democratic form of music sharing that ever was. before hip-hop was the thing or before any radio stations saw its potential, it was djs like tony that would create mixes on cassette tape. you are keeping certain music alive. >> no one was playing hip-hop. they played their tape set clubs around the city, but the big breakthrough happened earlier in 1977 when lightning struck like literally. it knocked out the power to most of the city. it happened in 1977. the blackout did what? >> it boosted hip-hop. everybody was robbing electronics stores. >> once they all-star creating

beats, the battles were on. everyone is competing because there were too many turntables. >> we could not afford the equipment and when the lights went out, we went right for a dj. you know what hip-hop did is up brought us together and kept a lot of kids off the street and gave kids a hobby. like an art. >> they could re-channel their energy. >> they spent hours a day. >> like i said, we didn't create it, but we were there. and they help to propel a new dance form and this other puerto rican help document the entire movement.

all the photographs to see if hip-hop in the day were by joe. so what were the early people that influenced you? >> so many. i would rather play it for you. let's go upstairs. this is the first time i heard spanish rap on hip-hop record. this is sugar hill records. and we can never forget big punisher. the first solo latino otters. >> [ music ]

>> and a big record. i've got some here. >> i know that record. when that song came out, it was revolutionary to my ears because it was like they are latin artists and it's hip-hop and you just felt included. i felt like i have value and i'm important. >> that record hit. my brother made this.

my name is john and i'm from queens. we are on the scene. you know where we've gone. that's why i'm not quitting my day job because otherwise i would be broke and hungry on the street. thank you so much. >> good seeing you. i crown you king of the djs. hea. if you know, you know it's pantene. our right to reproductive health care

is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. go online, call, or scan right now. (dramatic music) time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other- -a gift that can help saint jude children's research hospital save lives. those that donate to st. jude, i hope that you will continue to give.

they have done so much for me and my family. please don't wait until the last minute. make a difference by supporting the children of st. jude. please donate now. [coughing] hi susan, honey? yea. i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin, with real honey & elderberry. r[epic music] ♪ - broadway, the great white way, one of new york city's greatest gifts to the world. but for a kid like me from the hood, the great white way wasn't just describing the bright lights. broadway. one of new york city's greatest gifts to the world. but for a kid like me from the hood, it was not just describing the bright lights.

it was about the color of the people allowed on stage. back then it was rare to see any latina faces on stage. besides rall julia, and he was not necessarily playing roles. so what chance did a kid like me half? that's why places like puerto rican traveling theater are essential. the first musical i wrote was workshops in 2018 at the puerto rican traveling theater and we had an amazing ensemble of actors. since its founding in 1967, theater directors have worked nonstop to hold the space for latin art to flourish. you have a connection to this building. it's an historical landmark.

>> it's because of latin innovation and how we adapt. we took a firehouse for our own theater. >> the founder of this theater and she saw it boarded up and she said there has to be a theater. >> she became well-known in the theater community after her performance in the oxcart. but she was also the latina in hollywood and became best-known for her role in scarface. >> she hated hollywood. it was so distant from her people and she founded a puerto rican traveling theater and was taking theater to the people. do want to come in? >> i know some of you. of course i do. but this theater has pumped up

crazy amounts of talent, one of the leading poets in the world. and a recognized playwright, producer, an actress. they all found a home here at the puerto rican traveling theater. >> it's like this community where everyone is included in the creation of whatever art is being created, be it a musical or a narrative or poetry. and we been here for quite a minute. >> this was our broadway. doesn't have more than 500 seats, but this was our broadway. >> a lot of people that come here it's like the first time watching something like this. >> bilingual. it is our culture.

>> they were promised homes. >> it's like their first exposure to something -- >> people that talk about things that they are interested in that is culturally there's. >> i was part of other ensembles , but i did not get the stage time i deserve because they were not shows that had rolls for me. that's when i started writing. i want a stories that i know. >> i felt like i'm in this rich community of new york city and every one around me is an artist and they are latin but i don't see them on television and so i wanted to write the world that i saw. not the world that was falsely being projected.>> it has to be so latino. why can't we just be us. why do i have to be me.

>> when i was first auditioning, i was getting stereotypical roles. and that's because there were no latinos behind the scenes calling the shots. i eventually got my break when i took a class with this legendary teacher. he saw something in me in a series of monologues. i started performing them and got critical acclaim but it took me three years to get to major off-broadway venue. >> i was raised by a mexican man. >> people like you open doors, but we have to work that much harder. than white counterparts. >> the talent is there.

do you have a small piece you could do? this is one of my favorites. >> when the weather gets too hot, here comes a man a big block of ice. scraping the ice in spanish. how you been with that scraper all day in your hand. he knows you by face and not by your name. the name must come from what your taste buds say. >> amazing. thank you for that. i want to thank you and sharing. what a beautiful experience.

such great things are happening in this theater. and little by little we are making our way onto other stages. just asked this guy. what was your first broadway experience? i got a job before i came to new york, i got a job as an usher so i could watch cats because i wanted to addition. but i wanted to be a dancer and i was not going to stop anything. >> and he did not. for 17 years he's been performing and choreographing some of the biggest hits. like jersey boys, and on your feet. 's newest venture is directing the musical version of real women have curves. >> i've come to a place in my career warm taking charge and i'm creating content that is

purely latino because i want to make sure that people like you and myself get a chance -- >> not background, not the 20th character. >> and the talent that is out there is unbelievable. and one of the biggest latin talents on broadway, lin-manuel miranda. the creative force behind hamilton. >> taking a founding fathers and putting people of color, it was groundbreaking. >> the thing about him is he can write and do what he does, but he understood that he intersected his destiny at the perfect time. he knows not only how to get this show, but he understood at

the time that twitter was happening and put it out there his message and it became accessible and became a movement. but i think we have to learn from him is understanding the power that we have specifically and changing the dialogue in our community and our industry. thank you for the work that you do. >> a lot more success. get a larger mantelpiece. these are the success stories, but they are not enough on their own because somewhere out there there are more kids like us wanting to see their stories on stage or on screen, see their lives and they can't and they can if we give them a chance.

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♪ - so check it out-- new york city is one of the most influential places in the entire world. people find inspiration here when it comes to everything--food, music, and especially fashion. but did you know that a lot of the coolest new york city fashion was invented by kids in the hood? check it out. new york city is one of the most influential places in the entire world. people find inspiration here when it comes to everything. food, music, and especially fashion. but some of the coolest fashion was invented by kids in the hood? just 30 years ago street style was shunned by mainstream society, but the world has caught up and major fashion brands make millions of dollars

making streetwear inspired by styles originating in black and brown communities. i'm about to meet up with a designer behind street style and getting the recognition he deserves. >> how are you? how cool is this place. these are the famous purses. dualit i had one? >> solange. >> he's been featured on the vogue runway. his designs focus on nonbinary silhouettes that were born from a very personal place in his life. >> , straight, it doesn't matter how you identify. this is for everyone.

>> it's a tough industry to have a breakthrough. >> you have to hustle. growing up in new york, my mom and my grandmother, all worked in factories new york. >> my mother worked in a factory. the fashion industry employs about 180,000 people accounting for 6% of the city's work force. and garment work has mostly been associated with immigrants. >> aunts and uncles they all worked in the factories. where'd you grow up?>> predominantly latino when i was coming up. it was kind of a dump, but it was a beautiful urban utopia. >> did your parents show you?

>> i was not allowed to do fashion because it was . i could not go to fashion school. >> my parents told me not to go to acting because we did not come to this country for you to be worse than us. >> my parents did not accept it and it was like a kid coming from the neighborhood. i could not really tell people i was into it. i could not even say that, so i just kind of started making clothes in my room. i never fit into any mold and i always say i'm too for fashion and to fashion for the . if i'm on the block, i stand out. >> i don't know what it is. i always felt like i was to who

do you for the intellectual kids into intellectual. >> learning to accept who you are. and running with it. it really is a thing. >> i started sewing in my room and then i decided i really loved it and learned how to do it and i crossed the bridge. >> the proverbial bridge to manhattan that i had to cross. >> you snuck in?>> i would go into the school just for the research. fast-forward, i started teaching myself with this collection i'm working on now.

like this i'm working on is inspired by my family reunion. and so-and-so brings the plate and to me it was a specific moment of when the men and women would walk into the party. >> this is a tribute to the 1980s. >> the 1990s. how they interpreted american luxury and what they thought nouveau riche was. i mean, this is like a knit trench. >> the neighborhood you grew up in. it looks so dope. >> i used to were all of this.

this is a letter take on this. >> i need music. i look muscular. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> what kind of leather is that? >> this is like lambskin. 911. he stole one of my jackets. my js

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for resilient, healthy-looking hair... if you know, you know it's pantene. [thunder rumbles] [upbeat music] ♪ - like i said before, new york city wouldn't be the same without sounds, like this. ♪ wepa, wepa! [crowd cheering] >> [ daymusic ] >> new york city would not be the same without sounds like this.

on any given day or night it is the living heartbeat of the city. you don't believe me? check this out. >> [ music ] salsa arrived here in the 1940s and 1950s and spread to clubs around the city like this one in spanish harlem. >> this is a spirit. an idea and we are in the heart

of spanish harlem. >> a majority of latin people came to new york city. >> the place where salsa and music live. >> for decades people like raymond have been keeping the sounds alive. >> this is culture and tradition and this area, this neighborhood, this is not a place where you live. this is a place that lives in you. people who migrated from puerto rico like my father, these are people in this is the outlet. these people walk in here and when the music starts they are on their feet. it's a miracle.

it's not jesus. >> so the birth of salsa. people think it's from cuba or puerto rico. how did it happen?>> this is what salsa is. >> it's a genre of music heavily influenced by african rhythms and sounds. they became a touchstone for the latino community when they began immigrating to the u.s. >> salsa is a big thing because when our parents came here, all they had was music. music was in all of our events. >> what was the special flavor that new york brought that people call salsa? >> what happened in the 70s,

they put new york salsa on the map. these guys were traveling all over the world. >> this was the first label to promote new york style salsa, version that embraces the synergy of various latin cultures that called the city their home. it represented all of the greats. and the queen herself. through the years it made its way into america mainstream culture from soundtracks to tv and beyond. >> the unity that we have here, we bring to life every saturday and when you come to a place like this, when you come to

spanish harlem, it's infectious. >> unity in the community. the joy and everybody smiling and you could see these people getting so much out of this muted. you doing a great thing. keep doing what you do. thank you so much. ♪far-xi-ga♪ ♪far-xi-ga♪ ask your doctor about farxiga. narrator: at this very moment, children at st. jude are fighting to survive. with a gift right now, you can join the battle to save lives. katy: without saint jude, i don't know where we would be. can we see snuggles? they have given children with cancer,

like my winston, a chance. christine: she has neuroblastoma and it has spread to her liver. i try to enjoy every minute with her because i do not know when would be my last moments with her. narrator: time is running out to give a year-end gift that can help. st. jude children's research hospital save lives. because cancer doesn't stop during the holiday season. please call, go online, or scan the qr code right now and give $19 a month to help make it the season of hope for families at saint jude. tammie: just that feeling that was, like, so hard on your heart that my kid's not going to live. every day now, it's like a gift. narrator: for just $19 a month, you can make a difference. please become a st. jude partner in hope right now. franchet: those that donate, it's more than a miracle for me.

it's more than a blessing. (voice breaking) they have done so much for me and my family. narrator: join with your credit or debit card for only $19 a month, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt you can proudly wear to show your support. katy: all these children deserve to live, and i would love for it to be the day where no other family has to fear losing their child to cancer. you've given us hope. narrator: please don't wait until the last minute. make your donation now to help st. jude save lives. [clears throat] sounds like you need to vaporize that sore throat. vapocool drops? it's sore throat relief with a rush of vicks vapors. ♪ vapocooooool ♪ whoa. vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops. z's bakery is looking to add a pizza oven, arissa's hair salon wants to expand their space,

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- you know, there's so much latin talent in new york city--artists, innovators, and heroes. we're going to meet a few tonight, colombian-style. that's right. what's up, homies? how you doing, man? pimping somebody's ride? look at you. look at all that talent. that's real talent right there. there is so much latin talent in new york city. artists, innovators, and here's. we are going to meet a few tonight. how are you doing? look at that talent. every once in a while i like to host what i call a legends dinner where i invite iconic new yorkers to share a meal and talk about all things latin. tonight i tapped on columbia talent. this is a chef and she's about to blow up large on the culinary scene with the restaurant in her own home. >> i started feeding my friends. i always like to have people around me and i love feeding people.

and then i have a bunch of colombian friends coming and eating for free. and my husband says i cannot spend this, so i created a flyer and the first weekend i had 45 people eating outside of my house. >> these days she feeds over 100 people every weekend out of her kitchen.>> today we are grinding corn. >> this is the colombian flag. that means without corn there is no country. here is a little tale about corn. 10,000 years ago the indigenous peoples of mesoamerica became some of the first to farm corn and it involved some sophisticated methods giving birth to complex societies while some europeans were shaking off the ice age.

now it's the most produced grain on the planet feeding people and livestock but used and everything else from corn syrup to chemicals and more. we should just rename the whole place the united states of maize. >> you said your family used to do this. >> my family used to have one of these and she would make all kinds of corn dishes. this takes a little muscle. it's the most important food in the world now. there was knowledge in getting this to work and colombian food is not as respected as it should be and it's much harder to make. it is because my biceps are killing me a ready. >> it's the connection that you have with your grandma and there are people that i'm showing this is the real way. >> how did we lose with all the

strength we had for making our own food. who could beat us? >> i'm can add something else. like there's all these european concepts. tell me something more fine dining than this. >> even better than fine dining , all of that history and love that goes into this. >> thank you for coming. today we will shared different dishes from colombian territories. we have different kind of bananas. they represent different regions of columbia. the blue one is the caribbean and pacific and the red one is from the mountains of columbia.

>> talk about the perfect meal to share as we get down to business. >> i'm glad you made it here to the special restaurant. i brought you here because you represent different aspects of my life and i wanted to share because we don't get our dues like we deserve. sergio represents broadway. and joe and tony are about hip- hop and she's the comedy world. we started with something that seems like it's basic what we call ourselves. but it's not that simple. for years the words hispanic, latino, and now younger people gravitate toward latinx, but not everyone is on board. are you for or against it? >> i don't really know what it is. >> that's honest. >> i moved to the beat of my

own drum. if it sticks, it sticks. i don't like the names and titles and categories. never really been my thing. >> i never knew the true definition. >> we have the word latino. i support it. >> i don't understand how it happened. >> latinx represented all latin people regardless of masculine or feminine and that it has a non-gender. so people don't like it because they don't like let you know. and somebody say i like hispanic. >> they are inclusive terms that younger people have created to make space for people who don't the represented and seen. and so as a woman and as a man who identifies as latino, when a nonbinary person feels they don't identify with either, they want a term that is

inclusive of who they are. >> but owning their latin. >> i don't know why people get angry because a lot of times it's rooted in toxic banking masculinity and sexism and transphobia and homophobia. why does it bother you so much that someone wants to be included and they don't feel that they can identify? >> i do like latinx because it sounds new, a new generation and more aggressive and more woke, if that's still okay. >> whatever were to pick, we can all agree that our community is making a mark. >> right now we are having a cultural moment and i think collectively -- collectively we have to support the efforts of others. in the heights, let's celebrate that. >> i brought my whole family.>>

those movies are being seen and let's flocked to the theaters and support the artists who made it happen.>> it's a beautiful thing. >> where getting the light shined on his right now, but we've been here and i make it a practice of being able to celebrate us without having to bring anyone else down. because there's always this comparison when it comes to people of color. i believe we've gotten so divided and that's white supremacy works. >> it's a capitalistic things that work. but it's not the way it really works. you can build everyone else up and build yourself up and create a community.>> anything they are doing positive and doing to get ahead, i'm proud of everything we do. >> here is to all you influencers and artists, here

is to all of you. you make me proud. >> new york city is the place i love and call home. and its where this latin kids dreams became a reality and the only place. but i'm not alone. the city holds so many dreams, so many of our stories. the fact is latinos made this the global mecca that it is today. we helped to build it and we bring it to life with her passion, our culture, and contributions. and telling these stories fills me with pride and inspires me to keep finding more stories. i'm glad you came along for the ride.

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