- 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 Irish, the Italians, the Jews, the Chinese-- they all got whole neighborhoods named after them.

But what about us Latinos?

We've been here in this city, and we've got every kind of Latino.

You want your Puerto Ricans?

Wepa.

You want your Cubans?

Dale!

Dominicans?

Que lo que tigre.

Colombianos?

Todo bien, todo bien.

Mexicanos?

No manches, guey.

And this is where I grew up, too.

And when I was a kid, I don't know what the streets were paved with, but it damn sure as hell was not gold.

But that didn't stop Latinx New Yorkers from making big contributions.

Basquiat, Rita Moreno-- Puerto Rican.

Cardi B--Dominican.

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor, Nuyorican from the BX.

Even the very first non-Indigenous person to live and work in the island of Manhattan in the 1600s was Juan Rodriguez, a Dominicano.

Mira eso, right from the start, we've been here making this city great.

Now, I don't know what New York would be without Latinos, but it sure as hell wouldn't smell as good, it wouldn't taste as good, and it definitely wouldn't sound as good.

That's right, 'cause salsa music was invented here in New York, that's right.

[vocalizing along to salsa music] You're welcome.

I wanna retrace my steps from Queens, where I grew up, all the way to the bright lights of Broadway and show you how Latinos have contributed to the culture of the greatest city on Earf.

That's right, I said "Earf."

And you can't tell Latino stories without plenty of good food, music, and dancing.

So come on, let's go, let's go.

Come on.

[upbeat music] ♪ Welcome to Jackson Heights.

That's right, this is the place where I grew up, where I was formed, where I was shaped, where I was tested.

I got beat up.

This is where it all started to happen, and it's the most diverse place in America.

If you don't believe me, Googlealo.

[upbeat music] ♪ Jackson Heights is in Queens, the largest borough in New York City.

It's currently made up of Asian, Black, and White communities, but Latinos reign supreme, at nearly 65% of that population.

Hello, hello.

- Como estas?

- Now that, of course, included my family, who moved here from Colombia with big dreams when I was just three years old.

But the more that people that looked like us came here, the faster the White people took a look around and got a case of el vuelo blanco-- That's right, White flight.

- There's quite a lot of changes around here.

It has deteriorated, very much so, due to the influx of undesirables.

- Well, it was their loss because there's nothing like a New York City melting pot to create culture and just magic.

[light music] ♪ Right here, this is the building I grew up in on apartment 4A.

And it was incredible 'cause the subway is, like, right there.

So we'd be watching TV, like a murder mystery, and be about to tell you, you know, and the murderer, or the-- [imitates train passing] And I would hear-- [subway passing] So that's how I learned how to write 'cause I used to have to make up my own stories.

My parents were immigrant parents, so I had to earn all my Christmas presents.

I had to read the encyclopedia from A to Z.

Otherwise, I wouldn't get my bicycle.

So I got my bicycle, and I brought it out here.

And I got jumped by this kid named Johnny.

He had my same name.

Anyway, that was my life growing up, but it made me who I am today, right?

♪ Manhattan was like Oz, you know.

It was there.

It was something to achieve.

It was something better.

You know, it was someplace-- but it was close enough.

You know what I mean?

You could always dip your toe into what wealthy people and people who had privilege-- you saw it.

And you could smell it and taste it and go, God, you wanted it so bad because you could mingle with it.

You just couldn't, you know, get into it.

♪ Now, Jackson Heights was not an easy place to grow up in, I gotta tell you.

But it gave you character.

Now, those of us who lived there, we took care of one another 'cause, well, we had a sense of community.

And there was that one place that became the hub for everyone in the barrio-- the bodega.

That's Spanish for "storeroom," by the way.

And bodegas really took off in the late '40s after transplants from Puerto Rico recognized the need for products that were authentic to their culture.

And then other immigrants, like these Dominicanos, followed suit, ya tu sabe.

Today, every New Yorker, Latino or not, cause a little corner market a bodega.

See what happened there?

That's how we do.

We get everybody speaking Spanish.

Now, bodegas are the lifeline to Latin neighborhoods because Latin people like their fresh fruits.

That's what we grew up with, you know, having all these essentials.

And the only place to get them is in a bodega 'cause we don't got the Whole Foods.

We don't got the Citarellas.

So this is the spot.

[all speaking Spanish] - That's a beautiful thing about the bodegas, too, is that you knew the owners.

If you didn't have credit, they would front you some cash so that you could, you know, get the things you needed for your house.

This was where you could get your Latin food.

And Latin food, you know, like avocado.

We gave this--the Aztecs gave us avocado.

Avocado-- aguacatl is the Aztec word for testicle.

I'm not making this up.

And the tomato.

Without the tomato-- I mean, half the world cuisine would be over.

Italian food, you wouldn't have it without us.

Zucchini, you know we gave the squash to the world, too.

You know that, right?

That was our stuff, man.

[sucks teeth] Don't make me have to suck my teeth at you.

[sucks teeth] 'Cause that means I'm upset.

[sucks teeth] Hey, what's up, bro?

How you doing?

- How you doing, buddy?

- Nice to meet you.

What do you think is so special about a bodega?

- I've seen people grow up here.

I've known these kids since they were babies.

I've seen them start walking, start school and everything.

You know, it's like a family.

Like you said earlier about giving credit, we try to help everybody out in the community.

It really makes it feel like one big family here.

You know, I see people coming home from school.

I say hi.

I stand out there, you know.

- Yo, there's one reason I am here.

One big reason, and it is I'm dying for a chopped cheese.

- All right.

I can do that.

- You gonna make it yourself?

- I'll make it myself.

You get the specialty.

- You got skills like that?

- I do everything here, bro.

- Damn, managing skills.

- I do everything.

- Helps the community, and makes chopped cheese.

- Mm-hmm.

Hire me.

♪ - Now, a chopped cheese is like the New York version of a Philly cheesesteak, only it's better.

Yeah, I said it.

And word on the street is that the genius behind this iconic New York City staple was Carlos Soto-- [speaking Spanish] from East Harlem, El Barrio.

How'd you learn how to make it?

- Actually, I learned to cook here.

I learned to speak Spanish here, to cook, everything.

- Right.

- Yeah.

- It's like a college, a bodega college.

- They just molded me here to the perfect bodega man.

♪ - You know, Latin people, before we eat, we start to dance a little bit.

♪ Mm!

- There you go, my man.

- Wow.

- Ready to order.

Ready to go.

- Smells good.

- Yeah.

- All right.

That's pretty dope.

Oh, my God.

It's really tasty.

Thank you, man.

Appreciate it.

- Of course, brother.

- Much love.

[speaks Spanish] - Take care.

Much love.

- [speaks Spanish] So bodegas filled your belly and your heart.

And I don't care who you are, if you're from New York City, there's only one place you're getting a half a gallon of milk and a lottery ticket at 2:00 a.m. ♪ - 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.

[hip-hop music] ♪ Ever heard of Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion, and Snoop Dogg?

Of course you have.

They're hip hop royalty.

But what you probably haven't heard is that my people played a big role in getting that whole scene off the ground.

Well, it all started right here in the city that never sleeps.

Hip-hop culture has always been so important to me on so many levels because it was counterculture.

It was subversive because we Latin and Black people were kept out of the limelight.

So this culture came out from the hood, and we Latin people were there.

It's Black culture, but we assisted.

And now you're gonna meet a legend, bro.

♪ Legend in the house.

- Johnny!

- Tony Touch.

All right, now, for those of you who may not know who this legend is, he's the mix tape king.

That's right.

[record scratching] The mix tape, a New York City '90s hip-hop institution, and arguably the most democratic form of music sharing there ever was.

And before hip hop was really a thing, or before any radio stations saw its true potential and bothered to play it, it was DJs like Tony who would create mixes on cassette tape.

You were keeping certain music alive, right, that wasn't getting radio play.

- Exactly.

Nobody was playing hip-hop.

[hip-hop music] - Tony Touch and other DJs played their tapes in clubs around the city, but hip-hop's big breakthrough happened even earlier in 1977 when lightning struck.

No, no.

I mean, literally.

Like, lightning struck and knocked out the power to most of the city.

♪ It all happened in 1977.

And the blackout did what?

- It boosted hip-hop 'cause now everybody was robbing the electronics stores.

So now we had, like, 1,000 DJs in New York.

- Once all those new DJs started creating beats, the rap battles were on.

Everybody's competing 'cause there's too many turntables around, and that's how rap begins.

It's incredible.

- Like I said, we couldn't afford the equipment, and as soon as the lights went out-- - Everybody had equipment.

- We went right for their DJ equipment, bro.

- Hmm.

Imagine that.

♪ [beatboxing] - You know what hip hop did, bro, it brought us all together, kept a lot of kids off the street.

And it gave kids, like, an interest, a hobby.

- Right, right.

- It was art, or-- - Something to rechannel all that young energy, yeah.

- Yeah, you know.

- In a positive way.

- Kids had nothing to do.

And then all of a sudden, they see somebody else breaking.

They spend hours a day just trying to learn that move.

- So like I said, we didn't create hip hop, but we were there.

And Crazy Legs and the Rock Steady Crew helped propel a whole new dance form.

And Joe Conzo, another Puerto Rican, helped document the entire movement.

♪ All the photos you see of hip-hop back in the day were all by Joe Conzo.

- Joe Conzo, man.

- Yeah, so what were the early records that influenced you?

- Ooh, man.

So many.

You know what?

Rather than tell you the records, I'd rather play it for you than show you.

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

Please.

- Let's go upstairs.

So this is the first time I heard a Spanish rap on a hip-hop record.

So this guy, Mr. Schick, was in a group called the Mean Machine.

- All right.

- And this is Sugar Hill Records, bro.

[hip-hop music playing] - Oh.

Oh.

- ♪ We got something we want y'all to hear ♪ [singing in Spanish] - Wepa, wepa.

- [rapping in Spanish] ♪ - Ooh.

- Ooh!

And we can never forget Big Punisher.

- Ahh, Big Pun.

- The first solo Latino artist because Cypress Hill went platinum, also, as a group.

[Big Punisher's "Still Not a Player" playing] - [singing along in Spanish] - And of course, big record.

- ♪ No more rolling with an entourage ♪ ♪ Unless it's Pun and the Terror Squad ♪ ♪ - I got something here.

Mellow Man Ace had this record.

- Oh, I know that record.

[hip-hop playing] - ♪ Check this out, baby [rapping in Spanish] - Yo.

- ♪ Last night, you didn't go - [rapping in Spanish] - That was hot, yo, when that song came out, it was revolutionary to my ears because it was like, oh, my God.

There are Latin words and Latin artists.

- Yeah.

- It's hip-hop.

You just felt included.

- That record hit.

- You felt like, oh, my God, I have value.

I'm important.

I don't know.

It was big for me.

- That record hit, bro.

- ♪ Right now, you're just a liar ♪ ♪ A straight-up mentirosa ♪ ♪ Today you tell me something - ♪ Y manana otra cosa - My brother made this beat, DzILLA.

- Ohh.

- All right, you got some raps for this, bro?

- I might.

I might.

- Oh, yeah?

- Oh.

- Ah!

- Ohh!

Ohh!

- Ahh.

♪ Yo my name is John, and I'm from Queens ♪ ♪ I'm here with Tony Touch, and we're on the scene ♪ - All right.

- ♪ You know how we do ♪ You know where we're from ♪ We Latinos have been funky since day one ♪ - Ohh!

- Oh!

Oh!

That's why I'm not quitting my day job because otherwise I'll be broke and hungry on the street.

- Lord.

- Yo, man.

Thank you so much.

What a pleasure.

- You're the man, brother.

I love you, bro.

- Love you, too, my man.

-Good seeing you.

- I'm gonna leave you with some tools of the trade.

- Oh, yeah.

- And you go, I crown you King of the DJs.

- Yes.

Ordained.

- Ordained, my brother.

Ordained.

- Peace.

[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.

It was about the color of the people allowed on stage.

[music winds down] Back then, it was rare to see any Latino faces on stage besides the great Raul Julia.

And he wasn't necessarily playing Latin roles.

So what chance did a kid like me have of making it to Broadway?

That's why spaces like the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and Pregones Theater are crucial for Latinx talent to be able to develop their work.

The first musical I wrote, "Kiss My Aztec," was workshopped back in 2018 at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater with an amazing ensemble of actors.

Since its founding in 1967, theater directors like Jorge Merced have worked non-stop to hold a space for Latin art to flourish.

- So happy that you're here.

You know, you have a connection to this building.

It was built in 1888 as a firehouse.

It's a historical landmark, and it's the only freestanding Latino theater in the Broadway district.

- And it's because of Latin innovation and how we adapt.

So we took a firehouse so we could get our own theater.

- I know, that's what--Miriam was walking by in the '60s.

- Miriam Colón, which was the founder, right?

- The founder of this theater.

And she saw this boarded up, and she says, "There's gotta be a theater in there."

- The legendary Miriam Colón became well-known in the theater community after her performance in the acclaimed play "The Oxcart" by Puerto Rican playwright René Marqués.

But she was also the Latina in Hollywood in the '50s and '60s and became best known for her role as Mama Montana in Scarface.

- She hated Hollywood.

She was like-- - Why'd she hate Hollywood so much?

- Because she was so distant from her people.

- Right.

- And in '67, she founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.

She was taking theater to the people.

And she says, "That's my calling."

I have some people inside from the company that wanna say hello to you again.

You wanna come in?

- Yeah, yeah.

♪ Oh, I know some of you.

- You know these people?

- Of course I do.

Some of the great New York talent.

This theater has pumped out crazy amounts of talent, like Caridad de la Luz, also known as as La Bruja, one of the leading spoken word poets in the world.

Jesús Martínez, award-winning actor and voiceover artist.

And Christin Cato, a recognized playwright, producer, and actress.

Despite years of performing around town in various other spaces, they all found a home here at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.

- PRTT is like this community where everyone is included in the creation of whatever art is being created, be it musical, be it a narrative, be it poetry.

You know, and we've been here for quite a minute now.

- You know, this was our Broadway, even though--you know, even if it's off Broadway.

It doesn't have more than 500 seats.

But this was our Broadway.

- Yeah.

It was your theater, yeah.

- This is our theater, yeah.

You know?

- Because a lot of people that come here, it's like their first time watching something like this.

- Bilingual.

- Right, right.

- You know, it's our people, our culture.

- There are many familias Black and Brown that followed here from the Midwest many years back.

Oh, yeah.

They were promised homes, [speaks Spanish], community.

- Brown kids, it's like-- it's like their first exposure to something-- - That's people who look like them, talk like them.

- Exactly.

- Talk about things that they're interested in that is culturally theirs.

- Yeah.

- I was a part of other ensembles, but I didn't get the stage time I deserved because they weren't doing shows that had roles for me.

- Yeah.

- That's when I started writing even more because I was like, I'm gonna just write my own stuff.

I wanna see stories that I know my story's on stage.

- That's how I started, too, 'cause I felt like I'm in this rich community in New York City.

Everyone around me is a hero, an artist, and they're all Latin.

But I don't see them on television.

I don't see them in plays.

So I wanted to write the world that I saw.

- Yes.

- Not the world that was kind of falsely being projected.

- Right.

Why, when they do something Latino, it has to be so Latino?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Why can't we just be us?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Why can't I just be me?

Why do I have to be "me"?

You know?

- Right!

That's the thing.

♪ When I was first auditioning, I was also getting stereotypical roles.

You know the denigrating types I'm talking about.

And that's because there were almost no Latinos behind the scenes calling the shots.

Well, I eventually got my break when I took a class with legendary acting teacher, Wynn Handman.

He saw something in me in a series of monologues I'd written called "Mambo Mouth."

I started performing them in a hallway and eventually got critical acclaim, but it still took me three years to take it to a major off-Broadway venue.

I was born right here in Flushing.

Yeah, well, sure, I sound Mexican, man.

I was raised by a Mexican nanny.

Doesn't everybody have a Maria Consuelo?

[laughter] - People like you opened doors, but we have to work that much harder.

- Three times as hard to get a half as far.

- Three times harder than, like, a White counterpart.

You know, like, we're ready.

- Yeah, yeah.

- We're ready.

- Absolutely.

That's what I've been saying.

The talent is there.

- Yeah.

- Do you have a little piece, a little small piece that you could do?

- Can you do the [speaks Spanish]?

- Oy, okay.

- This is my favorite.

- When the weather gets hot, too hot for mi gente, here comes a man called [speaking Spanish].

Bright colored syrups, the flavor so amazing.

A big block of ice he spends the day scraping.

[speaking Spanish] Scraping that ice.

In Spanish, that's hielo.

[speaking Spanish] Yo, you the man.

How you be with that scraper all day in your hand?

He hardly speaks English but sells just the same.

He knows you by face, but not by your name.

The neighbors come for what their taste buds savor.

With a dollar in hand for the piragua man.

[cheering] - Yeah!

God damn.

Amazing!

Beautiful, beautiful.

Thank you for that.

- Thank you.

- Well, anyway, thank you all for having me and sharing.

What a beautiful experience.

I love this space.

It is magic.

You're right.

Thank you.

Man, such great things are happening in this theater.

And little by little, we're making our way onto other stages, too.

[upbeat music playing] Just ask this guy-- dancer, choreographer, and now Broadway director, Sergio Trujillo.

[all cheering] So what were your first early Broadway experiences?

- Well, you know, actually-- I actually got a job-- before I came to New York, I was in Toronto, and I actually got a job as an usher, working at a theater so I can watch "Cats" 'cause I wanted to audition for it.

But the thing was that I wanted to, you know, I wanted to be a dancer.

And I was not gonna stop at anything.

♪ - And he didn't.

For over 17 years, Sergio has been performing and choreographing some of Broadway's biggest hits, like "Jersey Boys," "Ain't Too Proud," and "On Your Feet."

But his newest venture is directing the musical version of the hit motion picture "Real Women Have Curves."

- You know, I've come to a place now in my life and my career where I'm taking charge, and I'm creating content that is purely Latino 'cause I wanna make sure that people like you and myself get a chance at bat.

- Right.

- To get a chance at, you know-- - And roles that garner awards, not background.

Not the 20th character in a show that's never gonna get awards.

- And the talent that is out there, John-- - Oh, it's crazy, man.

- It's unbelievable.

- I've seen it.

- ♪ I am not throwing away my shot ♪ ♪ - And one of the biggest Latin talents on Broadway, game-changer Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creative force behind the smash hit "Hamilton."

Yeah, the Lin-Manuel effect, man, of taking founding fathers and putting people of color, Latin and Black people.

I mean, it was groundbreaking colorblind casting.

- Oh, you know, I think--look, the thing about Lin, first of all, is like he's prodigal.

I mean, the fact that this guy can write and do what he does.

But also, Lin understood.

Like, he intersected his destiny at the perfect time.

I mean, Lin knows not only how to get this show, a work of genius.

But he understood at the time also that Twitter was happening.

- Yeah.

- And he put it out there, his message.

And then it became incredibly accessible.

It became a movement.

But that's the thing about Lin, too, and I think that we have to learn from him, is understanding the power that we have right now, specifically, and changing the scope and the dialogue in our community and our industry, right?

But thank you, John.

Thank you.

- My pleasure.

- For the work that you do.

- A lot more success.

I'm sure you'll be getting awards.

- Thank you.

- Get a larger mantelpiece for all your awards.

- I'll try, I'll try.

I'll be holding my Emmy next time I see you.

- [laughs] I hope so.

Let me hold it, too.

♪ Lin, Sergio, hell, even me, these are the success stories.

But they're not enough on their own because somewhere out there, there are more kids, kids like us, wanting to see their stories on stage or on screen, see their faces, see their lives.

And they can, if we give them a chance.

♪ - 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?

That's right.

Just 30 years ago, street style was maligned and shunned by mainstream society.

But the world has caught up, and major fashion brands are making millions of dollars making street wear often inspired by styles originating in Black and Brown communities.

I'm about to meet up with Raul Lopez, Brooklyn native and designer behind Luar, who is taking street style back and finally getting the recognition he deserves.

What's up, Raul?

- Hey.

How are you?

- Good, good, good.

[both speaking Spanish] - Good.

Good.

- How cool is this place?

Oh, these are the famous purses, huh?

- Yeah, man.

Deemed "it" bag.

- The "it" bag.

Dua Lipa had one, or something?

- Dua had one, Solange.

- Solange had one, too?

Luar has been featured on the Vogue runway, as well as in the pages of its prestigious magazine.

Luar Designs focus on universal, non-binary silhouettes that were born from a very personal place in designer Raul's life.

- Gay, straight, non-binary, queer.

Doesn't matter how you identify.

Like, my brand is for everyone.

- It's a tough industry to have a breakthrough, right?

I mean, you can want it, but it doesn't mean it's gonna happen.

- Yeah.

I mean, you just-- you've gotta hustle.

Growing up in New York with my mom, she was--and my grandmother and all of them, as immigrants from DR-- they all worked in factories in New York.

- My mother worked in a factory when she came here, a doll factory.

♪ [singing in Spanish] In New York City, the fashion industry employs about 180,000 people, accounting for 6% of the city's workforce.

And since the 1800s, garment work has mostly been associated with immigrants.

- Cousins, aunts, uncles, they all worked in the factories.

- So you all were, like, creating all the dresses for-- - I mean, they were.

Yeah, they would be-- - Yves Saint Laurent.

- Yeah.

- Gucci.

Versace.

Yeah, yeah.

Where'd you grow up?

- Brooklyn, Williamsburg.

- Brooklyn.

- Predominantly Latino and Hasidic when I was coming up.

I mean, it was kind of a dump.

But it was a beautiful urban dystopia.

- How did you get the skill?

Did your parents show you how to do it?

- No.

I mean, I wasn't really allowed to do fashion because it was gay.

- Right.

- You know, I wasn't allowed to go to fashion school.

It's a different time.

I mean-- - I know, it was different 'cause my parents told me not to go into acting because they'd say you're not gonna-- "We didn't come to this country for you to be worse than us."

- 100% - You're not gonna F things up.

- My parents didn't really accept it.

Also, it was like a kid coming from, you know, these neighborhoods.

- The streets.

Yeah.

- The streets.

I was like, I couldn't really tell people that I was into it.

Like, "Yo, I'm a designer."

They're like, "Gay."

Like, I couldn't even say that because the dudes on my block would be like-- - Yeah, yeah.

- You know?

So I literally just kind of started making clothes in my room.

- Right.

- I kind of never fit into any mold or any scene.

I always say I'm too ghetto for fashion, and too fashion for the ghetto.

Even if I'm with the queer community, I still stand out.

If I'm on the block, I stand out.

If I'm in DR, I stand out.

- I feel the same way.

I don't know what it is.

I always felt like I didn't fit in, either.

I was too hoodie for the intellectual kids... - Yeah.

- And too intellectual for the hoodies.

- Yeah.

- So you never fit in anywhere.

- Yeah.

Learning to accept who you really are and just kind of running with it.

And just, like-- I know it sounds cliche, but it really is a thing.

- It is a thing.

To get to that place is not that easy.

- So that was the way I bought my first sewing machine.

And I started sewing in my room.

And then I was like, OK, I really love this, and I'm kind of learning how to do this.

But how can I take this further?

- Right, right.

And how did that happen?

- I crossed the bridge.

[upbeat music] - Ah, the proverbial bridge to Manhattan that I, too, had to cross.

- I was sneaking into FIT and Parsons with my friends' IDs.

- How do you mean sneaking in, like to classes?

- To the library.

So I would take my friend's ID, scan, and then go into the school, just to do research.

Fast forward, I'm doing talks in these schools.

- Yeah, isn't that crazy?

- You know, it's like full circle.

- You taught yourself.

You're an autodidact.

- Yeah, yeah.

I just started kind of teaching myself.

Like, with this collection that I'm working on.

- What is it?

Do you wanna tell me a little bit about it?

- Yeah.

Like, this one I'm working on is actually inspired by my family reunion.

It was really like a potluck and a reason to get everybody to dress up.

- Right, right.

- And so-and-so brings a plate, and her son brings her plate.

Her signature dish.

[both speaking Spanish] Like, this one brings this.

But to me was this specific moment of when the men and the women will walk into the party, right when they walk in.

- So this is a tribute to the '80s.

- Yeah, '90s.

Of, like, my family when they came here, and how they interpreted American luxury.

Like, what they thought nouveau riche was.

- Show me your best.

It's all great, so it's going to be hard for you to pick one.

- I have a lot of, like, this is-- - Oh, wow.

- It's like a knit trench.

Actually, it was inspired by the Hasidics.

- Look at that.

It's influenced your whole mindset.

The neighborhood you grew up in, the other culture.

It looks so dope with the big fur hats.

- I mean, I used to wear all that stuff growing up.

Like, this one is like a reference of it, so it's like a new take on it.

It's like watermarked.

- A leather take on it.

- And it's a leather take on-- - Oh, yeah.

Let's try it.

Let me try it on, if you don't mind.

- Hold up.

You need the modern day briefcase.

- I need music, too.

- There you go.

[upbeat music] Boom, boom, boom, boom.

Yeah!

♪ - Oh, my God.

I look muscular.

♪ Raul, thank you so much, man.

- Thank you so much for coming through.

- For taking the time.

Yeah, yeah.

- Thank you.

- My eye caught this leather.

What kind of leather is that?

- This is like a lambskin.

911, we have a Latino in the building who stole one of my bags.

[thunder rumbles] [upbeat music] ♪ - Like I said before, New York City wouldn't be the same without sounds, like this.

♪ Wepa, wepa!

[crowd cheering] On any given day or night, it is the living heartbeat of the city.

You don't believe me?

Check this out.

[salsa music playing] - [singing in Spanish] ♪ - Salsa arrived here in the '40s and '50s and soon spread to Latin street parties and clubs all around the city, like this one at La Marqueta in Spanish Harlem.

♪ - This is a spirit.

- Yes.

- This is a swag.

An idea.

And you're proud of it.

We're in the heart of East Harlem.

We're in the heart of El Barrio, Spanish Harlem.

- Yes, sir, 'cause this is a historic place.

This is where a majority of Latin people came to New York City.

- The place where salsa and music live.

♪ - For decades, people like DJ Agujita, a.k.a.

Raymond Perez, have been keeping these salsa sounds alive.

- This is culture.

This is tradition.

This event, this area, this neighborhood-- Like I always say, this is not a place where you live.

It's a place that lives in you.

The people who have been here all of their lives, who migrated from Puerto Rico, like my father did in 1937, these are people who are not going anywhere.

And this is their outlet.

This is--these are people who walk in here in walkers and wheelchairs, and when the music starts-- ♪ they're on their feet.

- It's a little miracle.

- It's a miracle.

It's like you look for Jesus.

Is Jesus around?

No, it's not Jesus.

- Salsa.

- Salsa is around.

♪ - So the birth of Salsa-- people think it's from Cuba or Puerto Rico.

Where--how did it happen?

- El Son, which is from Cuba, is what salsa is.

♪ - Son is a genre of music and dance created in Cuba, heavily influenced by African rhythms and sounds.

These rhythms became a touchstone for the Latino community when they began immigrating to the United States.

- Salsa is a big New York thing because when our parents came here in the '30s and the '40s, that's probably all they had.

Music was intertwined in all of our activities and all our events.

- But what was the special flavor that New York brought to el Son that people call salsa?

- What happened in the '70s, you cannot deny the fact that Fania Records, with Jerry Masucci and Johnny Pacheco put New York salsa on the map.

Boy, these guys were traveling all over the world.

[singing in Spanish] ♪ - Fania Records was the first label to promote New York-style salsa, a version of salsa that embraced the synergy of various Latin cultures that called this city their home.

♪ It represented all the greats--Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, and the queen herself, Celia Cruz.

- [singing in Spanish] - Through the years, salsa has made its way into American mainstream culture, from soundtracks in movies to TV and beyond.

♪ - The unity that we have here, we bring it to life every Saturday.

And when you come to a place like this, when you come El Barrio, Spanish Harlem, East Harlem, it's infectious.

- Yes.

I like what you said, "unity in the community."

I mean, that should be a T-shirt.

It's so well put.

I was in there, and the joy and everybody's smiling faces.

And you can see these people getting so much out of this music.

Oh, it's beautiful.

Beautiful.

It's so heartwarming.

- Yes.

- You're doing a great deal, a great, great thing.

- I wouldn't have it any other way.

- [speaking Spanish] Keep doing what you do.

- Thank you for being here.

- And bringing so much joy to so many people.

- Thank you so much.

♪ [upbeat music] - 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.

Every once in a while, I like to host what I call a legends dinner, where I invite iconic New Yorkers to sit and share a meal and talk about all things Latin.

In order to do that tonight, I tapped on a burgeoning Colombian talent.

That's right, my people, mi gente.

This is Chef Stephanie Bonin, and she's about to blow up large in the culinary scene with, believe it or not, a restaurant in her own home.

- So I started with La TropiKitchen feeding my friends.

- Mm.

- You know I always like to have people around me, and I love feeding people.

That's my favorite thing in the world.

And then I have a bunch of Colombian friends coming to my house, eating for free.

And one day, my husband is like, "Hey, Stephanie.

I cannot spend $250--" - I can't fund your friends.

- "No, I cannot do that."

- Yeah, yeah.

- So I create a flyer, and I have--the first weekend, I have 45 people eating... - What?

- Fried fish, and coconut rice, and tostones outside of my house.

- Amazing.

These days, she feeds over 100 people every weekend out of her Brooklyn kitchen.

- Today, we're gonna be grinding corn.

- These are beautiful colors.

Look at that.

This is the Colombian flag.

- Yeah.

Amarillo, azul, y rojo.

[both speaking Spanish] - Which means "without corn, there's no country."

I mean, it doesn't rhyme in English, but it rhymes really pretty in Spanish.

Yo, here's 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 pretty mad sophisticated cultivation methods, giving birth to complex societies while some Europeans were still shaking off the Ice Age.

Now it's the most produced grain on the planet, feeding people and livestock.

But it's also used in everything else from corn syrup to ethanol to chemicals and more.

We should just rename the whole joint the United States of Maize.

- So you told me that your grandma used to do this.

- Yeah, my grandmother had one of these suckers-- a grinder.

And she would make envueltos and all kinds of corn dishes.

Yeah, this takes a little muscle.

Thank God I went to the gym.

- Yeah.

[laughs] - Oh, man.

It's wild that corn is the most important food in the world now, isn't it?

- Yeah, it is.

- There was knowledge in getting this food to work.

And Colombian food isn't really as respected as it should be, and it's actually much harder to make.

Trust me, it is because my bicep is killing me already.

- And I think that what you mentioned is so important, the connection that you have with your grandma doing these actions.

Right now, there's people that are not even growing with this in the real way, you know.

- How did we lose to the conquest with all this strength that we had from making our own food?

We must have been so powerful.

Who could beat us?

- And also, I wanna add something else.

We are so used, like, fine dining is all these European concepts.

Tell me something more fine dining than this-- ♪ - Hey, even better than fine dining, all that craft, history, and love that goes into this.

♪ - Thank you for coming.

So today, we're going to share different dishes for Colombian territory.

So as you can see, we have three different kind of empanadas.

Each of them represent different regions of Colombia.

Yellow one, the Indian, [speaking Spanish] with peanuts and potatoes.

The blue one, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Coconut meal, a crab.

And the red one is the [speaks Spanish], which is the mountains of Colombia.

[speaks Spanish] with mushroom.

♪ - Talk about the perfect meal to share with my homies as we get down to some business.

- Beautiful.

- Amazing.

- So good.

- All right, y'all, I'm so glad you made it here to the special restaurant home.

I brought you here because you all represent different aspects of my life, and I wanted to share because you know, Latin people, we don't get our flowers.

We don't get our dues like we deserve.

To me, Sergio represents Broadway.

And legendary rapper Fat Joe and Tony, they're all about hip-hop.

And Aida, she's the comedy world.

We dive in, starting with something that seems like it's pretty basic-- what we call ourselves.

But it's not that simple.

For years, the words Hispanic, Latino, and Latina were most common.

Now, some younger folk in particular are gravitating towards a new term, Latinx.

But not everybody is on board.

- Latinx.

Are you for it or against it?

Or you prefer other terms?

- I don't really know really what it is.

- That's honest.

- I kinda moved to the beat of my own drum.

You know, if it sticks, it sticks.

I do my thing.

- Labels don't mean anything to you.

- I don't like the names and titles and boxes and categories.

Never really been my thing, you know?

- I'm with Tony.

I never knew the true definition.

- But you know, hey.

Got the word Latino in it, so rock on.

You know?

- Hey, I love it.

- I support it.

- Yeah.

- You know, I don't understand, like, how did it happen?

- So Latinx represented all Latin people, regardless of masculine, feminine.

And then it has sort of a nongender.

But a lot of people don't like it.

A lot of people-- no, I like Latino.

Leave it alone.

Some people say, I like Hispanic.

You know.

- Those are just inclusive terms that younger people have created to make space for people who don't feel represented and seen.

And so, as a woman, and as a man who identify as Latina and Latino, when a non-binary person feels that they don't identify with either, they wanna be-- they want a term that is inclusive of who they are.

- Keeping the--but keeping-- but owning their Latinness.

- Owning their Latinness.

I don't understand the people who get so angry about it because usually a lot of times, it's rooted in, like, toxic masculinity, and sexism, and transphobia, and homophobia.

Why does it bother you so much that somebody wants to be included in the term, and they don't feel like they can identify with the A and the O?

- That's a great point.

It's a great point.

I mean, I do like Latinx because it sounds new.

A new generation, and more aggressive, more-- more woke, if that's still OK. Latinos, Latinas, Latinx, whatever word you pick, we can all agree that our community is really making a mark.

- So right now, we're having a moment.

A cultural moment, right?

But I think collectively, collectively, we have to support the efforts of others.

i.e., for instance, "In the Heights," right?

Let's celebrate that moment that-- - Right, right.

I was in that theater.

I brought my whole family.

- Or "Encanto."

Those movies are being seen.

And let's all flock to theaters.

Let's support the artists who made it happen.

- It's a beautiful thing.

You support your community.

Yeah.

- We're just getting the light shined on us right now, but we've been here.

And you know, what I-- I make the practice of being able to celebrate us without having to bring anybody else down.

You know, because it's always this comparison thing when it comes to people of color.

I do believe that we have gotten so divided, and that's White supremacy's work, right?

- It's like a capitalistic thing that believes that you can only build yourself up by knocking other people down, but that's not the way it really works when you can build everybody else up and build yourself up and create a community.

- I've always been for my Latino brothers and sisters, anything they're doing positive, anything they're doing to get ahead.

I'm proud of everything we do that's in the positive note.

- Right.

- Well said.

- Well said.

Yeah, for sure.

- Well, here's a toast to all you, man.

All you influencers and artists.

Here's to all y'all.

You make me proud.

New York City.

This is the place I love and call home.

It's also where this Latin kid's dreams became a reality, and maybe the only place they could have.

But I'm not alone.

This city holds so many Latinx dreams, so many of our stories.

The fact is, Latinos helped make this city the global mecca that it is today.

We helped build it, we help run it, and we bring it to life daily with our passion, our culture, and our contributions.

And telling these stories fills me with pride and inspires me to keep finding more stories.

I'm glad y'all came along for the ride.

♪ [upbeat music] ♪