TONY HERNANDEZ’S STORY IS INSPIRING AND HUMBLING and to listen to his journey is to understand the AMERICAN DREAM, this is an episode that you must listen to. We hear so much about immigrants and the topic has become such a political lightning rod, that we forget all too often that everyone of us is a descendant of immigrants. Tony tells his amazing and interesting story that began with his parents coming over from Cuba with nothing but the American Dream. In the face a hardship and discrimination, in spite of the massive challenges, his family persevered through HARD WORK, GRIT, DETERMINATION and above all the closeness and love of the FAMILY unit.
As you hear Tony explain, it's all a MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE, when you come from a place of such poor conditions as Cuba in the 1960’s, the OPPORTUNITY to create a better life in the US is a BLESSING. His parents worked multiple jobs and did with a MINDSET OF GRATITUDE, and instilled in him a belief system that acted as an internal GPS throughout his.
That GPS guided him to the pinnacle of success in corporate America, as he CREATED OPPORTUNITIES AND SEIZED THOSE MOMENTS WITH NO FEAR OF FAILURE and made his parents proud by fulfilling the journey to create the American Dream. Listen as Tony tells his story of how he went from immigrant child to Vice President and General Manager of ESPN Latin America and before that as Vice President at CBS Radio Networks. More important than the material success is Tony’s life work, his passion which is what truly impacts and touches so many people's lives.
Tony is a founder of the IMMIGRANT ARCHIVE PROJECT, which is what we spend the majority of this interview discussing. The Immigrant Archive Project’s mission is to record, archive and share the stories of immigrants in the United States in order to help us understand the immigrant experience and its vital contribution to American society. The growing archive will ensure that the faces and voices of immigrants are seen and heard, not only collectively, but individually, and in so doing, will teach us to connect with immigrants on fundamentally human and moral terms. At this point there are roughly 3000 hours of video and that will continue to grow.
I’ve watched some of the videos and found them to be AMAZING STORIES, about real people that come to this country and continue to create the American Dream. The videos are HEARTWARMING AND INSPIRING, and to get to know Tony is to know a man that has a deep sense of DUTY AND SERVICE, a man that has a higher calling and is making a difference every day with this project. The dream is very real, but as Tony so eloquently explains it, it’s because of the perspective that immigrants bring to the work they do, and the way they live their lives with GRATITUDE, HUMBLENESS AND APPRECIATION.
I hope you enjoy this interview and I encourage you to follow Tony’s work.
Connect with Matt Rosenthal: LinkedIn: /matt-rosenthal-mindcore/ - Instagram: @mattrosenthal_
Connect with Tony Hernandez:
https://immigrantarchiveproject.org